Lucy Slovon is a financial advisor at J. W. Cole Advisors, Inc. with four years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has been with J.W. Cole Advisors since 2019. In addition to her advisory role, she is president of SFG Marketing, Inc., where she develops and executes marketing strategies. J.W. Cole Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, charities, corporations, retirement plans, and other entities through a national network of over 400 independent investment adviser representatives. The firm provides portfolio management, fee-based financial planning, access to third-party managers, and multiple managed account solutions.

Samantha Mello is a CFA® charterholder with six years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services since 2021. Her prior experience includes roles at Suntrust Advisory Services, Suntrust Investment Services, and Fidelity Investments. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, offering solutions that include asset allocation, investment policy analysis, and a third-party manager selection program. The firm combines discretionary manager relationships with non-discretionary consulting and integrates advanced tools such as AI-enabled research to support its investment processes.

Theodore Schwab is a financial advisor with Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and over 40 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Raymond James Financial Services, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup Global Markets. He is co-founder and chairman emeritus of Spark The Journey and co-founder of the Hundredfold Foundation, both nonprofit organizations. Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC is a large SEC-registered RIA managing approximately $36.7 billion in assets, serving a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of investment advisory, financial planning, and managed account programs with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management options.

Sarah Rutherford is a financial advisor with Guardian Life and holds the Series 66 designation. She has seven years of industry experience, including five years at Merrill and four years at Park Avenue Securities. Guardian Life’s subsidiary, Park Avenue Securities LLC, serves individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients with brokerage services, financial planning, and investment advisory programs that include discretionary and non-discretionary strategies.

David Dansby is a CFP® professional affiliated with Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, with 26 years of industry experience. He has been with Janney Montgomery Scott since 1998. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse clientele including individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, delivering investment advice through in-house portfolio management, third-party managers, and multiple advisory programs.

Julie Babcock is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 23 years of industry experience. She previously worked at Lockton Financial Advisors, LLC, Lockton Companies, LLC, and Lockton Investment Advisors, LLC between 2007 and 2021. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $217 billion in client assets using a financial planning–led investment process that includes low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and supplemental approaches such as direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting, supported by a large advisory team and centralized investment infrastructure.

Gerhard Olsen is a financial advisor at Oppenheimer with 19 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Merrill Lynch and Bank of America. Olsen is based in Washington, DC. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of investment programs and advisory services, including discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management and consulting, with a notable emphasis on maintaining custody of client assets in-house.

Mitchell Mccarthy is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with nine years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Citigroup since 2019, following a two-year tenure at Merrill Lynch. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a range of investment advisory programs and execution services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and provides both discretionary and non-discretionary programs, leveraging internal standards and oversight committees to select and monitor managers.

Jay Burmaster Jr. is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services who holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has 29 years of industry experience. His career includes positions at Truist Investment Services, BB&T Securities, Scott & Stringfellow, Wells Fargo Clearing, and UBS Financial Services. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors and participants, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation and investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, participant advice, and a manager-selection program that combines discretionary manager relationships and consulting, supported by AI-enabled research and inter-affiliate resources.

Shippen Royer is a financial advisor at Oppenheimer with 11 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Oppenheimer since 2018. His prior experience includes roles at Phyxius Arbitrage Fund LP, Bank of America, N.A., and Merrill. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, pooled investment vehicles, and IRAs. The firm offers a range of programs and advisory services, including discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, consulting, and retirement services.

Matthew Hammaker is a financial advisor at Commonwealth Financial Network with a Series 65 credential and approximately one year of industry experience. His prior experience includes service in the United States Marine Corps and roles in higher education at Kennesaw State University and Wingate University. He has also worked in hospitality and physical therapy support roles. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a national network of nearly 2,900 affiliated advisors and managing over $212 billion in client assets. The firm offers a comprehensive adviser-support platform with various managed account programs and access to third-party asset managers, providing clients with diverse investment options and back-office services.

Christina Raya is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management in Washington, DC, holding a Series 66 license and 15 years of industry experience. She has worked at PNC Investments since 2018 and previously held positions at Bank of the West, BancWest Investment Services, and TD Bank. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through several model-based programs, including an invitation-only digital discretionary model account that uses algorithm-driven risk assessment and invests primarily in mutual funds and ETFs.

Leland Detmer is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, currently serving as a financial advisor at Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC. He has two years of industry experience and previously worked on the PGA Tour for five years. Detmer is also the co-founder and secretary of the BCCC Scholarship Foundation, which provides scholarships for underprivileged children to attend golf camps. Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC is an enterprise-scale registered investment advisor managing approximately $36.7 billion in assets. The firm serves a diverse clientele, including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, offering a range of portfolio management and financial planning services through proprietary and third-party solutions.

John Nauss III is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF in Silver Spring, MD, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations with 16 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2013. TIAA-CREF’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often serving clients connected through employer retirement plans. The firm offers customized portfolio management alongside model portfolio options and serves as adviser to the TIAA Donor Advised Fund.

Eamon Vera is a financial advisor at HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining HSBC, he worked at Bank of America for four years and has held various positions in education and retail. HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. offers managed account programs to individuals, retirement accounts, charitable organizations, and corporations through several client-directed and discretionary portfolio options. The firm uses a structured investment process involving multiple model risk profiles and collaborates with HSBC Global Asset Management and other affiliated providers for fund selection and monitoring.

Christopher Sims is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 11 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Merrill for seven years before joining Citigroup in 2023. Based in Washington, DC, Sims provides advisory services within a major global financial institution. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across diverse wealth segments, offering a broad range of investment advisory programs, broker-dealer execution, and custody services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and operates with large institutional scale, including unique market roles such as security-based swap dealing and futures commission merchant activities.

James Fowkes II is a financial advisor at Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC with 34 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been affiliated with various Steward Partners entities since 2014, previously working at Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. He is also a member of the Legacy Wealth Partners team. Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC is an enterprise-scale SEC-registered RIA managing approximately $36.7 billion in assets. The firm serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations, offering investment advisory, financial planning, and managed account solutions through both proprietary and third-party portfolio management programs.

David McMillan is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors who holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 24 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Netlaw Group, WealthWave, and the Heartland Institute of Financial Education, where he serves as a certified financial educator. He is also involved in health insurance enrollment activities under the Affordable Care Act and provides supplemental insurance solutions through affiliated companies. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, trusts, and businesses, delivering advisory services primarily through model portfolios and third-party managers across multiple platforms such as Transamerica ONE and TFA365.

Katherine Stith is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 20 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has been with Citigroup since 2010. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering multi-asset, multi-manager investment strategies through discretionary and non-discretionary programs. The firm combines large institutional scale with unique market roles, including in-house research and security pricing, and provides bespoke solutions for high-net-worth clients.

Angela Macon is a financial advisor with Voya Financial Advisors, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 18 years of industry experience. She previously worked at MissionSquare Retirement and ICMA-RC Services, LLC. Outside of finance, Macon owns and operates Beautifly Makeup Services, providing professional makeup artistry. Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. serves individuals—including high-net-worth clients—as well as pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement advisory services through a large network of advisers using both affiliated and unaffiliated investment products.