Nicholas Creekmore is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott with two years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Janney since 2020. Prior to this, he was employed at MORSCO and East Carolina University. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and municipal clients, offering a range of brokerage, financial planning, and advisory services.

Noah Gear is a CFP® professional with five years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Kestra Advisory. His prior roles include positions at Bank of America and Merrill. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to institutional and individual clients, offering fiduciary consulting, plan design, compliance testing, and advisor-managed accounts. The firm serves large institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds, and utilizes multiple management platforms and third-party solutions within its supervisory framework.

Dan Thomason III is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 21 years of industry experience. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services since 2005. Outside of his advisory role, he owns several rental properties in North Carolina, which are managed by third parties. First Citizens Investor Services provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm utilizes a comprehensive client assessment process and a mix of fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to guide investment allocations across various asset classes.

Salvatore Bottone is a CFP® and Series 66-licensed financial advisor with three years of industry experience, currently with Janney Montgomery Scott in Raleigh, NC. His prior experience includes roles at George Pickett & Associates and various other positions before joining Janney. Outside of advising, he serves as the head JV men's soccer coach and assistant varsity coach at Cardinal Gibbons High School. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a broad range of clients, including individuals, families, trusts, corporate sponsors, and municipal clients, providing investment advice through in-house and third-party managers across multiple advisory programs.

Michelle Mcnamara is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with five years of industry experience. She is currently an advisor at Truist Advisory Services, where she has worked since 2025. Her prior experience includes roles at BB&T-Truist, Lincoln Investments, and Fidelity Capital Management. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm combines discretionary manager relationships with non-discretionary consulting and employs AI-enabled tools alongside traditional research to support its investment decisions.

Frances Cronlund is a CFP® professional with 21 years of experience in financial advising, currently with Mariner. Her prior roles include positions at Integrity Alliance, Curi RMB Capital, Lion Street Financial, and First Citizens Bank. Mariner serves a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations, offering customized investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm combines in-house research with third-party managers and provides integrated tax and accounting services alongside traditional portfolio management.

Ryan Pope is a CFP® with 10 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Principal Financial Services in Raleigh, NC. He has held roles at Hunter & See Wealth Management and Mid Atlantic Executive Benefits, among others. Outside of his advisory work, he serves on the finance committee of Bethlehem Baptist Church and is treasurer of the Coats Area Chamber of Commerce, and he is also involved in athletic officiating locally. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and business entities. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

Robert Greer Jr. is a CFA® charterholder and Series 66 licensee with one year of experience in financial advisory. He currently works at Truist Advisory Services, where he has been employed since 2024. Previously, he spent 11 years at Bank of America. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting, supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools, to deliver its investment solutions.

Brian Cook is a CFP® professional with 23 years of industry experience. He is currently with Cerity Partners Retirement Plan Consultants and previously worked at Cook Wealth Management Group LLC and LPL Financial, LLC. Cerity Partners Retirement Plan Consultants advises plan sponsors of defined contribution and defined benefit plans, providing ERISA fiduciary services, participant advice, plan design, and administrative support. The firm focuses on asset-allocation driven model portfolios, investment policy statements, and ongoing monitoring, serving a wide range of institutional clients with both discretionary and non-discretionary asset management.

Bradley Williams is a CFP® with 29 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC since 2017. He previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. from 2005 to 2017. Independent Advisor Alliance works with a diverse client base including individuals, small businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, providing asset management, financial planning, and retirement consulting services. The firm employs a network model of advisory representatives and utilizes discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management strategies supported by technology platforms and third-party resources.

Ashok Tapadia is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and possessing 31 years of industry experience. He has been with Primerica Advisors since 1999 and has concurrent roles with CP Advisory Services, Inc. and Guardian Life Insurance Company since 1993. Tapadia is also involved in insurance services beyond Guardian and has a real estate-related business activity with Fathom Realty. Primerica Advisors is part of an enterprise firm serving a broad retail client base, offering brokerage and advisory services along with financial and business consulting. The firm utilizes a range of investment strategies through proprietary and third-party platforms and supports various account-level services including lending solutions and donor-advised funds.

Kenneth Marsh is a CFP® professional with 23 years of industry experience, currently serving at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services and First Citizens Bank since 2011. 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 a client-focused process guided by Investment Advisor Representatives, offering portfolio management, model portfolios, and tax-aware services.

Frances Hymiller is a CFP® with 20 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. since 2022. She also has a long tenure at Wrenn Financial Strategies, Inc., where she has worked since 1997. Mercer Global Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, foundations, and nonprofits. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based investment approach, utilizing globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios with multi-factor tilts and a range of implementation options.

Angela Smelcer is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 25 years of industry experience. She has been with First Citizens Investor Services since 2005 and First Citizens Bank since 2024. 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’s approach includes IAR-led assessments and diversified portfolio management using fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis across various asset classes.

Timothy Sumner is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials with 20 years of industry experience. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a board member of the Sampson County Soccer Club and is president of the Clinton High School Booster Club. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, offering advisory and brokerage services through individual advisors and third-party portfolio managers. The firm utilizes a client-focused process involving financial need assessments and applies fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage diversified portfolios.

Kerolous Botros is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 16 years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at NCDI Doctors and Principal Life Insurance Company, where he remains active. Outside of his advisory duties, he owns Botro Enterprise, LLC, a business established to track income and expenses. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and active-duty U.S. military personnel abroad. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager programs under various advisory and promoter arrangements.

Matthew Johnson is a CFP® professional with 13 years of industry experience currently serving at Truist Advisory Services. He previously worked at BB&T Securities before joining Truist in 2016. Johnson holds a Series 66 license and is based in Raleigh, NC. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation and investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program that integrates discretionary and non-discretionary approaches supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

Andrew Sullivan is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 24 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing for 15 years. Outside of his advisory work, he plays lead guitar in a tribute band that performs locally in Raleigh, NC. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting to implement advice, supported by AI-enabled research tools and integrated inter-affiliate service arrangements.

Kevin Veverka is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 66 and Series 63 designations and having 17 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Bank before joining Truist Investment Services in 2019. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting, supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled equity research tools.

Destiney Deschaines is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor at Primerica Advisors with one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Primerica, she held roles at Guardian Life Insurance Company and Equitable Advisors. She is also a co-owner of J&D Cutter Row, LLC, a family business focused on real estate. Primerica Advisors serves a broad retail client base, offering brokerage and advisory services, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting through a variety of proprietary and third-party investment programs.