Alfred Jordano is a CFP® and Series 66-registered advisor at Creative Planning with 19 years of industry experience. He previously worked for Sullivan Bruyette Speros & Blayney for 14 years before joining Creative Planning in 2021. Creative Planning serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, foundations, and retirement plans, managing approximately $217 billion in assets. The firm employs a financial planning-led investment approach focused on low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supplemented by advanced techniques such as direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting.

John Kline is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott with 33 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with Janney Montgomery Scott since 2013. Outside of his advisory role, he owns short-term vacation rental properties in North Carolina and Florida, though the properties are professionally managed. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing about $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse clientele including individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, offering brokerage, financial planning, consulting, and multiple advisory programs.

Joshua Alford is a CFP® with five years of industry experience, currently serving at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. His prior experience includes roles at First Citizens Asset Management, Fidelity Investments, MML Investors Services, LLC, and MassMutual Life Insurance Company. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities, offering a range of portfolio management and financial planning solutions utilizing fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis.

Marc Anstrom is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Durham, NC, holding Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 designations and over 31 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2013. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division serves individuals—including those connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans—as well as trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans. The firm offers financial planning, discretionary managed account programs, and brokerage services, operating with a fiduciary standard in its RIA services and acting as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

Thomas Overcash Jr. is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 39 years of industry experience. He has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 1997 and also serves as an agent with Agia, where he is involved in non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-based individual investors, including high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate and retirement-plan participants. The firm offers discretionary managed-account programs, financial planning, consulting, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet-developed UMA models for portfolio construction and management.

Stephanie Burks is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 11 years of industry experience, currently with Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. She has been with Voya since 2016, including its predecessor organizations, and she also operates Burks Financial Management, LLC. Her other business activities include serving as an independent insurance agent and operating Providence Financial Solutions. Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. is an enterprise-scale advisory and broker-dealer affiliate of Voya Financial that provides financial planning, portfolio management, retirement-plan advisory services, and access to third-party money managers. The firm serves individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporations through a network of advisers, combining in-house and outside strategists with technology-enabled tools to implement investment strategies, often with client authorization for trades in non-discretionary arrangements.

Nahed Alsous is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 22 years of industry experience. She has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 2003 and also serves as an agent with Agia, focusing on non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-domiciled individual investors, including high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate and retirement-plan participants, offering managed-account programs, financial planning, and brokerage services.

Richard Kagan is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 44 years of industry experience. He has been with Commonwealth since 2000. Outside of his advisory role, Kagan serves as CFO and shareholder of two non-investment related companies, Adessence Marketing, Inc. and Right Brain Media, and is also a squash coach. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser supporting a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients through a range of advisory programs and services. The firm provides operations, trading, technology, compliance, and practice-management support, with discretionary portfolio construction and model portfolios managed by its Investment Management and Research team.

Erica Korol is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc., holding a Series 66 designation and 12 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at VALIC Financial Advisors and Agia. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm utilizes a client-focused process combining fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis across various investment vehicles, with offerings including portfolio management, automated platforms, and tax-aware services.

Thomas Miller is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 38 years of industry experience. He has worked with SunTrust and its successor firms since 2005. Miller serves on the Board of Directors at the Chapel Hill Country Club, where he oversees club administration and activities. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

Blake Cason is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 12 years of industry experience, currently with Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC. Prior to joining Steward Partners in 2026, he worked for Edward Jones for 12 years. Outside of his advisory role, he owns a vacation rental property in Beaufort, North Carolina. Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC is an enterprise-scale SEC-registered RIA managing approximately $36.7 billion in assets. The firm serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as pension plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations, offering various investment advisory and financial planning services.

Haleh Moddasser is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with 14 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 65 designation and previously worked at Stearns Financial Services Group for nine years before joining Hightower Advisors in 2020. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers, combined with proprietary research and portfolio construction techniques.

John Rumsey is a financial advisor at Sanctuary Advisors, LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation with 16 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Bank of America N.A. and Merrill from 2010 to 2021 before joining Sanctuary Wealth in 2021. Outside of his advisory role, Rumsey serves on the advisory board of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, contributing to fundraising efforts. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, corporations, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations through a network of over 400 independent investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a variety of portfolio management solutions and utilizes multiple investment approaches while acting as a fiduciary when a written advisory agreement is in place.

Eugenia Grimmer is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and bringing 12 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at TIAA and Wells Fargo, and she is involved in managing rental properties through Grimmer Getaways LLC. She also serves on the board of the Pender Sheriff’s Charitable Foundation. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs a client-centered process involving financial needs assessment and diversified investment strategies, managing over $2.6 billion in client assets as of 2025.

Lee Hopper is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 29 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Principal Life Insurance Company, The O.N. Equity Sales Company, and Financial Independence Planning Group, Inc. Hopper is also the owner and vice president of operations at Hopper Financial Group, Inc., a family corporation involved in accounting and expense management for him and a relative. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions through both adviser and promoter arrangements.

Stephen Engelson is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 33 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has been with Truist Advisory Services since 2016, also affiliated with Truist Investment Services since 2010. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in purchasing homes for flipping in Durham, NC. 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 advanced research tools and inter-affiliate integration.

Alexander Brese is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Raleigh, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has five years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Eagle Strategies LLC, NYLIFE Securities LLC, Legacy Private Client Services, and Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated advisers. The firm works with individual investors and institutional clients, emphasizing tailored recommendations and non-discretionary asset management within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

John Corcoran is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 designations with two years of industry experience. Prior to joining First Citizens, he worked at CrossCountry Mortgage and spent nine years in full-time education. First Citizens Investor Services serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses, offering portfolio management and financial planning through various investment strategies and platforms. The firm emphasizes IAR-led client assessments and uses a combination of fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis for asset allocation.

John Underhill is a CFP® and Series 66 licensed advisor with 12 years of industry experience. He has worked at Farther since 2026, with prior roles at Acorn & Oak Wealth Management, Northwest Asset Management, and Edward Jones. He is a cofounder of Good Barrels of the Triangle, a nonprofit that organizes events to raise funds and awareness for small local nonprofits. Farther provides discretionary investment management and advisory services primarily to individual investors, trusts, and estates through a web and mobile platform and in-person meetings. The firm applies Modern Portfolio Theory using proprietary model portfolios, algorithmic rebalancing, and a range of investment vehicles including ETFs, mutual funds, equities, and fixed income.

Tara Hulse is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 24 years of industry experience. She has been with Principal Securities Inc. and Principal Life Insurance Company since 2019 and previously worked at Princor Financial Services Corporation and Principal Life Insurance Co. for two decades. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.