Torrell Priest is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Fort Mill, SC, holding the ChFC® and Series 63 credentials with four years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Vanguard Advisers, Inc., The Vanguard Group, Inc., and Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and participants, as well as Empower Premier IRA and retail brokerage account holders. The firm utilizes an integrated model connected to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, emphasizing long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing within plan lineups selected by plan sponsors.

Brady Hemmerle is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, with eight years of industry experience. He is currently with Guardian Life and has previously worked at Stash Wealth, The Vanguard Group, and WPG Financial Group. Hemmerle is also engaged in an outside insurance business. He works within Guardian Life’s Park Avenue® Wealth Management, which serves individuals, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses through a combination of advisor-led discretionary management and model-based strategies. The firm offers a range of financial planning, consulting, and investment services supported by proprietary and third-party platforms.

Katie Dunmire is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott with 18 years of industry experience holding a Series 66 designation. Her career includes previous roles at Truist Advisory Services, Truist Investment Services, BB&T Securities, and Morgan Stanley. She serves as a board member of the Pennrose Park Country Club in Reidsville, NC. Janney Montgomery Scott is a large dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a wide range of clients including individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and municipal entities, delivering investment advice through in-house portfolio management and third-party managers across multiple advisory programs.

Holly Curtis is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with 15 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked extensively within Guardian Life and Park Avenue Securities, as well as previously at LPL Financial. Park Avenue Securities, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a combination of advisor-led discretionary management and model-based strategies, supported by proprietary programs and third-party platforms, and includes access to insurance products and alternative investments through its connection with Guardian Life.

Todd Pierce is a financial advisor with Brookstone Capital Management LLC in Charlotte, NC. He holds a Series 65 designation and has six years of industry experience, having worked at Brookstone since 2020 and at AmeriLife since 2001. In addition to his advisory role, he is involved in insurance sales. 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 broad client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, other registered investment advisers, sovereign wealth funds, and banking institutions, offering investment management primarily on a discretionary basis via model portfolios and managed accounts.

William Dillon is a CFP® professional with 33 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently affiliated with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC and has held previous roles at LPL Financial, Cetera Advisor Networks, and Carroll Financial Associates. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm employs a strategic investment process that combines passive and active management across risk classes, supported by quantitative and fundamental research and an internal Investment Committee.

Richard Morrow is a CFP® professional with 33 years of industry experience, currently serving at Janney Montgomery Scott LLC since 2021. His prior roles include positions at Wells Fargo Clearing and Morgan Stanley DW Inc. Outside of his advisory work, he is actively involved in youth leadership development through BSA Scouting in Charlotte and holds multiple leadership roles at the Hound Ears Club in Boone, NC, including Club President and Finance Committee Chair. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC manages approximately $110 billion in client assets and serves a diverse clientele, including individuals, families, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm offers a combination of brokerage services, financial planning, and advisory programs, utilizing both in-house and third-party portfolio management solutions.

Brayden Curtis is a financial advisor with Guardian Life and holds a Series 66 designation. He has one year of industry experience, including roles at Guardian Life, Park Avenue Securities, and Consolidated Planning Holdings. Outside of finance, he has been involved with animal-related organizations such as Meowtel and Best Friends Animal Society. Park Avenue Securities LLC, a subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, provides brokerage and advisory services to individuals, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a combination of advisor-led discretionary management and model-based strategies, along with access to proprietary programs and third-party solutions.

Brian Elms is a financial advisor with Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Freedom Street Partners and Raymond James Financial Services, and he spent 16 years at Edward Jones. Outside of his advisory work, he is a non-controlling owner of FSP Enterprise, LLC, a support company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise-scale RIA managing approximately $36.7 billion in assets, serving individuals, pension plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management through a variety of Steward Partners-branded solutions and third-party money managers, supported by custodial and platform partnerships.

Erin Carpenter is a financial advisor with Janney Montgomery Scott, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 21 years of industry experience. Her prior employers include Robert W. Baird, Merrill, Wells Fargo Clearing, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup Global Markets. Outside of her advisory role, she owns rental properties in Charlotte, NC. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in assets. The firm serves a wide range of clients, including individuals, families, trusts, estates, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and municipal clients, offering brokerage services, financial planning, consulting, and multiple advisory programs.

Margaret Lane is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. in Charlotte, NC, bringing two years of industry experience. She has held multiple roles within the Bankers Life organization since 2020, including as an insurance agent specializing in Medicare supplement, long-term care, life insurance, and annuities. Outside of her advisory work, she serves as Executive Administrator and Chair of the Church Council at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Resurrection. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and investment consulting primarily to mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals. The firm emphasizes customized asset allocation, tax efficiency, and ongoing portfolio management with a focus on individual clients.

Jason Coble is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 27 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has worked at Truist Advisory Services since 2021, following roles at Bb&T Securities and Scott & Stringfellow. Truist Advisory Services offers investment consulting, financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan services to individuals, corporations, plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of traditional research and AI-enabled tools to support its recommendations and provides ongoing client reviews and reporting.

Katherine Doherty is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with seven years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Wells Fargo for ten years before joining Suntrust Advisory Services in 2019. Truist Advisory Services offers investment consulting, financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan services to a diverse client base that includes individuals, corporations, plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of traditional research and AI-enabled tools to support asset allocation and manager selection on the Envestnet platform.

Gary Sugg is a CFP® professional with five years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC. His work history includes roles at LPL Financial LLC, Cetera Advisor Networks, and Carroll Financial Associates, among others. Outside of advisory services, he has provided administrative support to Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services since 2021. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm manages over $122 billion in assets and employs a diversified, risk-class based investment approach that combines passive and active management with quantitative, momentum, and fundamental analysis.

Marc Zeller is a CFP® professional with 27 years of industry experience, currently serving at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. since 2009. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and is based in Charlotte, NC. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. provides brokerage and investment advisory services through its Passageway Managed Account Program to a diverse client base, including individuals, charitable organizations, and institutional investors. The firm offers multiple discretionary managed-account programs and features such as direct indexing and tax-overlay services, operating as a subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank with a distinctive combination of municipal-advisor registration and corporate affiliation.

James Hedstrom is a CFP® professional with 26 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC. He has held prior roles at LPL Financial, Cetera Advisor Networks, and Carroll Financial Associates. Hedstrom provides investment advisory services through Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans, offering financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm manages over $122 billion in assets and employs a diversified investment approach that combines passive and active management with quantitative, momentum, and fundamental analysis.

John Morrill Jr. is a financial advisor with VOYA Financial Advisors, Inc. He holds a Series 63 designation and has 34 years of industry experience. Prior to joining VOYA in 2014, he worked with Great American Life Insurance Co and TDA Associates, Inc., where he continues to serve as president and owner. Morrill also operates as an independent insurance agent specializing in fixed insurance products. VOYA Financial Advisors, Inc. is an enterprise-scale advisory and broker-dealer affiliate of Voya Financial, offering financial planning, portfolio management, unified managed account and wrap programs, and retirement-plan advisory services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm combines in-house and external strategists with technology-enabled tools to implement client investment strategies, primarily through non-discretionary accounts.

Thomas Soriano is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. based in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and with 18 years of industry experience. He has worked with Bankers Life and its affiliated entities since 2004. Outside of his advisory role, Soriano serves as a board member of the Steele Creek Athletic Association, a volunteer-run youth athletic nonprofit. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals through discretionary portfolio management, investment consulting, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to tailor asset allocations aligned with clients’ goals and risk tolerances.

Taylor Watts is a CFP® with nine years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC in Charlotte, NC. His prior work includes roles at LPL Financial, LLC and CETERA Advisor Networks LLC. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning, asset management, retirement-plan consulting, and access to managed account investment managers for individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm manages over $122 billion in assets and employs a diversified investment process that combines passive and active management with quantitative, momentum, and fundamental analysis.

Marshall Long is a CFP® with 17 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC and has prior experience at LPL Financial, Cetera Advisor Networks, and Carroll Financial Associates Inc. Based in Charlotte, NC, he holds a Series 63 license. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers financial planning, asset management, and specialized consulting, employing a strategic investment process that combines passive and active management guided by an internal Investment Committee.