Thomas Pemberton is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors in Raleigh, NC, holding the ChFC® designation along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has 29 years of industry experience, including roles at Principal Mutual Life Insurance Co. and Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America. He also sells non-Guardian life long-term and short-term disability insurance products through an outside Guardian Insurance business. Primerica Advisors serves a broad retail client base, offering brokerage and advisory services, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm utilizes a variety of proprietary and third-party investment strategies and platforms to manage accounts across multiple asset classes.

Michael Taylor is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 credential with seven years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company, Bank of America, Merrill, Edward Jones, and Murphy Family Ventures. He serves on the Board of Directors for the University of North Carolina Wilmington Seahawk Club, assisting in organizational decision making for their athletic student aid initiatives. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm’s investment process integrates fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis, offering a range of portfolio management solutions and financial planning tailored to varied client needs.

Crystal Woodberry is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott with 11 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at Merrill and First Citizens Securities Corporation. 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 diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, offering brokerage services, financial planning, and multiple advisory programs.

Austin Houser is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. with one year of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 and Series 63 licenses. His prior work includes roles at Appalachian State University, University of North Carolina Greensboro, and Fifth Third Bank. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional entities through both investment advisory and brokerage services. The firm offers multiple program types via its Passageway Managed Account platform, combining third-party portfolio management with various investment strategies.

Neal Brincefield is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors, holding a Series 66 designation and 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Primerica Advisors and Guardian Life Insurance Company since 2015. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a special consultant for Alternate Strategy Consulting LLC, leading efforts related to the Living Balance Sheet. Primerica Advisors operates as part of Park Avenue Securities LLC, serving a broad retail client base with both brokerage and advisory services, including financial planning and retirement-plan consulting. The firm offers proprietary and third-party investment programs and supports a range of account services such as lending solutions and donor-advised funds.

James Appleby is a CFP® certified financial advisor with 21 years of industry experience. He has worked at Truist Advisory Services since 2018, including leadership roles at Truist Investment Services and Bb&T Securities. Appleby serves as a local board member for Beginnings, a nonprofit focused on education and assistance for children with hearing loss. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary manager arrangements and AI-enabled equity research tools.

Stuart Gay is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Wealthshield Partners, LLC and MassMutual Life Insurance Company. Outside of advising, he owns businesses in construction, cleaning services, and farming operations. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting for individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm manages over $122 billion in assets and employs a diversified investment approach blending passive and active management with oversight from an internal Investment Committee.

Christopher Hill is a CFP® professional with 28 years of industry experience. He is affiliated with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC and has worked at Bank of America since 2011 and Merrill since 1997. Outside of advisory work, he owns FHJ Properties, LLC, a real estate investment business. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, pensions, trusts, and charitable organizations, through over 400 independent advisors. The firm offers portfolio management, customized financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, employing various analytical approaches and maintaining fiduciary standards under written agreements.

Guy Swain is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in Raleigh, NC, holding CFP® and ChFC® designations and possessing 40 years of industry experience. He has been affiliated with Commonwealth Equity Services, Inc. since 1995. Outside of his advisory role, he is co-owner of LifeTime Tax Management, a private entity focused on tax-related services. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser supporting a national network of nearly 3,000 advisors and their clients. The firm offers a variety of advisory programs and services, including discretionary model portfolios and customized investment solutions, while providing operational, compliance, and technology support to affiliated advisors.

Dustin Thornton is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses with two years of industry experience. His prior work includes positions at Uber, Exchange Bank, Central National Bank, and Kansas State University Federal Credit Union. Outside of advisory services, Dustin and his spouse own rental properties. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm uses a client-focused process involving fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios across various asset classes and offers services such as portfolio management, financial planning, and tax-efficient strategies.

Christopher Kriak is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. He holds a Series 66 designation and has eight years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at LPL Financial, Mass Mutual Investors Services, and PNC Investments. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm uses a client-centered process combining fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios across various asset classes.

James Hirst is a financial advisor with Prime Capital Financial in Clayton, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 28 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Moores Creek Capital Partners, National Asset Management, National Securities Corporation, and Corinthian Partners. He is also involved with CHHSZ Holdings, LLC, the parent company of Prime Capital Investment Advisors. Prime Capital Financial is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers a range of services including asset management, financial planning, qualified retirement plan sponsor and trustee services, and family office offerings, employing a mix of investment strategies alongside tax planning and consolidated reporting capabilities.

Anna Fagan is a wealth advisor at CWM, LLC with 24 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Cetera Wealth Services, LLC, infinex Investments, Inc., and Community Bank of Tri County. In addition to her advisory role, she is also an insurance agent selling life insurance, annuities, and long-term care products. CWM, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, high-net-worth families, foundations, endowments, corporations, and institutional clients through a network of more than 600 advisors. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, employing model portfolios overseen by an in-house Investment Committee and utilizing various tools and third-party sub-advisors.

Robert Mouro is a CFP® with 22 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked at Janney Montgomery Scott since 2019 and previously held roles at Bank of America and Merrill. He serves on the advisory board of the Northwest Cary YMCA, acting as an ambassador for the organization in the community. Janney Montgomery Scott is a large enterprise firm managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm offers a wide range of services to individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and municipal clients, utilizing in-house and third-party portfolio management across multiple advisory programs.

Robert Hill is a CFP® affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network and has one year of industry experience. He is co-owner of Cardinal Hill Wealth Management, LLC, a private entity engaged in securities, advisory, and insurance business. Prior to his current roles, he worked at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Premier Inc. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their retail and institutional clients. The firm provides advisory programs, technology, and compliance support, offering a range of portfolio management options including discretionary model portfolios and personalized indexing strategies.

Sandra Russ is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with 20 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network. She has a background that includes ownership and operation of The Russ Agency, Inc., an insurance business based in Granite Falls, NC, where she focused on fixed insurance sales. Her career also includes roles at Lifetime Asset Management, LLC and Allstate Insurance Co. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and hundreds of thousands of clients. The firm offers a comprehensive adviser-support platform with managed-account programs, third-party asset manager access, retirement and plan consulting, and custody/clearing services.

Jillian Rhyner is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 19 years of industry experience, currently with Janney Montgomery Scott since 2020. She previously worked at Morgan Stanley for 11 years. Outside of her advisory role, she is a sales consultant for BeautyCounter, a skincare and beauty brand focused on safer products. 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 diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, estates, and institutional clients, offering a variety of brokerage, financial planning, and advisory services through in-house and third-party portfolio management.

Raymond Peterson III is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 12 years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 66 registrations and has worked at Truist and its predecessor firms since 2011, including Sterling Capital Management LLC. Peterson serves as a board member for North Carolina Adapted Sports, a nonprofit organization offering programs for athletes with physical disabilities. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm combines discretionary and non-discretionary manager relationships, supported by AI-enabled research tools and inter-affiliate integration across its affiliated entities.

Michael Warren is a financial advisor with SPC based in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 38 years of industry experience. He has worked at Parkland Securities since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, Warren is president of First South Financial, Inc., an insurance brokerage, and serves as a trustee for Hayes Barton Baptist Church as well as president of the Needham Broughton High School Caps Club, an athletic booster organization. SPC provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base including individuals, employer-sponsored plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm supports a large advisory network and delivers typically tailored, discretionary investment advice through various account programs, with custody and execution services provided through Fidelity/NFS.

Zayvion Cartwright is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses with three years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Fidelity Investments and State Employees' Credit Union. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, along with Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm’s integrated approach combines proprietary and third-party methodologies focused on long-term portfolio returns and client savings rates.