David Lundberg is a financial advisor with Awaken Financial Designs LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and eight years of industry experience. His prior positions include roles at Merrill Lynch and Equitable Advisors. Lundberg is also involved in fixed insurance and fixed annuity sales through Awaken Financial Designs. Awaken Financial Designs provides financial planning and consulting services, offering discretionary asset management through third-party model portfolios. The firm serves individual and high-net-worth clients with customized financial plans and a structured service calendar, using a combination of hourly and fixed fees for planning and delegating portfolio management to selected sub-advisors.

Bert Bennett IV is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 15 years of industry experience. He is the principal of West Fork Wealth Management LLC, an independent firm he joined in 2024 after working at Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated and Morgan Stanley. Outside of his advisory role, Bennett teaches summer camp at Carolina Friends School in Durham, NC. West Fork Wealth Management provides discretionary asset management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth families, non-profits, endowments, trusts, small businesses, and estates. The firm manages portfolios tailored to clients’ investment goals and risk tolerance, employing fundamental, technical, cyclical analysis, and modern portfolio theory.

Benjamin Birken is a CFP® with 18 years of industry experience, currently serving as the principal advisor at Pisces Financial Advisors, LLC in Chapel Hill, NC. He previously worked at Woodward Financial Advisors, Inc. for 12 years and holds a leadership role at Holistiplan, LLC, a financial services software company, where he is Vice-President for Customer Success and Engagement. Pisces Financial Advisors provides comprehensive financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals, families, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses. The firm’s investment approach focuses on strategic asset allocation using low-cost, diversified mutual funds and ETFs with attention to diversification, cost control, and tax efficiency.

Allen Bass III is a CFP® certificant with nine years of industry experience. He has been the sole advisor at Carolina Wealth Strategies, LLC since 2014. Carolina Wealth Strategies serves individual investors and small businesses with financial planning, investment supervisory services, and educational workshops. The firm uses a combination of passive and active management strategies, providing both broad-based and modular planning, and typically manages client accounts on a discretionary basis with regular monitoring and rebalancing.

Christopher Harp is the sole advisor at CH Capital Management, an independent registered investment adviser based in Chapel Hill, NC. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 22 years of industry experience, having led CH Capital Management since 2010. CH Capital Management provides discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individuals, families, trusts, endowments, charitable organizations, and pension or profit-sharing plans. The firm typically serves clients with substantial assets and combines a solo advisor model with institutional-style client relationships, outsourcing operational functions to third-party providers.

John Underhill is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 12 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Acorn & Oak Wealth Management, where he has worked since 2021. Prior to this, he was with Northwest Asset Management and Edward Jones. Outside of advisory work, he is a cofounder of Good Barrels of the Triangle, a nonprofit that organizes events to raise funds and awareness for local nonprofits. Acorn & Oak Wealth Management is a fee-only, state-registered firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation using both passive and active strategies, manages institutional mandates, and incorporates third-party tools for portfolio implementation and digital custody.

Kathleen Scharl is the principal advisor at Scharl Advisory Services, Inc. in Durham, NC, holding CFP® and Series 63 designations with 23 years of industry experience. She has led her independent practice since 1989. Outside of advising, she is involved in tax preparation, bookkeeping, and small business consulting through Scharl & Associates, Inc., primarily during tax season. Scharl Advisory Services, Inc. provides fee-only financial planning and investment management to individuals and small businesses, focusing on retirement, tax, cash-flow, education funding, and estate planning. The firm employs a strategic, core-and-satellite asset allocation using no-load or low-load funds, and operates on fixed and hourly fees rather than asset-based charges.

Patrick Walsh is a financial advisor with Walsh Capital LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 65 credential and nine years of industry experience. He has worked at Defender Capital and is a partner at Diligence Group, a private business consulting firm. He also maintains a personal blog to share ideas with family and friends. Walsh Capital provides discretionary asset management and consulting services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on a value-oriented, fundamental analysis approach with long-term holdings and tactical asset allocation tailored to client objectives. The firm offers portfolio construction, retirement-account rollover advice, and planning consultations, and is noted for its educational resources and work with charitable clients, including donor-advised fund management without advisory fees.

Brian Bunn is a CFA® and CPA based in Raleigh, NC, with eight years of industry experience. He has been the principal of Brian B. Bunn CPA, PLLC since 2018, following prior roles in tax and accounting consulting and at CU Capital Market Solutions. He offers tax and accounting services alongside financial advising through his firm. Brian B. Bunn CPA, PLLC provides portfolio management and financial planning services in addition to tax and accounting, serving a diverse client base including pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, charitable organizations, small businesses, and high-net-worth individuals. The firm employs a combination of cyclical, fundamental, and quantitative strategies to construct diversified portfolios and typically seeks discretionary authority to implement Investment Policy Statements.

Gregory Dunne is a financial advisor at Raleigh Investment Advisors, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with nine years of industry experience. His prior work includes eleven years at General Electric and a period of self-employment beginning in 2016. Raleigh Investment Advisors is an independent firm managing approximately $25 million for a select group of individual clients. The firm provides ongoing portfolio management with a focus on client-specific factors and quantitative risk measures, conducting quarterly account reviews and typically meeting clients twice yearly for in-person updates.

Thomas Tolley is the managing member of Tolley Financial Group, LLC, an independent investment advisory firm based in Raleigh, NC. He holds Series 65 and 66 licenses and has 15 years of industry experience, including nine years at Copperleaf Capital, LLC. Tolley Financial Group manages approximately $122 million for about 170 clients, serving individuals, high-net-worth investors, and pension and profit-sharing plan sponsors. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, using a mix of fundamental and technical analysis and both passive and active investment instruments.

Matthew Choplin is a financial advisor with Innovest Strategies LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 65 designation and 12 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Innovest Strategies in 2025, he worked for Private Wealth Management of North Carolina for 12 years. Outside of his advisory role, Choplin is a partner in a tax and management consulting firm and holds an active real estate license, working as a listing and selling agent on weekends. Innovest Strategies LLC provides comprehensive asset management, retirement plan consulting, and financial and tax planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and pension or profit-sharing plans. The firm employs a range of investment strategies including fundamental and technical analysis, managing portfolios with ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, and conservative cash instruments, while also offering tax, accounting, and real estate services under separate agreements.

With 15 years of experience in wealth management and financial planning, I bring both deep technical knowledge and a practical, people-first approach to financial planning. Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work in both a large financial institution and a smaller independent firm. That range of experience has shaped how I work today, blending the structure and resources of big firms with the personalized, relationship-driven approach of a boutique firm. It also gave me a clear perspective on what clients and their families truly need: a tailored approach, proactive planning, and a partner they can count on through every life stage. I started Highwind Wealth Management with this vision in mind. At Highwind Wealth Management, we integrate investment management, tax strategy, estate planning, and financial planning into a cohesive and adaptable plan. Life, markets, and goals change, and your financial plan should evolve with them. I also believe that comprehensive financial and tax planning shouldn’t be a luxury reserved for the ultra-high-net-worth; everyone deserves access to financial planning and the financial freedom that comes with it. To deliver the highest level of service, I intentionally keep a small client base. That allows me to focus deeply on each relationship and ensure that my clients and their families always receive the time and attention they deserve, as well as my family, who also receive the same focus and attention from me. Outside of work, I’m lucky to share life with my amazing wife, Lizz, and our two kids, Fallon and Charlie. When I’m not working or with my family, you’ll likely find me on a mountain bike trail, exploring the outdoors, or lost in some great music.

Aditya Mahajan is a Series 65 credentialed advisor at ADI Mahajan CPA PC with experience spanning several roles in tax and accounting since 2018. He has worked at LESLIE MERRITT INC dba TAX AND QB GURU and held positions at various educational institutions prior to focusing on integrated CPA and investment advisory services. ADI Mahajan CPA PC provides integrated CPA and fee-only investment advisory services to individuals, trusts, family structures, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm combines tax expertise with investment management, utilizing IPS-driven asset allocation along with tax-aware strategies such as asset location and tax-loss harvesting to support long-term portfolio management.

Dexter Perry is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 21 years of industry experience, currently operating through One Providence Capital, LLC in Apex, NC. He has been managing One Providence Capital since 2006 and concurrently leads The Providence Group of NC, LLC, where he also holds a life and health insurance license for fixed insurance products. Perry serves as a director at First Bank & First Bancorp, Inc., and as a trustee for RBC Funds Trust, overseeing fiduciary governance of mutual funds. One Providence Capital primarily serves individual investors along with churches, non-profits, corporations, and other business entities, managing approximately $23 million in client assets. The firm employs a long-term, strategic, risk-based asset-allocation approach, constructing diversified portfolios documented through investment policy statements and risk-tolerance profiles, with quarterly monitoring and rebalancing.

Matthew Unger is the sole advisor at Unger Financial in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 license with 22 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. for 16 years before founding Unger Financial in 2021. Unger is also an independent insurance agent, offering disability, life, and long-term care insurance products. Unger Financial provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $15.94 million across about 69 accounts. The firm offers tailored portfolio management using various strategies and integrates complex outside holdings into clients’ overall financial plans, with a focus on both discretionary and non-discretionary managed accounts.

Kent Fisher is a CFP®, CFA®, and Series 63 licensed advisor with 16 years of industry experience. He currently leads Southern Investment Management Collective LLC, an independent firm he joined in 2023. Previously, he worked at Mutual Advisors, LLC and Old Peak Finance. Southern Investment Management Collective provides portfolio management and investment advice to individual and high-net-worth clients, tailoring strategies based on each client’s goals, tax situation, time horizon, and risk tolerance. The firm uses a combination of fundamental analysis, quantitative techniques, and modern portfolio theory to construct diversified portfolios and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary services.

Michael Molitoris is a financial advisor with Flagship Wealth Management Group, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 21 years of industry experience. He previously worked at The Pinnacle Financial Group and LPL Financial LLC and has maintained an independent insurance agent practice since 2010. Outside of advisory work, he sells fixed insurance products as part of his business activities. Flagship Wealth Management Group is an independent registered investment adviser serving individuals, including high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, trusts, and businesses. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning, discretionary asset management, and hourly consulting, integrating multiple planning topics with an investment approach based on fundamental and technical analysis, modern portfolio theory, and Monte Carlo planning.

Elliott Mc Cown is a CFP® with nine years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at HanaFara. His prior roles include positions at UBS Financial Services, Personal Capital Advisors Corporation, Evergreen Wealth Advisors, Empower Advisory Group, and The Vanguard Group. HanaFara is an independent firm providing wealth management and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes asset allocation using Modern Portfolio Theory, combining passive and active strategies, and includes the use of third-party model portfolios and Outside Managers with ongoing monitoring.

Marcus Terdik is a financial advisor with Piedmont Private Wealth, LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 19 years of industry experience. He previously worked at UBS Financial Services for eight years and has been with Piedmont Private Wealth since 2018. Outside of his advisory role, Marcus serves on the Board of Governors for North Ridge Country Club, advising on strategic planning initiatives. Piedmont Private Wealth, LLC is an independent SEC-registered advisory firm that serves individual and high-net-worth clients with discretionary portfolio management, asset allocation advice, and financial planning. The firm employs a long-term investment approach based on modern portfolio theory, utilizing diversified allocations across ETFs, mutual funds, municipal bonds, and equities.