Michael Spears is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in Kinston, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and 30 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. from 2005 to 2019 before joining Commonwealth and Crossbridge Financial Group in 2019. Commonwealth Financial Network serves a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients, offering a range of advisory programs and services including wealth management and retirement plan consulting. The firm provides operational, trading, technology, investment management, compliance, and practice-management support to affiliated advisors who manage client portfolios using a variety of securities and insurance products.

Bryan Rendon Salazar is a CFP® professional affiliated with Osaic Advisory Services, LLC in Greenville, NC, with three years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Fidelity Investments and Servet Wealth Management. Osaic Advisory Services is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm provides investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and additional services through multiple program models, utilizing proprietary guidance alongside third-party platforms.

Justine Lawson is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and six years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at JPMorgan Securities LLC and JPMorgan Chase Bank, as well as experience outside finance in the food service industry. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation, investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, and manager-selection programs, utilizing a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary approaches supported by third-party platforms and AI-enhanced research tools.

Belinda Butler is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Greenville, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and bringing 22 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at BB&T Securities, Raymond James Financial Services, Merrill, and Milestone Wealth. Outside of her advisory work, she teaches piano lessons and serves as choir director and organist at First Presbyterian Church. 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 consulting, supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools, to deliver its AMC Advantage program and investment oversight.

George Bell III is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 26 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2007, aside from a two-year period of unemployment between 2020 and 2022. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing TIAA-administered retirement plan relationships. The firm also acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund and employs a fiduciary standard in its RIA services.

Robert Hough is a CFP® with three years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC. Prior to joining Integrated Wealth Concepts, he worked at Milestone Wealth and has experience in both the restaurant industry and education. He is also an independent insurance agent focusing on life and health insurance. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC supports a broad client base, including individuals, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans through a network of independent advisors. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, and family office services, utilizing customized portfolios primarily composed of mutual funds, ETFs, equities, and fixed income with a long-term investment approach.

Samuel Hylton is a CFP® designated financial advisor with over 32 years of industry experience. He currently serves at Truist Advisory Services and Truist Investment Services, having previously worked at Bb&T Securities, LLC and Scott & Stringfellow, Inc. Since 2018, Hylton has been a finance committee member for the Community Foundation of NC East, where he helps oversee the foundation's investment alignment with its policy statement. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors and participants, and charitable organizations. The firm combines discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting, supported by third-party platforms and in-house research teams, to deliver comprehensive investment solutions.

Christopher Emanuel is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Edward Jones, he worked at EXP/Pamlico Real Estate and The Rich Company, and before that served five years with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office. He holds a Series 66 designation. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a wide range of advisory services, including discretionary and non-discretionary wrap fee strategies, access to separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds, supported by a large network of financial advisors and branch offices nationwide.

Mark Conway is a financial advisor with Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and over 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Cambridge since 2016 and also operates his own firms, Conway & Co Inc., an insurance agency, and a real estate brokerage where he serves as broker-in-charge. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, and charitable organizations, offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and retirement advisory services through a network of independent professionals. The firm provides a range of investment solutions including proprietary model strategies and access to unaffiliated portfolio managers, with both discretionary and non-discretionary options tailored to client objectives.

Carolyn Crews is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing in Greenville, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 24 years of industry experience. She has worked at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC and Wells Fargo Clearing since 2009. Outside of her advisory role, she is an independent consultant for a skincare product company. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting services to qualified ERISA plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary services. The firm’s investment approach is IPS-driven and incorporates modern portfolio theory, with a notable inclusion of insurance-related vehicles and bank deposit sweep options in its investment menus.

Hunter Fleming III is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 44 years of industry experience. He has worked at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC and Wells Fargo Clearing since 2009. Outside his advisory role, he is involved in farming operations through Fleming Farms. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm combines research from the Wells Fargo Investment Institute with third-party data and applies diversification principles and modern portfolio theory in its investment approach.

Jeanette Hopkins is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing, holding a Series 63 designation and 24 years of industry experience. She has worked at Wells Fargo Clearing since 2016 and was previously with Wells Fargo Advisors LLC from 2009 to 2016. Outside of her advisory role, she serves as a notary public in North Carolina. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting services to qualified ERISA plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services. The firm’s process is grounded in modern portfolio theory and includes a range of investment options such as collective investment trusts, group annuity contracts, and bank deposit sweep programs.

Waightstill Scales IV is a financial advisor at Equitable Advisors with 15 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked with Equitable Advisors since 2011, previously affiliated with Axa Advisors, LLC, and The Scales Agency. He serves on the boards of the Barnie and Ed Rawl Scholarship Fund, East Carolina Vocational Center, and the ECU Health Foundation. Equitable Advisors provides financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and asset-management programs to individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm delivers services through a network of Investment Adviser Representatives, offering both proprietary and third-party investment programs.

Brandon Biggs is a financial advisor at Merrill with 8 years of industry experience and a Series 66 credential. He has worked at Bank of America and Merrill since 2016. Outside of his advisory role, he conducts motivational speaking and rap concerts for various venues, including churches and schools, and records and sells music. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program, offering model-based and discretionary investment strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional investors.

Daniel Stieh is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Greenville, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 10 years of industry experience. He has worked at Equitable Advisors since 2016 and also has prior experience with Axa Advisors, LLC. He operates a business under the name Sound Partners. Equitable Advisors serves a range of clients including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and various asset-management programs through a network of Investment Adviser Representatives, utilizing both proprietary and third-party solutions.

Travis Warren is a financial advisor with Ameriprise in Winterville, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 12 years of industry experience. He has been with Ameriprise and its affiliated entities since 2015. Ameriprise provides retirement-income planning services primarily for individuals with substantial investable assets, combining research, modeling, and tax-efficiency analysis to deliver personalized recommendations through a centralized consulting team. The firm offers a broad range of advisory, brokerage, and insurance solutions typical of a large institutional firm.

Gentry Porter is a financial advisor at Equitable Advisors in Greenville, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 44 years of industry experience. He has been with Equitable Advisors and its predecessor, AXA Advisors, since 1999. Outside of his advisory role, Porter is a partner in CP Financial Group and a part-owner of Sound Partners, LLC. Equitable Advisors serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, providing financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and asset management services through a network of Investment Adviser Representatives. The firm emphasizes personalized risk assessment and utilizes third-party asset managers and advisory programs to implement investment strategies.

Ellen Capone is a financial advisor with Ameriprise in Greenville, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and possessing 31 years of industry experience. She has been with Ameriprise and its affiliates since 1992. Outside of her advisory role, she serves on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer for Woodbury Yoga and Meditation. Ameriprise offers a retirement-income planning service focused on clients nearing or in retirement who meet specific asset criteria. The firm provides a range of advisory, brokerage, and insurance solutions through affiliated entities, with a retirement-income consulting team delivering algorithm-supported, non-discretionary recommendations in partnership with client advisors.

Rebecca Avery is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing in Greenville, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 20 years of industry experience. She has worked at Wells Fargo Clearing since 2016 and was previously with Wells Fargo Advisors LLC from 2014 to 2016. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm that provides investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individual, corporate, and institutional clients. The firm offers a broad range of brokerage and advisory solutions supported by research from Wells Fargo Investment Institute and third-party sources.

Timothy Emanuel is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Greenville, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and bringing 20 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2005. Outside of his advisory role, he has been involved in a floor covering and interior design business co-owned with his wife and serves as secretary/treasurer of an auto performance tuning company operated by his sons. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving individual and institutional clients with a broad range of advisory programs and a nationwide network of advisors and branch offices. The firm offers both discretionary and non-discretionary strategies, access to separately managed accounts and affiliated mutual funds, and operates under a fiduciary standard.