Kimberly Benfield is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 24 years of industry experience. She has been with Truist and its related entities since 2017. 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 manager arrangements.

Gabriel King is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. He holds a Series 66 designation and has three years of industry experience. Prior to joining First Citizens Investor Services, he worked at Coastal Federal Credit Union and CUSO Financial Services, LP, and spent six years at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a client-focused process that incorporates fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to allocate assets across equities, fixed income, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Michael Palczuk is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Raleigh, NC, having 24 years of industry experience. He has worked at Principal Securities Inc. since 2016 and at Principal Life Insurance Company since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, Palczuk serves on the finance and fundraising committees at St. Catherine of Siena Church and provides firearms training through the MakeReady Firearms Training Academy. Principal Securities offers brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and military personnel abroad. The firm provides financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager programs under various advisory and promoter arrangements.

Charles Brantley is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. He holds a Series 66 designation and has eight years of industry experience. Prior to joining Bankers Life Advisory Services, he worked at Morgan Stanley for eight years and has held positions at several other firms. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and investment consulting primarily to mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals. The firm’s investment process focuses on customized asset allocation, tax efficiency, and a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to guide portfolio management.

John Vagianos Jr. is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 18 years of industry experience, currently with Creative Planning since 2018. Prior to that, he worked at Scottrade for four years. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and is based in Raleigh, NC. Creative Planning provides comprehensive investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm emphasizes a financial planning–led investment process that incorporates low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and supplemental approaches such as direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting, supported by a broad advisory team and integrated investment infrastructure.

Thomas Gervase is a financial advisor at SPC with 17 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Parkland Securities, Grove Point Advisors, and Prudential Insurance. In addition to his advisory role, he conducts insurance sales focused on non-variable life, disability, and long-term care products. SPC serves a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA-related retirement services, delivering strategies primarily through discretionary management with options for nondiscretionary and direct-at-fund arrangements.

Zachary Carver is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience, currently advising at Cerity Partners LLC since 2025. He previously worked at Cook Wealth Management Group, LLC for five years and held roles at TRP Sumner PLLC, Petway Mills & Pearson PA, and Bunch & Company, LLP. 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 employs tailored asset allocation, manager selection, and periodic rebalancing using proprietary quantitative screens combined with third-party managers and individual securities, and also operates multiple private-market offerings and affiliated business units.

Joanna Ransom is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and nine years of industry experience. She has worked at Truist Advisory Services and its affiliates since 2021 and previously at Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC and Wells Fargo Bank NA. 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 platform arrangements.

Walter Jethro is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has five years of industry experience. His prior work includes positions at BB&T and First Citizens Bank. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses, offering advisory and brokerage services through investment advisory representatives and third-party portfolio managers. The firm employs a client-centered process that incorporates fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios across various asset classes.

Karen Brock is a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) with three years of industry experience. She is currently affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network in Cary, NC, having previously worked with Pathfinder Wealth Consulting. Brock has been associated with Commonwealth Financial Network in two separate periods totaling 12 years of service. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that supports a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and manages roughly $212.7 billion in client assets. The firm offers a broad range of advisory support services, including managed-account programs, access to third-party managers, retirement and plan consulting, and custody/clearing services.

Matthew Bracciante is a financial advisor with Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has 27 years of industry experience and has been with Stratos Wealth Partners since 2012. Bracciante also serves as a high school lacrosse coach at Green Level High School. Stratos Wealth Partners provides advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers a Strategic Wealth Management platform featuring open-architecture portfolio aggregation and employs a combination of advisor-managed and model-based investment strategies.

James Trull is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in Cary, NC, holding the CFP® and ChFC® designations and possessing 38 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Keystone Financial Partners for 24 years and Commonwealth Equity Services, Inc. for 27 years. Outside of advisory work, he is the founder and managing member of The Senior Resource Alliance of the Triangle, a professional networking group, and serves as a course instructor at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at North Carolina State University. Commonwealth Financial Network serves a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients, providing a range of advisory programs and back-office support including operations, trading, technology, investment management, and compliance. The firm offers discretionary model portfolios and multiple program structures designed to accommodate diverse investment strategies.

Thomas Burchhardt is a financial advisor with Equity Services, Inc., holding a Series 66 designation and three years of industry experience. His prior work history includes roles at National Life Group, Mass Mutual Investors Services, MassMutual Life Insurance Co, Equitable Advisors, Joe Van Gogh, and Starrlight Meadery. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in business operations as the owner of TLB Strategies LLC, which focuses on assessing business strategic direction and growth of intangible capital. Equity Services, Inc., operating as ESI Financial Advisors, provides financial planning, consulting, and asset management services to individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans. The firm offers multiple advisory platforms, combining long-term strategies with options for shorter-term trading, and utilizes both discretionary and non-discretionary management across a broad client base.

Christian Dilorenzo is a financial professional at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation with one year of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Cetera Investment Advisor and Cetera Wealth Services, LLC. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses, utilizing portfolio management, wrap programs, model portfolios, and automated platforms. The firm emphasizes client assessments led by investment adviser representatives to determine financial needs and risk tolerance, employing a range of analytical methods to guide allocations across various asset classes.

John Thomas III is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and bringing six years of industry experience. He has worked with Truist entities since 2011 and currently serves as treasurer for a local business networking group focused on lead sharing and business growth. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporations, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by advanced research tools and inter-affiliate integration.

Thomas Beck is a financial advisor with Janney Montgomery Scott in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 18 years of industry experience. Prior to his current role, he worked at Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC for 10 years and has also been involved with the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and Raleigh Parks & Recreation/Raleigh Aquatics. Outside of finance, he operates a freelance photography business and serves as a board member for the Raleigh Area Masters swim team, in addition to contributing as a photographer and blogger for a local live music website. 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, estates, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and municipal clients, offering a range of brokerage, financial planning, and advisory services with a combination of in-house and third-party portfolio management.

Julie Carroll is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott with 23 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations. In addition to her advisory role, she serves as a co-trustee of a family trust in Warsaw, North Carolina. Janney Montgomery Scott is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and other entities, offering brokerage services, financial planning, and multiple advisory programs.

Nicholas Creekmore is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott with two years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Janney since 2020. Prior to this, he was employed at MORSCO and East Carolina University. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and municipal clients, offering a range of brokerage, financial planning, and advisory services.

Noah Gear is a CFP® professional with five years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Kestra Advisory. His prior roles include positions at Bank of America and Merrill. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to institutional and individual clients, offering fiduciary consulting, plan design, compliance testing, and advisor-managed accounts. The firm serves large institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds, and utilizes multiple management platforms and third-party solutions within its supervisory framework.

Alan King is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Commonwealth Financial Network since 2015. He is also co-owner of LifeTime Asset Management, a private entity involved in securities, advisory, and insurance business, and LifeTime Tax Management, which focuses on tax services. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser supporting a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors with a range of advisory programs and services, including wealth management and retirement plan consulting. The firm provides operational, trading, technology, compliance, and practice-management support while offering advisors discretion in portfolio construction and access to proprietary model portfolios.