Ben Straley is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Brentwood, TN, holding Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 credentials. He has 24 years of industry experience, including roles at GWFS Equities, Inc. since 2017 and earlier positions at Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. and Pinnacle Financial Services. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management services primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as certain retail brokerage clients. The firm’s approach integrates proprietary and third-party planning methodologies with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, focusing on long-term portfolio returns and client savings rates.

Mackenzie Cunningham is a CFA® charterholder with nine years of industry experience. She is currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and has previously worked at The Colony Group, InterOcean Capital Group, CapFinancial Partners LLC (CAPTRUST), TrustCore, Wedbush Securities, Avondale Partners LLC, and &PARTNERS. Focus Partners Wealth serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients with a broad range of wealth management and advisory services. The firm’s investment approach combines active and passive strategies within an enhanced open architecture framework, emphasizing long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive portfolio construction.

Robert Elliott is a CFP® certified financial advisor with 33 years of industry experience. He has worked at Wiley Bros. Aintree Capital, LLC since 1992. Elliott is based in Nashville, TN, and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He is affiliated with &Partners, an enterprise firm serving a wide range of individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm offers investment management, financial and tax planning, and ERISA consulting, employing a combination of fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis across discretionary and non-discretionary portfolios.

Garrett Sorensen is a CFP® professional with three years of industry experience, currently with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC. His prior roles include positions at Marcum Wealth, LLC, AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust, and Abound Wealth Management. Outside of advisory work, he hosts the podcast Operation Veteran Finance, serves as Finance Committee President for the Music City Children’s Museum, and teaches financial education and retirement planning courses. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers financial planning, asset management, and retirement plan consulting, utilizing a strategic investment process that combines passive and active management guided by an internal Investment Committee.

Jennifer Blackwell is a financial advisor at Sanctuary Advisors, LLC with 20 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and previously worked at Merrill from 2011 to 2019 and Woodbury Financial Services from 2007 to 2011. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm supports over 400 independent investment adviser representatives who offer a range of portfolio management and consulting services, employing multiple analytical approaches and acting as fiduciaries under advisory agreements.

Heather Beckwith is a financial advisor with NewEdge Advisors and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. She has 19 years of industry experience, including roles at Raymond James Financial and Wealth Strategies Partners, where she has been associated since 2014. NewEdge Advisors is an enterprise-scale registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations through independent adviser representatives. The firm offers a broad range of portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services, utilizing multiple program structures and technology tools to support advisors and clients.

Atarius Collier is a financial advisor at Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC with two years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Northwestern Mutual and Abbott Diabetes Care. Collier is also actively involved as an insurance agent with 1847Financial, focusing on insurance sales and service including Penn Mutual life products. Hornor, Townsend & Kent serves individuals, trusts, businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans through a broad network of advisors, offering financial planning, advisory programs, and retirement plan consulting. The firm operates a dual-registered platform providing both advisory and broker-dealer services, with a focus on tailored investment strategies supported by third-party asset managers.

Jonathan Trusty is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC, based in Brentwood, TN. He has 14 years of industry experience, including seven years at Merrill and ongoing service at Bank of America, N.A. since 2011. Outside of advisory work, he owns rental properties. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering a range of portfolio management and consulting solutions through a network of over 400 independent representatives.

John Link IV is a CFA® charterholder with 22 years of industry experience. He has worked at Cerity Partners LLC since 2026 and previously spent 29 years at Covenant Partners, LLC. He serves on the board of trustees for Millsaps College. Cerity Partners provides customized wealth management and related services to a diverse national client base, including high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, business entities, and institutional investors. The firm uses tailored asset allocation, manager selection, and proprietary quantitative screening alongside third-party managers and individual securities as part of its investment approach.

Todd Glisson is a CFP® with 23 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Cerity Partners LLC since 2026. He previously worked for nearly three decades at Covenant Partners, LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he holds a 50% ownership interest in Murrah Ventures, LLC, a real estate investment company. Cerity Partners provides customized wealth management and related services to a broad national client base, including individuals, families, trusts, estates, business entities, and institutional investors. The firm emphasizes tailored asset allocation and manager selection, integrating proprietary quantitative screens with third-party managers and individual securities.

Marshall Alexander is a financial advisor at Corient with a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Corient, he worked for Solid Entertainment and Ericho, Inc. He is based in Nashville, TN. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm uses a goals-based, team investment approach that combines in-house strategies with third-party managers and customized asset allocation, supported by continuous portfolio monitoring and risk management tools.

Rege Eisaman is a CFA® charterholder with 25 years of industry experience. He is currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and has previously worked at The Colony Group, InterOcean Capital Group, InterOcean Capital, and Morgan Stanley. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC provides wealth management and advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that combines active and passive strategies, third-party managers, and private funds within an enhanced open architecture framework.

Nathan Embry is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Nashville, TN, holding a Series 66 designation and 17 years of industry experience. He has worked at Valic Financial Advisors since 2014 and is also affiliated with Agia, where he serves as an agent for non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients, as well as employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and discretionary unified managed accounts through a large network of advisors, utilizing centralized technology and model solutions to manage approximately $29.2 billion for close to 300,000 clients.

Darrell Dawes is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 43 years of industry experience. He has been with Guardian Life since 2016 and previously worked at Peachtree Planning Advisors, Inc. and New England Securities. He is affiliated with Guardian Life, an enterprise firm with over 1,900 advisors. The firm operates through Park Avenue® Wealth Management, offering brokerage services, financial planning, and investment advisory programs to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients.

Adam Smotherman is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience. He is currently with Fifth Third Securities, Inc. in Nashville, TN, where he has worked since 2021. His prior roles include positions at UBS and SunTrust Advisory Services. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. serves a diverse range of individual and institutional clients through investment advisory and brokerage services. The firm offers multiple program types on the Passageway Managed Account platform, including mutual fund and ETF models, SMA strategies, and direct indexing, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank.

Matthew Beery is a financial advisor at Oppenheimer with nine years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Bank of America and Merrill. He also spent three years at the University of Kentucky. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension plans, charitable organizations, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm offers a wide range of programs and advisory services, including equity, balanced, and fixed-income portfolios, with both discretionary and non-discretionary management.

Bhawana Khurana is a CFA® charterholder with seven years of industry experience. She currently works at The Colony Group, LLC and has prior experience at InterOcean Capital Group, LLC, InterOcean Capital, LLC, and The Smart Cube Inc. She is affiliated with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC, a firm that serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients with wealth management and advisory services. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that combines active and passive strategies within an enhanced open architecture framework.

Cynthia Durdin is a financial advisor at Corient with 20 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has held roles at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company and Music Row Wealth Management. Outside of her advisory work, she is a square dancer at the Grand Ole Opry and serves as a notary public. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, and corporate entities. The firm employs a goals-based, team investment approach that integrates in-house strategies with third-party managers and specialized offerings such as family office and corporate trustee services.

Justin Ostrander is a financial advisor at &PARTNERS with five years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Wells Fargo Advisors and Cambridge Investment Research. Outside of finance, he is a recording guitarist and owns a music business based in Madison, Tennessee. &PARTNERS serves individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of investment management and financial planning services, utilizing a mix of fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis with discretionary and non-discretionary account management options.

Ethan White is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has one year of industry experience and has worked at Park Avenue Securities, Guardian Life Insurance Company, and Morgan Stanley. Park Avenue Securities, a subsidiary of Guardian Life, offers brokerage and advisory services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, utilizing a range of proprietary and third-party investment programs.