John Helmers is a financial advisor at 49 Financial with a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining 49 Financial, he worked at Forward Wealth Management and Rinse N Repeat. He also has experience in fixed insurance sales. 49 Financial serves a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers financial planning, investment management, and fractional family office services, employing a model-driven, long-term diversified investment approach.

Michael Komara is a financial advisor at Blueprint Financial Advisors with 32 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation and securities licenses Series 65 and Series 63. His prior roles include positions at Solas Wealth, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, and MKD Wealth Coaches, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as treasurer and board member for Grow Holdings, an affiliate of Grow Church, where he reviews investment accounts for policy compliance. Blueprint Financial Advisors is a multi-advisor firm offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, trusts, pension plans, and nonprofit entities. The firm employs a strategic-and-tactical investment approach based on price-driven trend-following and momentum rules, managing approximately $1.4 billion in client assets.

Audrey Blanke is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with nine years of industry experience. She is currently with Choreo, LLC and has previously worked at firms including Robert W. Baird and ATLATL Advisers. Choreo provides investment and advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, family offices, endowments, and corporate clients. The firm focuses on strategic asset allocation and diversified model portfolios, managing assets through separately managed accounts, registered and private funds, and specialized consulting services.

Ryan Zutter is a CFP® professional with 19 years of experience in the financial industry. He has worked at Ally Invest Advisors since 2021 and previously spent 12 years at Robert W. Baird & Co. His background includes roles at Ally Invest Securities LLC beginning in 2020. Ally Invest Advisors serves a broad retail client base, including both individual and high-net-worth clients, by providing discretionary portfolio management through web-based automated services and advisor-led guidance. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based investment process with model portfolios across multiple risk tiers, combining passive and actively managed ETFs and utilizing digital automation to manage a large volume of client accounts.

Marcus Anderson is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with 22 years of industry experience. He has worked at Merit Financial Advisors since 2016 and previously at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments and LPL Financial, LLC. Merit Financial Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser with over 260 advisors serving approximately 20,000 clients across 66 offices. The firm offers coordinated wealth management services and employs a long-term, diversified investment approach overseen by an internal committee, allowing advisors to customize portfolios using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis methods.

Jennifer Muckley is a CFP® professional with six years of industry experience. She has been with Bragg Financial Advisors, Inc. since 2018 and previously worked at Wells Fargo Bank dba Abbott Downing from 2015 to 2018. Based in Charlotte, NC, she is part of a team of 15 advisors. Bragg Financial Advisors is a family-owned, multi-advisor firm that offers financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals—including high-net-worth clients—charitable organizations, corporations, and investment companies. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation, broad diversification, and periodic rebalancing, and is notable for its role as a sub-advisor to small-cap value and value mutual funds, as well as its dedicated Small Cap Value Managed Account Program.

Kamden Gaines is a financial advisor at Ally Invest Advisors with nine years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at Ernst & Young LLP and The Vanguard Group, Inc. Gaines supports both Ally Invest Securities and Ally Invest Advisors as Director of Client Services, overseeing customer support for self-directed and advisory clients. Ally Invest Advisors provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients through web-based and virtual solutions, offering ETF-based Robo Portfolios and advisor-delivered Personal Advice services. The firm uses model portfolios based on Modern Portfolio Theory with multiple risk tiers and focuses on retail and high-net-worth individuals.

Jeremy Fisher is a financial advisor at Choreo, LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with RSM US Wealth Management LLC since 2012. Choreo provides investment and advisory services to a diverse client base including individual investors, family offices, endowments, foundations, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation and diversified model portfolios managed by a centralized team and overseen by an Investment Committee.

Jacob Stevenson is a financial advisor with Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc., holding Series 66 and Series 63 credentials and 15 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Larson Financial Securities, LLC and Larson Financial Group, LLC from 2015 to 2022. In addition to his advisory role, Stevenson is involved in outside insurance sales as an agent and partner at Mint Hill Insurance. Ausdal Financial Partners serves individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and business entities, managing approximately $3.73 billion for over 16,000 clients through a large network of advisors. The firm offers a wide range of services, including advisor-managed and separately managed accounts, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning, with investment strategies tailored at the advisor level to meet client-specific objectives and risk tolerances.

Michael Ziemer is a CFP® professional with 23 years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He has worked at Modera Wealth Management, LLC since 2023 and previously spent 19 years at Parsec Financial Management, Inc. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a board member for Ziemer Funeral Homes. Modera Wealth Management, LLC provides fiduciary, fee-only advisory services to a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs an allocation-driven investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory and offers a range of services including portfolio management, retirement plan consulting, financial planning, and tax-related services.

Sarah Khan is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with Ally Invest Advisors in Charlotte, NC, where she has worked since 2021. She has five years of industry experience, including six years at Grant Thornton prior to joining Ally Invest. Khan also holds a regulatory oversight role supporting compliance functions across Ally Invest Advisors and Ally Invest Securities. Ally Invest Advisors serves a broad retail client base with discretionary portfolio management that combines automated and advisor-led services. The firm employs a model-driven investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, utilizing ETFs across multiple risk tiers and strategy variants while integrating digital tools for portfolio management and reporting.

Lewis Kayes is a CFA® charterholder with 19 years of industry experience. He is currently with Cary Street Partners and has previously worked at Exencial Wealth Advisors and Willingdon Wealth Management Inc. Lewis is based in Charlotte, NC. Cary Street Partners serves a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, corporations, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm provides comprehensive portfolio management, financial planning, and access to proprietary strategies supported by AI tools and a range of affiliated services.

Leslie Moise is a financial advisor with Arete Wealth Advisors, LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 20 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Arete Wealth Management LLC in 2022, Leslie worked at National Securities Corp for 11 years. Outside of investment advising, Leslie is the owner and president of LIANMAC, Inc., a small accounting and tax-related business. Arete Wealth Advisors provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm primarily manages assets on a discretionary basis using both advisor-driven and proprietary model allocations, and integrates with affiliated financial businesses and product channels.

Thomas Braun is a financial advisor at Gradient Investments, LLC with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 licenses. Braun has been with Gradient Investments since 2018 and is also the owner of GoldenGuard Financial, where he provides insurance services and products. Gradient Investments offers discretionary investment management to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes a proprietary Wright Investment Strategies framework and provides a variety of model and custom portfolios managed on a discretionary basis.

Katherine Burak is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 15 years of industry experience. She has worked at The Vanguard Group, Inc. for nine years and Cleary University for six years before joining Choreo, LLC. Choreo, LLC serves a diverse client base including individual and high-net-worth investors, family offices, and institutional clients, offering a range of advisory services from portfolio management to outsourced CIO solutions. The firm employs a systematic investment process combining strategic asset allocation and quantitative screening to manage portfolios using various investment vehicles and specialized advisory services.

Brett Shanklin is a financial advisor at Principal Advised Services with two years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has held roles at Principal Life Insurance Company, Principal Securities, Inc., and other firms in the Charlotte, NC area. Outside of advisory work, he serves as a retirement consultant providing one-on-one investment advice to retirement plan participants. Principal Advised Services offers investment advice and related services primarily to retirement plan participants and retail IRA clients. The firm combines third-party methodology and proprietary models to provide both non-discretionary recommendations and a discretionary investment management program, operating as part of the Principal Financial Group family.

Lauren Martinez is a financial advisor at Choreo, LLC with nine years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at Verum Partners LLC, Novare Capital Management, LLC, and Staton Financial Advisors, LLC. Choreo serves a diverse client base including individual and high-net-worth investors, family offices, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, endowments, and institutional clients. The firm employs a quantitative and committee-approved investment process, offering a broad range of services such as portfolio management, wealth management consulting, outsourced CIO, and retirement plan consulting.

Carolyn Balzano is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC since 2021. She previously worked at Fifth Third Bank from 2014 to 2021. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing approximately $7.8 billion in discretionary assets for a range of clients, including individuals, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, and institutional investors. The firm provides portfolio management, financial planning, and access to alternative investments, leveraging both in-house resources and third-party managers within an integrated framework affiliated with Fifth Third Bank.

Christopher Elliotte is a Series 65 credentialed advisor with 16 years of industry experience, currently with Colony Family Offices, LLC since 2014. He is based in Charlotte, NC and is part of a team of six advisors at the firm. Colony Family Offices provides comprehensive wealth management and financial planning primarily to ultra-high-net-worth families, managing approximately $3.32 billion in discretionary assets. The firm employs a priorities-based, customized planning approach combining passive and active investment strategies, and utilizes third-party managers alongside independent research to support client portfolios.

Brandon Shephard is a financial advisor with Ally Invest Advisors in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and nine years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, PNC, and Wells Fargo Clearing Services. Outside of finance, he has been involved with YES I CAN BASKETBALL since 2005. Ally Invest Advisors serves a broad retail client base, offering discretionary portfolio management through automated and advisor-led services. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, utilizing ETF-based model portfolios across various risk tiers with automated allocation and rebalancing.