Clinton Townsend is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 65 license, with 7 years of industry experience. He is currently with Bragg Financial Advisors, Inc., where he has worked since 2023, following a seven-year tenure at Laurel Wealth Advisors, LLC. Bragg Financial Advisors, Inc. is a family-owned, SEC-registered investment adviser managing over $4.6 billion for individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and investment-company clients. The firm focuses on strategic asset allocation, diversification, and long-term holdings, offering discretionary portfolio management and managed-account services, including sub-advisory roles for mutual funds.

Kenneth Samuelson Jr. is a financial advisor with ValMark Advisers, Inc. in Charlotte, NC, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses, with 40 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Kestra Investment Services, American Financial Management Group, and IFG/Russell Advisors. He is owner and president of The Morehead Group, Inc., an insurance sales and consulting business, and serves as chairman of the Charlotte Estate Planning Council. ValMark Advisers, Inc. provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan advisory services to individuals, plan sponsors, and institutions through a network of approximately 280 advisors. The firm emphasizes diversified, goal-based portfolios using mutual funds, ETFs, and third-party managers, supported by proprietary platforms and a range of advisory and sub-advisory services.

James Johnson is a financial advisor at Lombard Advisers Incorporated with 22 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked with Lombard Securities Incorporated since 2007. Outside of his advisory work, he owns and manages real estate through entities separate from his investment activities. Lombard Advisers provides personalized investment management services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management using fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis, and manages approximately $670 million in assets.

Wales Dixon IV is a financial advisor with Principal Advised Services, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Principal Life Insurance Company and Principal Financial Services, as well as positions outside the financial industry. Dixon also provides one-on-one investment advice to retirement plan participants as a Retirement Consultant. Principal Advised Services delivers investment advice and related services primarily to retirement plan participants and retail IRA clients, offering a combination of non-discretionary recommendations and a discretionary investment management program supported by proprietary models and third-party methodology.

Bradley Kellen is a CFP® with 21 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Founders Financial Securities LLC and Fairway Financial since 2015. He is based in Matthews, NC, and holds the Series 66 designation. His work includes financial planning and insurance sales with a focus on variable annuities, long-term care, and variable life products. Founders Financial Securities serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement consulting, utilizing multiple advisory platforms and a combination of mutual funds, ETFs, and sub-advised strategies.

Barrett Gray is a financial advisor at Earned Wealth Advisors, LLC with two years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Dimensional Fund Advisors and Choreo, LLC. Earned Wealth Advisors serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and employer-sponsored retirement plans, with a focus on doctors, dentists, and their practices. The firm offers financial planning, discretionary wealth management, and retirement-plan advisory services, utilizing independent investment managers and model portfolios guided by an internal Investment Strategy Committee and third-party consultants.

Matthew Pratt is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 21 years of industry experience, currently serving at Arkadios Wealth Advisors since 2020. He previously worked at Triad Advisors, Inc. from 2014 to 2020. Pratt is also involved in financial services through his roles in Thompson Pratt Capital Management, LLC, and Pratt Investments, LLC. Arkadios Wealth Advisors provides investment and wealth management services to individuals, trusts, businesses, and retirement plans, utilizing a variety of managed accounts, third-party money managers, and financial planning. The firm supports advisors with an internal portfolio team and offers an integrated operating model combining advisory services, brokerage execution, and portfolio management.

Paxton Wood is a financial advisor with USAA Investment Services Company, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 12 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Ally Invest Advisors, Ally Invest Securities LLC, and The Vanguard Group. He also holds director-level roles in business line risk at Ally Invest Advisors and Ally Bank, assisting with third-party risk management and new product assessment. USAA Investment Services Company provides retirement-focused advice and referral services primarily to USAA members and individual investors, offering a Retirement Income Strategy Report and facilitating referrals to third-party broker-dealers and advisers. The firm operates mainly as a referral intermediary without managing client assets or charging percentage-of-assets fees.

Timothy Beldner is a financial advisor with Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 18 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Ausdal in 2020, he worked at Larson Financial Securities, LLC and Larson Financial Group LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in managing and developing real estate investments and assists his daughter with a coffee trailer business. Ausdal Financial Partners manages over $2 billion in client assets and provides investment advisory, retirement planning, and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of investment programs, including discretionary and non-discretionary portfolios, through a network of advisors, combining advisory, brokerage, and insurance services.

Derek Hernquist is a financial advisor at Aptus Capital Advisors, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with Aptus since 2018. Prior to that, he worked at Strategic Index Advisors and Adhesion Wealth Advisor Solutions. Aptus Capital Advisors manages approximately $14.47 billion on a discretionary basis and provides advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, and registered investment companies. The firm employs primarily ETF-based strategies using both technical and fundamental analysis and offers a range of portfolio management and consulting services.

Thomas Clark is a financial advisor at Altitude Capital Management LLC in Charlotte, NC, with one year of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has prior experience at the Clark Agency, Horace Mann Investors, Horace Mann Companies, and Liberty Mutual Insurance. Clark is also involved in insurance sales as an agent, dedicating up to 30% of his working time to this activity. Altitude Capital Management LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals and high net worth clients. The firm employs tailored strategies that include asset allocation, dollar-cost averaging, and technical analysis, managing $103.6 million in discretionary assets under a multi-team structure.

David Reid is a financial advisor with Founders Financial Securities LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Founders Financial Securities and Fairway Financial since 2015, where he also provides insurance advice and products as part of his other business activities. Founders Financial Securities serves a broad range of clients, including individual and high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, access to third-party asset managers, financial planning, and retirement consulting, utilizing multiple investment programs and combining advisory, broker-dealer, and insurance services within its platform.

John Helmers is a financial advisor at 49 Financial in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 65 credential. He has one year of experience in the industry and previously worked at Forward Wealth Management, Rinse N Repeat, and Aptive. Outside of advisory roles, he is also a licensed fixed insurance agent. 49 Financial serves individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth individuals and retirement plans, offering comprehensive financial planning, advanced planning, and investment management. The firm utilizes a disciplined, long-term diversified asset allocation strategy and provides tiered fractional family office services.

Michael Komara is a ChFC® with 32 years of industry experience and currently serves at Blueprint Financial Advisors. His prior roles include positions at Solas Wealth, Prudential Insurance Company of America, and Merrill. He serves as treasurer and board member of Grow Holdings, a church-affiliated organization focused on investment oversight. Blueprint Financial Advisors is a multi-advisor SEC-registered firm managing approximately $1.4 billion in assets. The firm provides portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement consulting to individuals, trusts, pension and ERISA plans, and nonprofits, using a proprietary strategic-and-tactical investment framework to manage globally diversified portfolios.

Audrey Blanke is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 10 years of industry experience. She is currently with Choreo, LLC and has previously worked at firms including Robert W. Baird and Carolinas Investment Consulting LLC. Choreo serves a diverse client base ranging from individuals to institutional investors and offers a range of advisory services including portfolio management, financial planning, and outsourced CIO consulting. The firm employs a strategic, quantitative investment process and provides specialized services such as 1031 exchange advisory and Deferred Sales Trusts™ consulting.

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 financial advisor with Merit Financial Advisors in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 22 years of industry experience. He has held roles at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, LPL Financial, and Uvest Financial Services Group. Anderson is also licensed to provide fixed insurance advice tailored to client needs. Merit Financial Group is a multi-team SEC-registered advisory firm serving individual investors, retirement plans, ESOPs, and institutional clients. The firm employs a long-term, diversified asset allocation strategy managed through centrally coordinated models and supports both discretionary and non-discretionary accounts.

Jennifer Muckley is a CFP® certificant with six years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Bragg Financial Advisors Inc since 2018. Prior to joining Bragg, she worked for three years at Wells Fargo Bank dba Abbott Downing. Bragg Financial Advisors, Inc. is a family-owned SEC-registered investment adviser managing over $4.6 billion for individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and investment-company clients. The firm focuses on strategic asset allocation with broad diversification and periodic rebalancing, offering discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and managed-account services.

Hailey Hall is a financial advisor with Advisory Solutions Group and holds the Series 66 designation. She has five years of industry experience, including roles with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services and LPL Financial. Advisory Solutions Group, operating as FocusPoint Solutions, serves retail clients through a network of Investment Advisor Representatives and provides turnkey business and back-office services to other registered investment advisory firms. The firm employs a diversified investment approach combining quantitative, momentum, and fundamental analysis, and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary strategies with regular client reviews.

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.