Clinton Townsend is a CFA® charterholder with six years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Bragg Financial Advisors Inc. He previously worked at Laurel Wealth Advisors, LLC for seven years. Townsend is based in Charlotte, NC. Bragg Financial Advisors is a family-owned, multi-advisor firm that provides financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and occasionally investment companies. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation, broad diversification, and periodic rebalancing, and operates a Small Cap Value Managed Account Program along with sub-advisory services to mutual funds.

Kenneth Samuelson Jr. is a financial advisor with ValMark Advisers, Inc. in Charlotte, NC, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses, with 40 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Kestra Investment Services, American Financial Management Group, and IFG/Russell Advisors. He is owner and president of The Morehead Group, Inc., an insurance sales and consulting business, and serves as chairman of the Charlotte Estate Planning Council. ValMark Advisers, Inc. provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan advisory services to individuals, plan sponsors, and institutions through a network of approximately 280 advisors. The firm emphasizes diversified, goal-based portfolios using mutual funds, ETFs, and third-party managers, supported by proprietary platforms and a range of advisory and sub-advisory services.

David Spencer is a financial advisor with Credit Union Investment Services in Huntersville, NC, holding a Series 66 credential and 20 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at SECU Life Insurance Company, State Employees' Credit Union, Fidelity Investments, and Truliant Federal Credit Union. Outside his advisory work, he is a partner in D & A Investment Group, LLC, where he manages personal investments and business operations. Credit Union Investment Services serves primarily individual investors in North Carolina, offering non-discretionary portfolio management and financial planning with a focus on low-cost, index-based mutual funds and ETFs. The firm operates as a subsidiary of State Employees’ Credit Union and emphasizes client decision-making without exercising trading discretion.

Wales Dixon IV is a financial advisor with Principal Advised Services, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Principal Life Insurance Company and Principal Financial Services, as well as positions outside the financial industry. Dixon also provides one-on-one investment advice to retirement plan participants as a Retirement Consultant. Principal Advised Services delivers investment advice and related services primarily to retirement plan participants and retail IRA clients, offering a combination of non-discretionary recommendations and a discretionary investment management program supported by proprietary models and third-party methodology.

Barrett Gray is a financial advisor at Earned Wealth Advisors, LLC with two years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Dimensional Fund Advisors and Choreo, LLC. Earned Wealth Advisors serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and employer-sponsored retirement plans, with a focus on doctors, dentists, and their practices. The firm offers financial planning, discretionary wealth management, and retirement-plan advisory services, utilizing independent investment managers and model portfolios guided by an internal Investment Strategy Committee and third-party consultants.

Matthew Pratt is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 21 years of industry experience, currently serving at Arkadios Wealth Advisors since 2020. He previously worked at Triad Advisors, Inc. from 2014 to 2020. Pratt is also involved in financial services through his roles in Thompson Pratt Capital Management, LLC, and Pratt Investments, LLC. Arkadios Wealth Advisors provides investment and wealth management services to individuals, trusts, businesses, and retirement plans, utilizing a variety of managed accounts, third-party money managers, and financial planning. The firm supports advisors with an internal portfolio team and offers an integrated operating model combining advisory services, brokerage execution, and portfolio management.

Connor Tuerlings is a financial advisor with Principal Advised Services in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Principal Life Insurance, Principal Financial Services, and Pennymac Loan Services, LLC. Principal Advised Services provides investment advice and related services primarily to retirement plan participants and retail IRA clients, offering both non-discretionary recommendations and a discretionary, wrap-fee investment management program. The firm integrates third-party methodology and proprietary models, serving clients through an operational framework connected to the broader Principal Financial Group.

Brian Barnes is a financial advisor with Principal Advised Services in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 18 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Principal Financial Services, Principal Life Insurance, Robinhood Markets, and Wells Fargo Clearing. Principal Advised Services provides investment advice and related services primarily to retirement plan participants and retail IRA clients, offering both non-discretionary recommendations and a discretionary wrap-fee investment management program called SimpleInvest. The firm integrates third-party methodologies and proprietary models, and leverages its affiliation with Principal Financial Group to offer access to proprietary funds and products.

Sean Bandazian is a financial advisor at Cornerstone Wealth Group with 12 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at The Leaders Group, Alphastar Capital Management, and LPL Financial. Cornerstone Wealth Group is a multi-team SEC-registered advisory firm managing approximately $2.1 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, retirement plans, other advisers, and corporate clients, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting with an investment approach centered on model portfolios using ETFs, mutual funds, individual equities, and fixed income.

Paxton Wood is a financial advisor with USAA Investment Services Company, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 12 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Ally Invest Advisors, Ally Invest Securities LLC, and The Vanguard Group. He also holds director-level roles in business line risk at Ally Invest Advisors and Ally Bank, assisting with third-party risk management and new product assessment. USAA Investment Services Company provides retirement-focused advice and referral services primarily to USAA members and individual investors, offering a Retirement Income Strategy Report and facilitating referrals to third-party broker-dealers and advisers. The firm operates mainly as a referral intermediary without managing client assets or charging percentage-of-assets fees.

Derek Hernquist is a financial advisor at Aptus Capital Advisors, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with Aptus since 2018. Prior to that, he worked at Strategic Index Advisors and Adhesion Wealth Advisor Solutions. Aptus Capital Advisors manages approximately $14.47 billion on a discretionary basis and provides advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, and registered investment companies. The firm employs primarily ETF-based strategies using both technical and fundamental analysis and offers a range of portfolio management and consulting services.

John Helmers is a financial advisor at 49 Financial with a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining 49 Financial, he worked at Forward Wealth Management and Rinse N Repeat. He also has experience in fixed insurance sales. 49 Financial serves a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers financial planning, investment management, and fractional family office services, employing a model-driven, long-term diversified investment approach.

Michael Komara is a financial advisor at Blueprint Financial Advisors with 32 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation and securities licenses Series 65 and Series 63. His prior roles include positions at Solas Wealth, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, and MKD Wealth Coaches, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as treasurer and board member for Grow Holdings, an affiliate of Grow Church, where he reviews investment accounts for policy compliance. Blueprint Financial Advisors is a multi-advisor firm offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, trusts, pension plans, and nonprofit entities. The firm employs a strategic-and-tactical investment approach based on price-driven trend-following and momentum rules, managing approximately $1.4 billion in client assets.

Audrey Blanke is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with nine years of industry experience. She is currently with Choreo, LLC and has previously worked at firms including Robert W. Baird and ATLATL Advisers. Choreo provides investment and advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, family offices, endowments, and corporate clients. The firm focuses on strategic asset allocation and diversified model portfolios, managing assets through separately managed accounts, registered and private funds, and specialized consulting services.

Ryan Zutter is a CFP® professional with 19 years of experience in the financial industry. He has worked at Ally Invest Advisors since 2021 and previously spent 12 years at Robert W. Baird & Co. His background includes roles at Ally Invest Securities LLC beginning in 2020. Ally Invest Advisors serves a broad retail client base, including both individual and high-net-worth clients, by providing discretionary portfolio management through web-based automated services and advisor-led guidance. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based investment process with model portfolios across multiple risk tiers, combining passive and actively managed ETFs and utilizing digital automation to manage a large volume of client accounts.

Marcus Anderson is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with 22 years of industry experience. He has worked at Merit Financial Advisors since 2016 and previously at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments and LPL Financial, LLC. Merit Financial Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser with over 260 advisors serving approximately 20,000 clients across 66 offices. The firm offers coordinated wealth management services and employs a long-term, diversified investment approach overseen by an internal committee, allowing advisors to customize portfolios using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis methods.

Edward Wood is a CFP® with 28 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Cornerstone Wealth. He has previously worked at Mutual Securities, Cornerstone Financial Partners, Cornerstone Financial Advisors, and LPL Financial. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved with Cornerstone Risk Management Advisors, LLC, an insurance-related business. Cornerstone Wealth Group is a multi-team advisory firm managing approximately $2.1 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, retirement plans, other advisers, and corporate clients, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services primarily through model portfolios with discretionary management.

Jennifer Muckley is a CFP® professional with six years of industry experience. She has been with Bragg Financial Advisors, Inc. since 2018 and previously worked at Wells Fargo Bank dba Abbott Downing from 2015 to 2018. Based in Charlotte, NC, she is part of a team of 15 advisors. Bragg Financial Advisors is a family-owned, multi-advisor firm that offers financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals—including high-net-worth clients—charitable organizations, corporations, and investment companies. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation, broad diversification, and periodic rebalancing, and is notable for its role as a sub-advisor to small-cap value and value mutual funds, as well as its dedicated Small Cap Value Managed Account Program.

Kamden Gaines is a financial advisor at Ally Invest Advisors with nine years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at Ernst & Young LLP and The Vanguard Group, Inc. Gaines supports both Ally Invest Securities and Ally Invest Advisors as Director of Client Services, overseeing customer support for self-directed and advisory clients. Ally Invest Advisors provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients through web-based and virtual solutions, offering ETF-based Robo Portfolios and advisor-delivered Personal Advice services. The firm uses model portfolios based on Modern Portfolio Theory with multiple risk tiers and focuses on retail and high-net-worth individuals.

Jeremy Fisher is a financial advisor at Choreo, LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with RSM US Wealth Management LLC since 2012. Choreo provides investment and advisory services to a diverse client base including individual investors, family offices, endowments, foundations, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation and diversified model portfolios managed by a centralized team and overseen by an Investment Committee.