Robert Higgins is a CFP® and ChFC® with 30 years of experience in financial advising. He is the principal of Dalton Financial LLC, an independent firm based in Charlotte, NC, and has worked at Allen C. Ewing & Co. since 2015. Dalton Financial LLC offers personal financial planning and discretionary investment management primarily to individuals, families, trusts, estates, and closely held businesses. The firm’s investment approach focuses on strategic asset allocation over a multi-year horizon, utilizing index-based ETFs and low-cost mutual funds as core holdings while incorporating actively managed funds or individual securities when appropriate.

Philip Gleason is the principal advisor at Altimeter Wealth LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 36 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Red Oak Capital Management, Hayden Royal, LLC, and Great Lakes Atlantic Wealth Management and Advisory Partners. Altimeter Wealth offers discretionary portfolio management, model portfolio services, and third-party manager selection to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts and estates, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm manages bespoke ETF-based model portfolios using quantitative methods and technical analysis, and is noted for its use of leverage and range of investment instruments.

Bryan Llewellyn is a financial advisor at Llewellyn Financial LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with five years of industry experience. He has been with Llewellyn Financial since 2021 and concurrently works at Cargill Inc. since 2016. Llewellyn Financial LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a select group of individual clients, including some high-net-worth individuals. The firm employs a core-and-satellite investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory and offers both ongoing planning and fixed-fee, tax-focused project engagements.

Densel Fleming is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 19 years of industry experience. He has been the principal advisor at Vintage Wealth Management Group since 2009. Fleming also serves as the Chief Wealth & Investment Officer at Marquise Wealth Management, LLC, where he manages client investment portfolios and provides investment advice. Vintage Wealth Management Group provides discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individuals and families, including trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and retirement plans. The firm employs a long-term, individualized investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, offering diversified portfolio management with tactical adjustments and tax positioning.

Steven Mullooly is a CFP® with 33 years of industry experience. He is the principal advisor at Mullooly Wealth Planning LLC, an independent firm he has been with since 2022. Prior to this, he held roles at Osaic Wealth, Inc., ALPS Distributors, Inc., and Cullen Capital Management. He also works as a compliance consultant through Compliance Risk Concepts. Mullooly Wealth Planning provides portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes institutional and retirement-plan services and offers educational programs alongside its investment and planning services.

James Hill is a CFP® professional with 27 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor and managing member of Gatehill Financial Consulting, LLC in Charlotte, NC. His prior roles include positions at The Leaders Group Inc., Principal Securities Inc., and Northwestern Mutual, among others. Gatehill Financial Consulting provides financial planning, portfolio management, and insurance and annuity recommendations to individuals, families, professionals, and small business owners, often focusing on clients planning for or transitioning into retirement. The firm emphasizes a written financial plan and an Investment Policy Statement, employing primarily U.S.-listed equities, government bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs in portfolio construction.

Daniel Preslar is the managing member of 1618 Advisors LLC in Charlotte, NC, with 21 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at several firms, including Redwood Wealth Management and Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments. Outside of his advisory role, he is also a registered representative of a broker-dealer and an independent insurance agent. 1618 Advisors LLC provides discretionary investment management primarily to individual clients, tailoring portfolios based on clients’ goals, time horizons, and risk tolerance. The firm uses both fundamental and technical analysis in portfolio construction, employing a variety of strategies including options and margin, and manages approximately $20 million across about 62 client accounts.

Jacqueline Williams is a financial advisor at Felicity Financial LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials with three years of industry experience. Her previous roles include positions at The Vanguard Group and Huntington National Bank. Outside of advisory work, she is involved in tax preparation consulting and owns an independent publishing company. Felicity Financial LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, foundations, and corporations. The firm follows a holistic, goals-based approach emphasizing long-term strategies with tactical adjustments and offers discretionary portfolio management as well as educational offerings.

Alan Simpson, Jr. is a financial advisor with Colville Wealth Advisory, LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and 24 years of industry experience. Prior to founding his current firm in 2018, he worked at Signator Investors, Inc. and also operates a sole proprietorship CPA practice providing tax and business advisory services. He is additionally involved in a real estate brokerage as a sole proprietor and realtor. Colville Wealth Advisory is a small independent firm managing approximately $25.7 million for around 30 clients, including individuals, high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, and corporations. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management and limited financial planning, constructing portfolios primarily with mutual funds, ETFs, and select individual securities using fundamental analysis and a mix of strategies.

Bradford Russell is the sole advisor at Chevron Financial in Pineville, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with three years of industry experience. He has been self-employed since 2009 and also works as a licensed insurance broker. Chevron Financial is an independent investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, and corporate entities with portfolio management and financial planning services. The firm employs a goals-based investment process that incorporates strategic and tactical portfolio construction, primarily recommending ETFs and mutual funds, while also providing access to model portfolios on a recommended custody platform.

Timothy Dukes is the sole advisor at Dukes Financial Group, LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 22 years of industry experience. He has worked with various insurance carriers since 2003 and has led Dukes Financial Group since 2009. Dukes Financial Group provides investment supervisory services and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, using a long-term, asset-class driven approach with a focus on non-discretionary management and in-house asset oversight. The firm prepares individualized Investment Policy Statements and offers fixed-fee financial planning, managing approximately 20 client relationships.

James Harper is the sole advisor at Harper Capital Partners in Charlotte, NC. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Harper Capital Partners since 1999. Harper Capital Partners provides discretionary wealth and portfolio management services to high-net-worth individuals, families, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm employs an opportunistic investment approach that combines fundamental and technical analysis across a broad range of instruments, tailoring portfolios to clients’ risk tolerance and financial needs.

Bradley Kucharo is a CFP® professional and financial advisor with eight years of industry experience. He is the founder of Kucharo Wealth, an independent firm based in Charlotte, NC. His prior experience includes roles at THE Vanguard Group, Brightworth, and JOHN K. McGILL & COMPANY. Kucharo Wealth provides investment management, financial planning, retirement plan advisory, and educational seminars to individuals, small businesses, and pension or profit-sharing plans. The firm employs asset-allocation strategies based on modern portfolio theory, using both passive and active investment vehicles, and offers client education through public and organizational seminars, delivered virtually or in person.

Carson McLean, CFP®, is the founder of Altruist Wealth Management, a flat-fee, fee-only fiduciary firm serving clients nationwide. With over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, Carson is committed to helping individuals and families navigate financial complexity with transparent, fiduciary advice—free from the constraints of traditional asset-based fees. Before founding Altruist Wealth Management, Carson was a Regional Director at Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA), where he partnered with fiduciary wealth management firms to implement evidence-based investment strategies and enhance their financial planning practices. His approach prioritizes financial independence, tax-efficient strategies, and personalized, goals-based planning tailored to each client’s needs. Carson lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife, Ellen, and their four children—Davy, Frank, Lewis, and Margot. As a parent of child loss, he is deeply committed to advocacy and research for Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). He serves as president of Frank McLean Forever, a nonprofit dedicated to his son’s legacy, and sits on the board of directors for the SUDC Foundation. Carson holds a BA from Loyola University Chicago and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He completed his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ education at Wake Forest University.

Scott Daily is the sole advisor at SCD Capital, Inc. in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 31 years of industry experience. He has led SCD Capital since 2009. SCD Capital provides discretionary investment management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and related entities, including management of a private pooled investment vehicle. The firm uses a top-down investment approach combining technical charting, cyclical analysis, and fundamental research, with the ability to hold long and short positions across various securities and implement option strategies tailored to client objectives.

Yash Deshpande is a financial advisor at Aureus Capital in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with four years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at Experis US Inc., Digital Intelligence Systems, LLC, Belk, Inc., and Walmart Inc. Aureus Capital is an independent firm providing discretionary portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual clients, high-net-worth individuals, and trusts. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis, incorporating options strategies and margin usage within a long-term, income-oriented approach tailored to each client’s goals and risk tolerance.

Most of my clients are corporate professionals and families between 30 and 55 who have built a successful career and are starting to ask a different question: what should that success actually make possible? Sometimes the answer is stepping away for a while to care for a child or a parent. Sometimes it is a sabbatical, a pivot into a different field, or a business of their own. Sometimes it is staying exactly where they are and continuing to work because they want to, not because they have to. Different answers, same work underneath: figuring out what your version would require, and building toward it on purpose rather than by default. That work usually starts at a specific moment. Equity comp that quietly became a concentrated position. A promotion that changed the tax picture and the hours. A package with a short window on it. A parent who needs help the same year tuition starts. Those decisions either build optionality or spend it, and most get made in the first ninety days without anyone pricing the tradeoff. I spent more than two decades in wealth management at large banks before starting Present Day. I am working through a version of this myself: raising a family, helping parents, and deciding what comes after a long corporate chapter. I hold the CFP® certification, studied economics and psychology at UNC–Chapel Hill, and have an MBA from Duke. You can hire me for planning and advice, have me manage the investments, or take what we build and implement it yourself. There is no investable-asset minimum. Fees are flat-dollar or asset-based and disclosed in writing before any engagement begins.

Andrew Jones is a CFP® professional with 19 years of industry experience, operating through Jones Gregg Financial, LLC in Charlotte, NC. He has been with Jones Gregg Financial since 2005 and also manages AENJ, LLC. Jones Gregg Financial provides financial planning, consulting, and portfolio management services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as defined contribution and benefit plans and business entities. The firm utilizes a combination of charting, fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary investment advice tailored to client needs.

Kathy Stanley is the founder and sole advisor of Sentry Consulting, Inc. in Charlotte, NC, with 24 years of industry experience. She holds the CFP® designation along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. In addition to her advisory role, she maintains active life, long-term care insurance, and real estate broker licenses, which she uses to assist clients with related discussions. Sentry Consulting serves individual clients across various life stages, providing personal financial planning and investment management on a project or ongoing basis. The firm emphasizes appropriate asset allocation, limited trading to manage tax and transaction costs, and discretionary portfolio management.

Mallory Warren is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Aerden LLC. Her prior roles include positions at Fidelity Investments and The Vanguard Group. Outside of her advisory work, she operates a digital financial-education practice. Aerden LLC provides fee-only, advice-only financial planning to individuals and families through one-time engagements focused on either specific questions or comprehensive plans. The firm does not manage client assets but emphasizes long-term strategic asset allocation based on Modern Portfolio Theory, fundamental fund analysis, and considerations of diversification, cost, and taxes.