Thomas Rouse is a CFP® with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services since 2021. His prior experience includes roles at Bb&T Securities, LLC from 2014 to 2021. Outside of his advisory work, he owns a timber property used for occasional timber sales and family recreation, and he serves as a board member at St. James United Methodist Church. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a mix of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by inter-affiliate integration and AI-enabled research tools.

Scott Shook is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 26 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Truist Advisory Services and its affiliated entities since 2014, including Bb&T Securities. Outside of his advisory role, Shook serves on the Board of Trustees for East Carolina University and is a member of the ECU Department of Economics Advisory Board, where he supports scholarship fundraising and mentors students. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors and participants, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of services including asset allocation, investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary approaches supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

J Hollingsworth Jr. is a financial advisor at Eagle Strategies (NY Life) with 17 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked previously at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Advisors. He has been with Eagle Strategies and affiliated New York Life entities since 2021. Eagle Strategies serves a broad mix of individual and institutional clients, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated representatives. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations and manages the majority of its assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Mark Cutler is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Greenville, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and bringing 20 years of industry experience. He has worked with Truist Advisory Services and Truist Investment Services since 2021, following a decade at BB&T Investments and three years at BB&T Securities. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as Treasurer for the Portside One Homeowners Association. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting, supported by AI-enabled research tools and integrated inter-affiliate resources.

David Leigh is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 20 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at firms including Truist Advisory Services and BB&T Securities. He is based in Greenville, NC. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals with existing employer retirement plan relationships, as well as trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans. The firm offers planning services separate from ongoing portfolio management and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

Christopher House is a financial advisor at Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC with one year of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 designation and previously worked at Milestone Wealth, Edward Jones, and Cru. Integrated Wealth Concepts serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans through a network of independent advisors. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, family office, and retirement plan advisory services, utilizing customized portfolios that combine mutual funds, ETFs, equities, and fixed income with a primarily long-term investment approach.

William Hopkins Jr. is a financial advisor at OSAIC Institutions, INC. with 35 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked at firms including Infinex Investments, Southern Bank & Trust NC, First Citizens Investor Services, Inc., and Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. He also participates in a financial advisor referral program with Southern Bank. OSAIC Institutions, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, ERISA retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients. The firm offers customized advisory services, financial planning, ERISA plan consulting, and access to alternative investments through a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer structure.

Scott Below is a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been a finance professor at East Carolina University since 1993, where he teaches online courses in Investments, Portfolio Management, and Managerial Finance. Prior to joining Mercer Global Advisors, he worked at Kiely Wealth Advisory Group, Inc. for 24 years. Mercer Global Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, foundations, and nonprofits. The firm employs an investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, focusing on globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios with strategic factor tilts and tax management.

David Hunt is a CFP® with 38 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC. His prior experience includes roles at Capital Developers, LLC d/b/a Milestone Wealth and Raymond James Financial Services. He is also a member of the Inception Micro Angel Fund, an investment pool focused on startup companies, and holds a license as an independent insurance agent. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans through a network of independent advisors. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, family office, and retirement plan advisory services, utilizing customized portfolios with a primarily long-term investment approach and a range of model and wrap-fee options.

Bryan Rendon Salazar is a CFP® professional with three years of industry experience, currently serving at Osaic Advisory Services, LLC in Greenville, NC. His prior experience includes roles at Fidelity Investments and Patterns Behavioral Services. Osaic Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm provides a range of services such as investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and third-party manager selection, utilizing multiple program models and platforms to tailor portfolios and deliver client solutions.

Justine Lawson is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and bringing six years of industry experience. She previously worked at JPMorgan Securities LLC and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., and has a background that includes a year at The Pastry Fix. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors and participants, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

Belinda Butler is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 22 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 and Series 63 designations and has worked at Truist and its affiliated firms since 2021. Outside of her advisory role, she teaches piano lessons and serves as choir director and organist at a church in Washington, NC. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, retirement plans, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of discretionary manager relationships and consulting, supported by third-party platform arrangements and AI-enabled research tools.

George Bell III is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 26 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2007, aside from a two-year period of unemployment between 2020 and 2022. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing TIAA-administered retirement plan relationships. The firm also acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund and employs a fiduciary standard in its RIA services.

Robert Hough is a CFP® with three years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC. Prior to joining Integrated Wealth Concepts, he worked at Milestone Wealth and has experience in both the restaurant industry and education. He is also an independent insurance agent focusing on life and health insurance. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC supports a broad client base, including individuals, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans through a network of independent advisors. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, and family office services, utilizing customized portfolios primarily composed of mutual funds, ETFs, equities, and fixed income with a long-term investment approach.

Samuel Hylton is a CFP® designated financial advisor with over 32 years of industry experience. He currently serves at Truist Advisory Services and Truist Investment Services, having previously worked at Bb&T Securities, LLC and Scott & Stringfellow, Inc. Since 2018, Hylton has been a finance committee member for the Community Foundation of NC East, where he helps oversee the foundation's investment alignment with its policy statement. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors and participants, and charitable organizations. The firm combines discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting, supported by third-party platforms and in-house research teams, to deliver comprehensive investment solutions.

Carolyn Crews is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing in Greenville, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 24 years of industry experience. She has worked at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC and Wells Fargo Clearing since 2009. Outside of her advisory role, she is an independent consultant for a skincare product company. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting services to qualified ERISA plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary services. The firm’s investment approach is IPS-driven and incorporates modern portfolio theory, with a notable inclusion of insurance-related vehicles and bank deposit sweep options in its investment menus.

Hunter Fleming III is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 44 years of industry experience. He has worked at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC and Wells Fargo Clearing since 2009. Outside his advisory role, he is involved in farming operations through Fleming Farms. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm combines research from the Wells Fargo Investment Institute with third-party data and applies diversification principles and modern portfolio theory in its investment approach.

Jeanette Hopkins is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing, holding a Series 63 designation and 24 years of industry experience. She has worked at Wells Fargo Clearing since 2016 and was previously with Wells Fargo Advisors LLC from 2009 to 2016. Outside of her advisory role, she serves as a notary public in North Carolina. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting services to qualified ERISA plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services. The firm’s process is grounded in modern portfolio theory and includes a range of investment options such as collective investment trusts, group annuity contracts, and bank deposit sweep programs.

Waightstill Scales IV is a financial advisor at Equitable Advisors with 15 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked with Equitable Advisors since 2011, previously affiliated with Axa Advisors, LLC, and The Scales Agency. He serves on the boards of the Barnie and Ed Rawl Scholarship Fund, East Carolina Vocational Center, and the ECU Health Foundation. Equitable Advisors provides financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and asset-management programs to individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm delivers services through a network of Investment Adviser Representatives, offering both proprietary and third-party investment programs.

Daniel Stieh is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Greenville, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 10 years of industry experience. He has worked at Equitable Advisors since 2016, following a prior role at Axa Advisors, LLC. Stieh also operates a separate business under the name Sound Partners. Equitable Advisors serves individuals ranging from non-high-net-worth to high-net-worth clients, as well as pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and asset management programs through a network of Investment Adviser Representatives, utilizing both proprietary and third-party solutions.