Brad Playford is a CFP® with 18 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Copperleaf Capital, LLC. He previously worked at The Vanguard Group, INC. for 16 years and has entrepreneurial experience with Az Poker Tables, Top Shelf Bartenders, and The Playford Group. Outside of his advisory role, he is also licensed as an insurance producer with licenses to sell health, disability, and life insurance products. Copperleaf Capital provides advisory services to individuals, families, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers tailored financial planning and discretionary portfolio management, utilizing a values-based discovery process and model portfolios centered on U.S. equities, government bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs, with additional capabilities in digital currency management and integrated insurance services.

Christopher Patton is a financial advisor at Novare Capital Management in Charlotte, NC, with 24 years of industry experience. He has been with Novare Capital Management since 2007. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations. Novare Capital Management is an SEC-registered wealth management firm with a team of 18 advisors managing approximately $1.9 billion for individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and financial institutions. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management using proprietary strategies and incorporates artificial intelligence tools alongside human oversight in its investment process.

Andrew Pitts is a financial advisor at Worth Advisors in Charlotte, NC, with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Equitable Advisors for three years. His early career includes roles at Lowe's Home Improvement, Christ Community Church, and Davidson College. Worth Advisors is a fee-based financial planning and investment management firm serving individuals, college coaches, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm emphasizes portfolio construction aligned with clients’ objectives and risk tolerances, utilizing ETFs, no-load index mutual funds, and third-party money managers while maintaining oversight and due diligence.

Mallen Bruggeman is a financial advisor at Auctus Advisors LLC in Charlotte, NC, with 11 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at M HOLDINGS SECURITIES, Inc. and MBL Advisors. In addition to her advisory role, she is a licensed insurance agent and occasionally offers insurance products to clients. Auctus Advisors provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and pension consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm uses a goals-based investment process incorporating comprehensive planning and Monte Carlo simulations, blending strategic and tactical asset allocation with potential use of advanced trading strategies and third-party managers.

Natale Monastra is a financial advisor with WestEnd Advisors, LLC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and two years of industry experience. Prior to joining WestEnd Advisors, Natale worked at Victory Capital Services, Inc. and Opus Capital Management, LLC, and spent five years at Xavier University. WestEnd Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser that offers discretionary portfolio management and third-party ETF model strategies to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, charitable organizations, government entities, and corporations. The firm employs a macro-driven investment process, using economic data to guide sector and equity allocations, and operates as an autonomous franchise of Victory Capital while providing model portfolio recommendations to other financial institutions.

Jessica Rickert is a financial advisor at Novare Capital Management with 12 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and previously worked at Vanguard Advisors, Inc. for five years. Novare Capital Management is an SEC-registered wealth management firm with a team of 18 advisors managing approximately $1.9 billion for a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and institutions. The firm provides comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management, using proprietary strategies and AI tools alongside human oversight.

Brian Rudisill is a CFA® charterholder with 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Novare Capital Management in Charlotte, NC since 2010. Novare Capital Management is an SEC-registered wealth management firm with a team of 18 advisors managing approximately $1.9 billion for individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and financial institutions. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management, utilizing proprietary strategies and a combination of individual securities, mutual funds, ETFs, and alternative investments, supported by both human oversight and artificial intelligence tools.

Seth Knight is a financial advisor at WestEnd Advisors, LLC with 12 years of industry experience. He holds Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and has worked at WestEnd Advisors since 2016, including its current iteration, and Victory Capital Services, Inc. since 2023. WestEnd Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser providing discretionary portfolio management and third-party ETF model strategies to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, charitable organizations, government entities, and corporations. The firm employs a macro-driven investment process and operates as an autonomous franchise of Victory Capital, with approximately $1.868 billion in regulatory assets under management and $23.68 billion in assets under advisement.

Keith Miller is a financial representative at Vestech Asset Management Inc. with 35 years of industry experience. He previously worked at First Allied Advisory Services, Inc. and First Allied Securities, Inc. Miller serves on several local boards, including the Kings Mountain Housing Authority and the Cleveland County Board of Equalization & Review. Vestech Asset Management provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, and corporate clients. The firm employs a combination of technical, fundamental, and cyclical analysis to manage diversified portfolios and offers both ongoing investment management and project-based planning.

Laura Kido is a CFP® professional with 18 years of industry experience. She currently serves as an advisor at Novare Capital Management, joining the firm in 2025. Prior to this, she held roles at The Vanguard Group and Vanguard Advisers from 2009 to 2022, with a brief retirement period from 2023 to 2025. Novare Capital Management is an SEC-registered wealth management firm with a team of 18 advisors managing approximately $1.9 billion for individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and financial institutions. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management using proprietary strategies and incorporates AI tools alongside human oversight in its investment process.

Carter Hodgson is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, with one year of industry experience. He previously worked at Wells Fargo before joining Crown Wealth Group LLC, where he is currently part of an eight-advisor team in Charlotte, NC. Crown Wealth Group LLC serves individual and high-net-worth clients through discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning. The firm employs a goals-based investment process using written Investment Policy Statements and an Investment Committee to tailor portfolios, which typically include low-cost, diversified ETFs and mutual funds alongside other asset types as appropriate.

Robin Underwood is a CFA® charterholder with two years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Worth Advisors in Charlotte, NC. He is also the president of Conservation Exchange, Ltd, a company facilitating the exchange of transferable South Carolina state tax credits. Worth Advisors provides fee-based financial planning and portfolio management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, businesses, qualified retirement plans, and other advisers, offering tailored investment programs primarily using ETFs and no-load index mutual funds with a generally long-term focus. The firm is noted for its dedicated platform for college coaches and its integration of tax and bookkeeping support through collaboration with accounting professionals.

Zachary Huneycutt is a financial advisor at Strathmore Capital Advisors in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with nine years of industry experience. He has worked at Dimensional Fund Advisors since 2017 and previously was employed at Duke University. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a volunteer on the finance committee for First Baptist Church Mount Holly. Strathmore Capital Advisors serves individuals, trusts, endowments, and participant-directed retirement plans with discretionary portfolio management and goals-based financial planning. The firm emphasizes an asset-allocation approach using mutual funds and ETFs, including Dimensional Fund Advisors products, and integrates technology such as Wealth.com and AI for administrative tasks, while offering distinctive services like a synthetic lending strategy and integrated tax-preparation and estate-planning platforms.

Cameron Amos is a CFP® professional currently with Novare Capital Management in Charlotte, NC. He has three years of experience in the financial industry, including prior roles at Envestnet Tamarac and MegaCorp Logistics. Novare Capital Management is an SEC-registered wealth management firm with a team of 18 advisors managing approximately $1.9 billion for individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and financial institutions. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management using proprietary strategies and incorporates third-party AI tools alongside human oversight in investment decisions.

Jennifer Friedland is a financial advisor at WestEnd Advisors, LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation with 15 years of industry experience. She has been with WestEnd Advisors since 2011. WestEnd Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides discretionary portfolio management and third-party ETF model strategies to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, charitable organizations, government entities, and corporations. The firm employs a macro-driven investment process, focusing on sector and equity selection based on broad economic trends, and operates as an autonomous investment franchise under Victory Capital.

Grace Klopstad is a financial advisor with WestEnd Advisors, LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Principal Asset Management, Principal Securities, and Victory Capital Services. She is also affiliated with Principal Global Investors, LLC where she performs certain functions. WestEnd Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides discretionary portfolio management and third-party ETF model strategies to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, charitable organizations, government entities, and corporations. The firm’s macro-driven investment process emphasizes sector and large-cap equity allocation based on broad economic analysis and operates as an autonomous Victory Capital investment franchise while leveraging affiliate support services.

Frederick Porter is a CFA® charterholder with 18 years of industry experience. He has been with WestEnd Advisors, LLC since 2008. The firm provides discretionary portfolio management and third-party ETF model strategies to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, charitable organizations, government entities, and corporations. WestEnd's investment process is macro-driven, combining quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify economically favorable sectors and securities, and it operates as an autonomous franchise under Victory Capital while serving as a notable model provider in the advisory industry.

Jennifer Fuller is a financial advisor at Defender Capital with Series 65 and Series 63 licenses. She joined the firm in 2025 and has experience at TIAA and Tiaa, as well as roles outside finance including positions at Trader Joe's and involvement with Advantage Living and The Charlotte Church. She has worked in both advisory and community settings. Defender Capital serves individual and high-net-worth investors, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs fundamental analysis and custom portfolio management using exchange-traded equities and tailored strategies to meet client objectives and risk tolerance.

James Baynard is a CFA® charterholder with five years of industry experience. He is currently with Novare Capital Management in Charlotte, NC, where he has worked since 2023. Prior to that, he held roles at Kudu Investment Management, JPMorgan Chase Bank, and GE Capital. Baynard also engages in independent consulting related to GP stakes through expert network firms. Novare Capital Management is a wealth management firm with 18 advisors managing approximately $1.9 billion for individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and financial institutions. The firm provides comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management using proprietary strategies and employs both artificial intelligence tools and human oversight in investment decisions.

Greg Derderian is a financial advisor with Capitalwize, LLC, holding Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and bringing 12 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Strategic Advisers, LLC and Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC, and also has experience as a senior recruiter with Talent Retriever LLC. Capitalwize is a fee-only financial planning firm that serves individuals and business entities with a focus on non–high-net-worth clients. The firm offers a range of advisory engagements, including one-time planning and extended programs, and conducts group educational seminars and alumni events.