Bryan Ellis is a financial advisor with Horizon Investment Counsel LLC in Marietta, GA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 17 years of industry experience, including 10 years at Horizon Investment Counsel and its predecessor firm. In addition to his advisory role, Bryan operates a licensed insurance agency offering life, property, and casualty insurance products. Horizon Investment Counsel provides discretionary portfolio management through two equity-focused programs, serving moderate to high net worth individuals and various institutional clients. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes long-term ownership of high-quality companies purchased at reasonable prices, managing primarily common stocks with a defined sell discipline.

Christopher Brown is the sole advisor at Brown Capital Advisors, LLC in Marietta, GA, holding a Series 66 designation with 11 years of industry experience. He previously worked at LPL Financial LLC and Hennsler Financial before founding his current firm in 2018. Brown Capital Advisors provides discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and CFO advisory services primarily to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and entrepreneurs or small-business owners. The firm manages approximately $16.7 million across about 20 client relationships, emphasizing fundamental analysis, asset allocation, diversification, and risk management, with the use of equities, ETFs, and select alternative investments. Its CFO advisory services to small businesses, combined with a willingness to utilize derivatives and complex investment vehicles, distinguish its offerings from many independent advisory firms.

Joel Smith is the principal and owner of Joel Smith & Associates, LLC, an independent investment advisory firm based in Atlanta, GA. He holds a Series 63 designation and has 27 years of industry experience, including 20 years at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a director for the FBI Georgia Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar and assists the Euharlee Police Department on weekends. Joel Smith & Associates provides financial planning, investment advisory, and consulting services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as charitable organizations, foundations, and municipalities. The firm offers both discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and emphasizes strategic asset allocation, diversification, and periodic rebalancing in its client portfolios.

Benjamin Baldwin III is a CFP® professional with 27 years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He has been with Responsive Financial Group, Inc. since 2003. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in commercial property leasing through ownership of RBC Phoenix Inc. Responsive Financial Group, Inc. is an independent firm providing discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, families, trusts, estates, foundations, corporations, and other institutions. The firm utilizes model Risk Adjusted Portfolios (RAPs) across various management styles to address client needs, and it serves a range of clients including pension and profit-sharing plans, offering specialized ERISA plan consulting and fiduciary services.

Robert Samsel is a financial advisor at Fortress Capital with four years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 designation and has worked at several companies, including Colgate Palmolive and Zep. Outside of advising, he is involved with Top Tier Trees, a separate business activity. Fortress Capital provides discretionary portfolio management primarily for high-net-worth individuals and entities, focusing on long-term capital growth through concentrated equity portfolios. The firm employs a performance-based compensation model for qualified clients and also offers limited financial planning reviews for employer-sponsored retirement accounts.

Robert Frank III is the principal of Atlas Investment Advisory LLC in Canton, GA, and holds the CFP® designation along with Series 63 and 66 licenses. He has 24 years of industry experience, including ten years with LPL Financial and founding his independent advisory firm in 2016. Outside of his advisory work, he is a co-owner of Twin Ridge Defence, LLC, a non-investment-related business. Atlas Investment Advisory serves individual and high-net-worth clients, offering discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm utilizes a combination of fundamental, quantitative, technical, cyclical, and modern portfolio theory analyses across a wide range of investment instruments and strategies, conducting quarterly account reviews.

Troy Harmon is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 66 license, with three years of industry experience. He is the principal advisor at Due West Wealth Advisors LLC and serves as an adjunct professor at Kennesaw State University. Harmon is also the treasurer of the ASFIP Foundation, a nonprofit focused on financial education, and is CEO of A&E Investment Properties, Inc. Due West Wealth Advisors provides discretionary wealth management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs fundamental analysis and a primarily long-term investment approach, managing portfolios that often include ETFs, equities, mutual funds, and options contracts.

Thomas Cloud is a CFP® and ChFC® with 21 years of experience in financial advisory services. He has worked at Eleven Two Fund Management for 12 years before founding Third Act Retirement Planning, Inc. in 2017, where he remains the sole advisor. Third Act Retirement Planning provides individualized financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, estate-planning consulting, and insurance guidance to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and other entities. The firm manages approximately $30.4 million on a discretionary basis and offers modular and holistic planning services, utilizing a variety of investment strategies and ongoing portfolio monitoring.

Jay Thurlow is a financial advisor at Kinetic Pathways Company in Dunwoody, GA, with five years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Alphastar Capital Management, LLC, and operated his own business before joining Kinetic Pathways. Thurlow is also co-owner of The Insurance Shop LLC, where he is involved in life and health insurance sales and client service. Kinetic Pathways provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm custom-manages income-oriented portfolios using structured notes and market-linked certificates of deposit, and is notable for its integration of insurance activities alongside its investment advisory services.

Alexander Kutyukhin is a financial advisor at VCM Capital with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at VCM Capital since 2018, following prior roles at Sistema Capital / Redline Capital and as a self-employed market researcher. Outside of finance, he serves as the director of VCM Technologies, a software development company based in London. VCM Capital provides portfolio management services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and corporations using a blended investment approach that incorporates global macro, fundamental, and technical analysis across a broad range of asset classes. The firm manages accounts on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases and may allocate assets to third-party managers.

Portia Ryan Gerton is the sole advisor at Transformation Wealth Management, LLC in Atlanta, GA, with 18 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. Beyond financial advising, she owns and operates Eye Design Interiors, LLC, an interior design business, and is involved with GroundForce Integrated Resources, Inc., a general freight company. Transformation Wealth Management is an independent, single-advisor firm offering investment management, financial planning, and consulting to individuals, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm combines discretionary portfolio management through SEI-sponsored programs with a substantial portion of non-discretionary assets and utilizes held-away account technology alongside third-party manager referrals.

Ashley Roth is a financial advisor with Arrowhead Investment Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and 14 years of industry experience. She has been with Arrowhead since 2011. Arrowhead Investment Advisors is a fee-only registered investment adviser managing approximately $43.1 million for individuals, families, trusts, non-profit organizations, and corporate retirement plans. The firm focuses on long-term growth through equities and bonds using a fundamentally driven research process and provides tailored portfolio management with discretionary authority.

Gary Hyde is a CFP® professional with 10 years of experience in financial services. He is the principal of Shepherd Financial LLC, an independent firm he has led since 2020. Prior to founding Shepherd Financial, he worked at Northwestern Mutual in various roles from 2015 to 2020. Outside of his advisory work, Hyde provides baseball instruction to children. Shepherd Financial LLC offers wealth management, discretionary portfolio management, and financial planning primarily to individuals, high-net-worth households, trusts, estates, and retirement plans. The firm’s investment approach is long-term and ETF-oriented, with additional use of individual securities and occasional shorter-term trades, and it combines individual wealth management with retirement plan consulting services.

Matthew Checkon is a financial advisor at MJ Wealth Management LLC in Roswell, GA. He holds a Series 65 designation and has one year of industry experience. Prior to founding MJ Wealth Management, he worked at Ernst & Young for ten years. MJ Wealth Management LLC provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, families, trusts, estates, and small businesses, with offerings that range from foundational planning for lower- and middle-net-worth households to comprehensive wealth management. The firm’s investment process focuses on asset allocation guided by an Investment Policy Statement and includes discretionary management, educational workshops, and flexible billing arrangements.

Caroline McInerney is a CFP® with nine years of industry experience currently serving as the principal of HWM Wealth Management LLC in Atlanta, GA. She previously worked with Nicholas Hoffman & Company, Raymond James & Associates, Clements Financial Services, and HD Vest Investment Services. In addition to her advisory role, she operates Owner's Dividend LLC, a separate business that publishes educational content on financial and business planning. HWM Wealth Management LLC provides fee-only investment management and financial planning services to individuals, families, businesses, and foundations. The firm employs a long-term, principles-based investment approach focused on asset allocation, diversification, and tax-aware strategies, managing portfolios primarily on a discretionary basis.

Jonathan White is a financial advisor at Pearson Investment Management, LLC with nine years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at both Pearson Investment Management and AonHewitt since 2015. Pearson Investment Management provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and corporations, with a particular focus on corporate benefit plans and retirement arrangements. The firm’s investment approach integrates fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis across various asset classes and may include frequent trading and short sales, while also utilizing third-party managers and digital custody platforms.

Jeffrey Barnard is the principal of Barnard Financial Group, LLC in Roswell, GA, holding a Series 65 credential with 17 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at AE Wealth Management, LLC and Global Financial Private Capital, LLC, as well as leadership of his own firms since 1998. He also owns an insurance business in Roswell, GA, where he is active in insurance sales and service. Barnard Financial Group, LLC provides discretionary asset management and retirement plan advisory services to plan sponsors, institutional clients, and individuals. The firm offers portfolio management with the ability to engage sub-advisors and specializes in pension consulting for retirement plans, including ERISA-related services.

Cass Chappell III is a financial advisor with Chappell Financial Group in Atlanta, GA, holding the CFP® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses. He has 30 years of industry experience, including over two decades with LPL Financial. Chappell also operates a fixed insurance and employee benefit planning business under his firm's name. Chappell Financial Group provides comprehensive written financial planning for individuals and small businesses, focusing on areas such as retirement, education funding, estate and long-term care planning, and insurance. The firm offers standalone plans without acting as an investment manager, allowing clients to implement recommendations through various providers.

Aaron Gaines is a CFP® and Series 66 holder with 10 years of experience in financial services. He currently leads Gaines Capital Management, an independent firm based in Smyrna, GA, and has prior experience with Edward Jones and multiple advisory firms since 2016. Gaines also operates an affiliated insurance agency, GCM Wealthshield LLC, providing a range of insurance products. Gaines Capital Management offers financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses. The firm employs fundamental analysis and strategic asset allocation with ETFs and individual equities, focusing on long-term holdings, and provides customized solutions including options and private equity for qualified clients.

Clark Jeffries is the sole advisor at Jeffries Wealth Management in Marietta, GA, holding a Series 65 credential with three years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Orion Advisor Solutions and HiddenLevers. Jeffries Wealth Management provides financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan rollover advice to individual clients as well as pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and other business or charitable entities. The firm emphasizes broad asset-class diversification and uses tax-aware techniques, third-party sub-advisers, and may allocate assets to private and alternative investment funds, operating with a boutique, adviser-driven model.