Serene Alsous is a CFP® and ChFC® with eight years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Valic Financial Advisors. She has worked at Valic Financial Advisors since 2017 and holds an agent position with Agia. Alsous is also a notary public in Wake County, North Carolina. Valic Financial Advisors, Inc. serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement participants, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and unified managed account solutions through a large network of advisors.

Douglas Foreman is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked previously at U.S. Bancorp, MUFG, and Bank of America. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a client-centered process that incorporates fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios using a variety of investment vehicles and offers services including financial planning and tax-aware investing.

Ezekiel Powell is a CFP® and ChFC® affiliated with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, with four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Fidelity Investments, Valic Financial Advisors, and Thrivent Financial. Outside of his advisory work, he provides janitorial services at a local church as an independent contractor. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses, offering advisory and brokerage services. The firm employs a client-centered process combining fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage investments across various asset classes.

Conrad Kunkel is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with 19 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Brookstone since 2015. In addition to his role there, he owns GPS Financial Strategies, where he counsels individuals, families, and business owners on financial security matters. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser providing fee-based asset management and financial planning through a turnkey asset management platform and wrap-fee program. The firm serves a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, other registered investment advisers, sovereign wealth funds, and banking institutions.

John Todd is a financial advisor at Osaic Advisory Services, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Arbor Point Advisors, Securities America, Inc., Ameriprise Financial Services Inc., and Edward Jones. Osaic Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension plans, corporations, trusts, charitable organizations, and government entities. The firm provides investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and related services through multiple program models, utilizing a combination of proprietary guidance and third-party platforms.

James Martin is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses with 18 years of industry experience. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, Martin serves as Vice President and Committee Chairman of Walnut Creek Country Club, participating in board and committee activities related to club operations and financial decisions without compensation. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm emphasizes IAR-led client assessments and a diversified investment approach, offering portfolio management, model portfolios, and tax-aware services.

Matthew Williams is a CFP® professional at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. with 26 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Northern Trust Securities, Inc., The Vanguard Group, Inc., and First Allied Securities. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, foundations, non-profits, and endowments, providing investment advisory, financial, tax, retirement, and estate planning services. The firm emphasizes globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios using low-cost ETFs, index funds, separate account managers, and other investment vehicles, supported by client education, specialized programs, and integrated service platforms.

Kimberley Palladino is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 16 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked at Truist and its predecessor, SunTrust, since 2015. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation, fiduciary support, and manager selection programs, utilizing a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary approaches supported by AI-enabled research tools.

Craig Osborne is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses with 31 years of industry experience. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services since 2016. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals—including high-net-worth clients—as well as pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities, offering advisory and brokerage services. The firm utilizes a client-centered process involving financial needs assessments and diverse investment strategies, managing over $2.6 billion in client assets through a range of portfolio management options and financial planning services.

Miles Costin III is a Series 65-licensed advisor with 10 years of industry experience. He is currently with Brookstone Capital Management LLC and has held roles at Retirement Wealth Advisors, FormulaFolio Investments, LLC, and Innovative Advisors. Outside of advisory work, he owns and operates Innovative Advisors, where he sells life insurance and annuities and assists clients with college funding, financial aid, and structured cash flow planning. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, and other entities. The firm employs strategic and dynamic asset allocation models alongside a variety of investment vehicles and serves as a sub-advisor to other advisory programs.

Laura Frushone is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 34 years of industry experience. She has worked at First Citizens Investor Services since 1998. Outside of her advisory role, she is a partner in an LLC that manages rental property. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to allocate assets across various investment vehicles and offers portfolio management, wrap programs, automated investing platforms, and financial planning.

Gary Clementson is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 17 years of industry experience. He has worked at First Citizens Investor Services since 2018 and previously held positions with Bank of America and Merrill from 2012 to 2018. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses, providing advisory and brokerage services through Investment Advisor Representatives and third-party Portfolio Managers. The firm utilizes a client-focused process that incorporates fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios consisting of equities, fixed income, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Eddie Naylor Jr. is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 21 years of industry experience. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services in various capacities continuously since 2005. Outside of his advisory role, he volunteers as a youth soccer and basketball coach in his community. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a client-focused process using fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis across diverse investment products and offers multiple portfolio management options, including automated platforms and tax-aware strategies.

Richard Nathan is a financial advisor at Mariner with 8 years of industry experience. He previously spent 28 years at Forte Capital LLC. Outside of advising, he serves on the management committee of Forte Capital, which solely holds Mariner F-1 Units without providing investment advice or financial planning. Mariner serves a diverse client base through customized, discretionary portfolio management supported by in-house research and third-party managers, and offers integrated tax, accounting, and financial wellness services in addition to traditional investment solutions.

Joseph Shore is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 15 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2015. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with pre-existing relationships through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm operates within a vertically integrated group, offering model and customized portfolios, and acts as adviser to the TIAA Donor Advised Fund.

Mitchell Johnson is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and possessing 12 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at First Citizens Bank and various BB&T entities, as well as Wells Fargo Clearing. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm utilizes IAR-led financial assessments and a combination of fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios across multiple asset classes.

Gordon Pruitt is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor at Edward Jones in Chapel Hill, NC, with one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Edward Jones, he worked at Bull City Learning and Syneos Health. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving individual and institutional clients, with over $1 trillion in assets under management and a nationwide network of more than 23,000 financial advisors. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment strategies, operating under a fiduciary standard.

Roger Werner is a financial advisor at OSAIC with 54 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation as well as Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Werner previously worked at Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. since 2018 and spent 25 years at Signator Investors, Inc. and John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company from 1993 to 2018. Outside of advisory work, he volunteers on the University of North Carolina Board of Visitors, assisting with communication to prospective honors students. OSAIC serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth investors, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations through a network of affiliated advisers and multiple platforms. The firm integrates brokerage and advisory services, employing asset-allocation tools and offering portfolios with a range of securities managed on discretionary or non-discretionary bases.

Daniel Odeh is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor at Fidelity with two years of industry experience. He has worked at Fidelity Investments since 2024 and has prior experience in retail and banking roles. Fidelity’s Strategic Advisers LLC provides investment management and advisory services to retail and institutional clients, utilizing a combination of fundamental research, quantitative analysis, and algorithmic portfolio construction to develop model portfolios from mutual funds, ETFs, and ETPs.

Daniel Bayait is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Durham, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 11 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2015. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients, offering a range of managed strategies, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds under a fiduciary standard. The firm is notable for its large nationwide network of advisors and branches, as well as its additional capabilities including a trust company and securities-based lending options.