Amy Sharpe Verdugo is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with 10 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Creative Planning since 2016. Outside of her advisory role, she is the managing member of Toolbox Heroes Handyman Services LLC and serves as Board Chair of EYC Academy, a special education organization. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a wide range of clients, including high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment strategy that integrates low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold approaches, and selective private market investments.

Jordan Janis is a financial advisor at Principal Financial Services with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Principal Securities, Principal Life Insurance, Raymond James & Associates, and Morgan Stanley. Janis serves as a board member of the Wake Forest College Board of Visitors and is president-elect of WAKERaleigh, a volunteer group that engages Wake Forest University alumni and affiliates through various events. Principal Securities offers brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm provides direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions under both adviser and promoter arrangements.

Jillian Rhyner is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 19 years of industry experience, currently with Janney Montgomery Scott since 2020. She previously worked at Morgan Stanley for 11 years. Outside of her advisory role, she is a sales consultant for BeautyCounter, a skincare and beauty brand focused on safer products. 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 a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, estates, and institutional clients, offering a variety of brokerage, financial planning, and advisory services through in-house and third-party portfolio management.

Raymond Peterson III is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 65 and Series 66 credentials and bringing 13 years of industry experience. He has worked across various Truist entities since 2019 and previously with Sterling Capital Management LLC. Peterson serves as a board member for North Carolina Adapted Sports, a nonprofit offering programs for athletes with physical disabilities. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporations, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting, supported by AI-enabled research tools and integrated inter-affiliate services.

John Hopper is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Raleigh, NC, holding credentials including ChFC®, Series 63, and Series 65. He has 55 years of industry experience, with prior roles at THE O.N. Equity Sales Company, Financial Independence Planning Group, and has maintained his own firms, Hopper Financial Group, Inc. and Blanton & Hopper Investments, for over 25 years. He is also involved in the sales and service of fixed insurance products such as fixed life insurance, annuities, disability income, and health insurance. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and active-duty military personnel. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, financial planning, and access to third-party money manager solutions, utilizing both adviser and promoter arrangements.

William Sewell is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott with 45 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations. His previous roles include positions at BB&T Securities and multiple terms at Janney Montgomery Scott beginning in 2014. 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 individuals, families, trusts and estates, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and municipal clients, offering brokerage services, financial planning, consulting, and various advisory programs.

Michael Warren is a financial advisor with SPC based in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 38 years of industry experience. He has worked at Parkland Securities since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, Warren is president of First South Financial, Inc., an insurance brokerage, and serves as a trustee for Hayes Barton Baptist Church as well as president of the Needham Broughton High School Caps Club, an athletic booster organization. SPC provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base including individuals, employer-sponsored plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm supports a large advisory network and delivers typically tailored, discretionary investment advice through various account programs, with custody and execution services provided through Fidelity/NFS.

David Leder is a financial advisor with United Planners Financial Services of America, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 11 years of industry experience. He has previously worked at Cambridge Investment Research and is also president of Legacy Insurance Solutions LLC. United Planners Financial Services is a national wealth-management enterprise serving individual investors, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm employs independent investment adviser representatives and offers a mix of advisory and brokerage services with a significant portion of assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.

Zayvion Cartwright is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and three years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Fidelity Investments and State Employees' Credit Union. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, delivering services through an integrated model tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and client savings rates in its planning approach and serves a large participant base relative to its advisor headcount.

Peter Sargent is a CFP® and CFA® with 33 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott since 2012. Based in Raleigh, NC, he holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. 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 range of clients, including individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and municipal clients, offering brokerage services, financial planning, consulting, and multiple wrap and advisory programs.

Brian Thornton is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 23 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Truist Advisory Services since 2021. Prior to that, he was employed at BB&T Investments and BB&T Securities. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting, supported by third-party platforms and AI-enhanced research, to deliver asset allocation, fiduciary support, and manager selection services.

Craig Scheuerman is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management in Cary, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 14 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Wells Fargo Clearing, Wells Fargo Advisors LLC, and Wells Fargo Bank NA, spanning from 2011 to 2021. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only digital portfolio offering that uses algorithm-driven risk assessments and delegated portfolio management via mutual funds and ETFs.

Stephen Snow is a financial advisor with OSAIC Institutions, Inc. and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has 34 years of industry experience and has previously worked at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc., Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, and Wells Fargo Clearing. Snow participates in a financial advisor referral program with Southern Bank. OSAIC Institutions, Inc. serves individuals, ERISA retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients by providing customized advisory services, financial planning, ERISA plan services, and access to alternative investments. The firm operates a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer model with a focus on delegated investment management and multiple service platforms.

Melanie Price is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 23 years of industry experience. She has worked with New York Life Insurance Company and its affiliates since 2010. Price is also appointed with outside insurance carriers for brokering investment-related non-registered insurance products. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individuals and institutional clients, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations and manages a large portion of assets on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Jason Obermeier is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. He previously worked at Thrivent Financial and its investment management division before joining Principal. Outside of advisory work, he receives royalties from prior work as a composer for film and television. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a broad client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

Joshua Denney is a ChFC® and Series 63-licensed financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Raleigh, NC. He has three years of industry experience, including positions at NYLIFE Securities and New York Life since 2022. Outside of his advisory work, Denney serves as a certified referee for the US Gaelic Athletic Association, volunteering at regional sports tournaments. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated advisors. The firm works with individual investors, defined contribution and benefit plans, and institutional clients, emphasizing tailored advice and primarily managing assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Austen Hawkey is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Creative Planning. His prior roles include positions at First Oak Wealth Management, Armor Investment Advisors, and Bank of America. Creative Planning offers investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm employs a financial planning–led investment process focused on low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supported by a broad range of supplemental approaches and integrated retirement plan services.

Lupton Haigler is a financial advisor with Janney Montgomery Scott in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 18 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Truist Advisory Services, Truist Investment Services, BB&T Securities, and BB&T Capital Markets. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that manages approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base, including individuals, families, trusts, estates, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and municipal clients, offering a range of brokerage, financial planning, consulting, and advisory services.

Timothy Cowhey is a CFP® and Series 66-registered advisor with 12 years of industry experience. He is currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC, where he has worked since 2024. Prior to this, he spent eight years at Buckingham Strategic Wealth, LLC, and has additional experience with Morgan Stanley and Apex Motorsport LLC. Focus Partners Wealth serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients with a broad range of wealth management and advisory services. The firm’s investment approach combines active and passive strategies within a tax- and fee-sensitive framework, integrating fundamental and quantitative analysis alongside various specialized portfolio tools.

Jessica Alpers is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC and holds a Series 65 designation. She has five years of industry experience, having worked previously at WealthShield Partners, LLC, The Atlantic Group, LLC, and Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting for individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm manages over $122 billion in assets using diversified, risk-class based allocations that combine passive and active managers, supported by an internal Investment Committee.