Kevin Brown is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Fortress Private Ledger, LLC. Prior to joining Fortress Private Ledger in 2024, he worked at Fidelity Investments and Simplicity Wealth. Outside of advising, he works as an Uber driver. Fortress Private Ledger serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and other entities with financial planning, consulting, portfolio management, and Qualified Opportunity Zone advisory services. The firm employs a multi-strategy investment process that includes technical analysis, fundamental research, and thematic approaches, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary programs.

Bryan Persak is a financial advisor with Accelerate Retirement in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 18 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes 18 years at Principal Securities and concurrent roles at Alkeme Financial Services, LLC and Accelerate Retirement since 2026. Accelerate Investment Advisors LLC serves individuals, trusts, corporations, and retirement plans with discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm uses a primarily long-term allocation strategy with customized portfolios and provides comprehensive retirement services including plan design, participant education, and fiduciary oversight.

Cory Capps is a financial advisor at Collegiate Capital Management, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, with 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Collegiate Capital Management since 2003 and holds a Series 66 designation. Capps serves on the firm's board of directors and acts as corporate secretary. Collegiate Capital Management serves individuals, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and retirement plan sponsors by providing discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA services. The firm offers customized investment strategies and manages both retail brokerage and employer-sponsored retirement accounts, with a focus on mutual funds, ETFs, fixed income, and structured products accessed through prime broker relationships.

Austin Mc Clure is a financial advisor with Public Advisors LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and three years of industry experience. He has worked at Open to the Public Investing, Inc. and Public Holdings, Inc. since 2021. Outside of finance, Mc Clure is involved with Theatre Raleigh, assisting as a concessions assistant and sound board operator. Public Advisors operates an internet-only advisory platform serving primarily individual investors with discretionary portfolio management across Treasury Accounts, Direct Index (DI) Accounts, and Generated Assets (GA) Accounts. The firm uses software-driven processes, including AI tools and automated trading, to manage client portfolios focused on tax efficiency and tracking benchmarks.

Joseph Pessetto is a financial advisor with Cypress Capital, LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 28 years of industry experience. His prior work includes positions at Wells Fargo Clearing and A. G. Edwards & Sons, Inc., along with six years at Cypress Capital Advisors, LLC. Outside of advising, he has ownership interests and management roles in several non-investment businesses, including Firehouse Subs and event and virtual assistant ventures. Cypress Capital, LLC serves individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations with a nine-advisor team managing approximately $426 million on a discretionary basis. The firm combines quantitative and qualitative analysis to implement customized investment plans, using proprietary models and individual securities tailored to clients’ goals and risk tolerances.

Austin Ballenger is a Series 65 licensed advisor at Blue Ridge Wealth Planners with two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Blue Ridge Wealth Planners, he worked in various roles at Sysco Food Services, Pepsi Co., Cook's, and UT Medical Center. He is also a licensed insurance agent offering insurance products to clients. Blue Ridge Wealth Planners provides discretionary asset management and goals-based financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs proprietary model strategies using diversified mutual funds, ETFs, and selected third-party sub-advisers, and offers integrated wealth management that includes insurance services.

Tony Sigmon is a financial advisor at Collegiate Capital Management, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 33 years of industry experience. He has been with Collegiate Capital Management since 1994 and previously worked at Securities Service Network, Inc. for 22 years. Collegiate Capital Management provides investment advisory services to individual and high-net-worth clients, retirement plan sponsors, trusts, estates, and other entities. The firm offers customized portfolio management and risk-based model portfolios, managing assets primarily on a discretionary basis with an emphasis on mutual funds, ETFs, individual equities, and fixed income, supported by proprietary research and formal prime-broker relationships.

Jonathan Autry is a financial advisor at EQV Advisory, LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with three years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Curi RMB Capital LLC and Curi Capital, as well as six years at North Carolina State University. EQV Advisory, LLC serves qualified and accredited investors, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, small businesses, charitable institutions, and foundations. The firm offers investment advisory, wealth management, financial planning, and family office support, managing approximately $106.8 million in assets. EQV employs both model-based and custom portfolio construction, incorporating passive investments, separately managed accounts, mutual funds, ETFs, and private partnerships to address client goals, risk tolerance, and tax considerations.

Jonathan Schultz is a registered financial advisor with Leading Edge Financial Planning LLC in Raleigh, NC. He holds a Series 65 designation and has one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Leading Edge, he held roles at Flexjet, Jet It, Dynamic Aviation, and Willow Valley Communities. Leading Edge Financial Planning LLC serves individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, estates, and businesses with wealth management and financial planning. The firm employs a team-based approach that emphasizes strategic asset allocation, diversification, and long-term investing using primarily low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, alongside discretionary portfolio management.

Katherine Skurski is a CFA® charterholder with 13 years of industry experience, currently serving at EQV Advisory, LLC since 2026. Her prior experience includes over a decade at Gulfstream Capital LLC and Gulfstream Capital Farmland Fund II, LLC. Outside of her advisory role, she is the CFO of DT Management Partners, LLC, which manages a franchise of youth swimming schools. EQV Advisory, LLC serves qualified and accredited investors with a focus on high-net-worth clients, providing investment advisory, wealth management, financial planning, and family office support. The firm employs both model-based and custom portfolio construction, using a variety of investment vehicles to tailor strategies to client goals and risk tolerance.

Lee Kilbrith is a financial advisor with Prospect Financial Services LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding the PFS™ and Series 63 designations and bringing 28 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at LPL Financial, The Pinnacle Financial Group, and H.D. Vest Investment Services. Prospect Financial Services LLC offers discretionary investment management and comprehensive wealth management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm employs a primarily long-term investment approach, combining fundamental and technical analysis to build diversified portfolios.

Adam Mitchell is a financial advisor with Tanager Wealth Management and holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. He has four years of industry experience, including prior roles at Fidelity Investments. Tanager Wealth Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as trusts, charities, and retirement plans, providing discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to donor-advised funds. The firm utilizes an asset-allocation framework with fundamental security selection and actively managed accounts, with a notable focus on serving a substantial non-U.S. client base.

Michael Ragsdale Jr. is a CFP® professional with two years of industry experience, currently serving at EQV Advisory, LLC. He previously worked at Balentine, LLC for 13 years and holds a board member position at Advocacy Trust, a trust company. EQV Advisory, LLC serves qualified and accredited investors including individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, small businesses, charitable institutions, and foundations. The firm offers investment advisory, wealth management, financial planning, and family office support, employing both model-based and custom portfolio construction tailored to client goals and risk tolerance.

Derek Walker is a financial advisor with Collegiate Capital Management, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Collegiate Capital Management since 1999 and previously worked at Securities Service Network, Inc. from 1999 to 2016. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a trustee for an irrevocable trust. Collegiate Capital Management serves individuals, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and retirement plan sponsors by providing discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA services. The firm offers customized investment strategies and risk-based model portfolios, managing over half a billion dollars in regulatory assets while maintaining unique prime broker relationships and proprietary client technology.

Matthew Gomoll is a financial advisor at Trillium Wealth LLC with nine years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at multiple firms, including Carson Wealth and DGS Capital Management. In addition to his advisory role, he serves as a Battalion Executive Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and is the founder of Two-One Alpha Group, LLC. Trillium Wealth LLC provides portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to private placement investments for individuals, trusts, pension plans, corporations, and other business entities. The firm employs a comprehensive investment approach that includes quantitative, fundamental, technical, and economic analysis, managing $544 million in discretionary assets across approximately 625 client relationships.

Bryce Thompson is a CFP® professional with two years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He is currently with Dew Wealth Management and previously worked at Spark Financial Advisors, LLC, and Mason & Associates, LLC. Dew Wealth Management serves individuals and high-net-worth clients, including business owners and charitable organizations, providing a range of wealth services from Family Office Assessments to ongoing investment management and retirement plan consulting. The firm combines financial planning with coordination of outside professionals and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary management, utilizing data aggregation tools and a variety of investment strategies.

Jonathan Wierman is a financial advisor at EQV Advisory, LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses with three years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo Securities, as well as academic appointments at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and Davidson College. EQV Advisory serves qualified and accredited investors such as high-net-worth individuals, corporations, and charitable institutions, offering investment advisory, wealth management, financial planning, and family office support. The firm utilizes a blend of model-based and custom portfolio construction guided by Modern Portfolio Theory, Efficient Markets Hypothesis, and Behavioral Finance, managing client assets with an emphasis on cost minimization and tax strategies.

Daniel Sigmon is a CFP® professional with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving at Collegiate Capital Management, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. He has worked at Collegiate Capital since 2008 and was previously with Securities Service Network from 2012 to 2016. Outside of advisory work, he holds a limited partner interest in a local restaurant, Che Empanada, LLC. Collegiate Capital Management serves individuals, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and retirement plan sponsors with discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA services. The firm offers customized strategies and risk-based model portfolios, emphasizing mutual-fund analysis and structured products accessed through prime broker relationships.

Jason Anderson is a financial advisor with Investment Research Corporation in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 15 years of industry experience. His background includes roles at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and World Capital Brokerage, Inc. Outside of advising, he works as an insurance agent specializing in life and health insurance and operates a sole proprietorship offering securities and insurance guidance. Investment Research Corporation provides investment supervisory services, portfolio management, and financial planning to individual and institutional clients. The firm employs a fundamental approach to security analysis and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary management across a broad range of securities.

Laurice Rhem is a financial advisor with First Citizens Asset Management, Inc., holding Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and bringing 26 years of industry experience. Prior to joining First Citizens, Rhem spent 13 years at LPL Financial Services. First Citizens Asset Management provides model-based sub-advisory and direct investment advisory services to a range of clients including individuals, trusts, municipalities, and institutions. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation and manager research through global multi-asset class model portfolios implemented with funds, ETFs, and income-oriented strategies.