Christopher Ponds is a CFP® professional with 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked with Truist Advisory Services since 2016 and Truist Investment Services since 2010. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as secretary and treasurer for Timberwood Properties, a construction and cabinet installation business. 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 uses a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary approaches and leverages third-party platforms and manager arrangements to support its investment programs.

Anthony Desjardins is a financial advisor with Centaurus Financial, Inc. in Lady Lake, FL, holding a Series 66 designation and bringing 10 years of industry experience. He has worked at Centaurus Financial since 2017 and previously at Newbridge Securities Company from 2015 to 2017. Desjardins is also the managing member of Desjardins Retirement Solutions, LLC, a Florida-licensed insurance agency. Centaurus Financial, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, families, small businesses, corporations, trusts, and foundations. The firm offers financial planning and portfolio management using multiple analytical approaches, with both discretionary and non-discretionary account arrangements.

William Schmidt is a CFP® with 33 years of industry experience. He is currently affiliated with Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC and has held roles at LPL Financial, Independent Financial Partners, and Schmidt Financial Resources. Schmidt Financial Resources, Inc. has been a longtime business activity of his, operating since 1992. Independent Advisor Alliance serves a diverse client base, including individuals, small businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, providing asset management, financial planning, and retirement consulting services through a network model that combines independent advisory representatives with access to third-party managers and technology platforms.

Mitchell Nunn is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with two years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked in insurance sales and office management at Amerilife of Brevard since 2021. His prior roles include positions outside the financial services industry, such as work at Overlook Bible Training Center and Starbucks. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser providing fee-based asset management and financial planning through a turnkey asset management platform and wrap-fee program. The firm serves a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, sovereign wealth funds, and banking institutions, and supports a large advisor network with model portfolios and managed account services.

Daniel Zebrowski is a financial advisor with SPC who holds the PFS™ designation and has 27 years of industry experience. He has worked at Sigma Financial Corporation and SPC since 2018 and has prior experience with Investment Advisors Corp. and Broker Dealer Financial Services Corp. Zebrowski is also a CPA and is involved in several related business activities, including serving as president of Family Financial Planners, Inc. and Family Financial Advisors, Inc., where he provides financial planning, tax consulting, and advisory services. SPC serves a diverse client base including individual, high-net-worth households, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA-related retirement plan services through a network of over 460 advisors and approximately $5.66 billion in assets under management.

Sherri Desjardins is a financial advisor with Centaurus Financial, Inc. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 12 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Centaurus Financial in 2017, she worked at Newbridge Securities from 2014 to 2017. Additionally, she is the managing member of Desjardins Retirement Solutions LLC, a Florida-registered insurance agency that sells life, health, and fixed annuities. Centaurus Financial, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individuals, families, small businesses, corporations, trusts, and foundations. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management through its CLASSIC Plus platform, retirement-plan consulting, and specialized advisory services, employing a combination of fundamental and technical analysis across discretionary and non-discretionary arrangements.

Darren Mc Quary is a financial advisor at AE Wealth Management, LLC, holding a Series 65 license with two years of industry experience. Prior to joining AE Wealth Management, he worked at Baum Financial Services and Scott Barnwell State Farm. In addition to his advisory role, he is an insurance agent involved in insurance sales and tax preparation. AE Wealth Management provides fee-based portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting to a wide range of clients, including individual households, corporations, trusts, and ERISA plan sponsors. The firm utilizes discretionary model portfolios and a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis across various investment strategies, managing approximately $49.8 billion for over 127,000 clients.

Brian Panzella is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and having 10 years of industry experience. He has worked at Truist Advisory Services and related entities since 2018 and previously held roles at Fifth Third Securities and Fifth Third Bank. Outside of his advisory work, he plays guitar and occasionally provides backup vocals in a band. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary manager relationships and integrates various inter-affiliate services to support client investment management.

Thomas Talmage III is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Partners, holding Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and bringing 18 years of industry experience. He has worked with several firms, including LPL Financial and his own Talmage Financial Group, and has been affiliated with Independent Financial Partners since 2011. His business activities include ownership of Encompass Wealth Management and Encompass Consulting, where he provides advisory services and exit planning for business owner clients. Independent Financial Partners offers investment advisory, financial planning, trust, and retirement-plan services through a nationwide network of independent advisers. The firm supports a multi-advisor platform managing over $12.5 billion in assets and is notable for its formal retirement-plan advisory and pension consulting capabilities.

Daniel Bonder is a CFP® professional with 32 years of experience, currently affiliated with Osaic Advisory Services, LLC. His prior experience includes roles at Arbor Point Advisors, Securities America, Inc., Beacon Financial Advisory, and Capital Analysts, Inc. Bonder is also an attorney who provides estate planning advice. Osaic Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of services such as investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and lending solutions, utilizing multiple program models with custody primarily through Schwab and Fidelity.

Nordia Hue is a financial advisor at FIFTH THIRD SECURITIES, Inc. in Orlando, FL, with 14 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at firms including Fidelity Investments, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, Merrill, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo. Outside of her advisory role, she manages a travel consulting business. FIFTH THIRD SECURITIES, Inc. offers brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, charitable organizations, and institutional clients through its Passageway Managed Account Program. The firm combines bank affiliation with municipal advisory registration and provides a range of managed-account options, including direct indexing and tax-overlay services.

Natalie Mason is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, with 23 years of experience in the financial industry. She is currently with Truist Advisory Services and has a work history that includes roles at BB&T Securities, SunTrust Bank, and various SunTrust investment entities dating back to 2012. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individual investors, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary approaches supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

Ian Crangle is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with nine years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. Prior to joining Creative Planning in 2023, he worked at Ameriprise, Voya Investment Management, and E*Trade Securities. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth and ultra-affluent individuals, institutional plans, and trusts. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach featuring low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and selective private market exposure, managing approximately $295.6 billion in client assets.

Ricardo De Oliveira is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services holding a Series 66 designation and five years of industry experience. He has worked at Truist Advisory Services and Truist Investment Services since 2021 and previously held positions at Adventhealth Waterman and SunTrust Bank. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, implementing advice through discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by AI-enabled tools and a dedicated Equity Research team.

Michael D'alessandro is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with nine years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations. His career includes roles at Truist Investment Services, SunTrust Investment Services, and SunTrust Bank. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes a mix of discretionary and non-discretionary strategies and offers the AMC Advantage manager-selection program, supported by proprietary research and inter-affiliate integration.

Kendrick Crockett is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. His previous work history includes roles at Thrivent Financial and PepsiCo. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved in real estate as a licensed broker working with family members and owns a company that purchases and rents real estate properties. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management services primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm offers integrated services tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, focusing on long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing.

Kevin Maxwell is a Series 65-licensed advisor with Equity Services, Inc. (ESI Financial Advisors) and has four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Equity Services in 2026, he spent five years with Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC and eleven years with Knights of Columbus Insurance, where he continues to serve as a Field Agent specializing in life insurance and related products. Equity Services, Inc. provides financial planning, consulting, and asset management to individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans. The firm offers multiple advisory platforms, including third-party asset managers and model portfolios, and manages a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary client accounts.

John Cumming is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc., where he has worked since 2009. He has 31 years of industry experience and holds a Series 63 license. Cumming serves as an independent contractor for Edgewater Family Wealth. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. provides financial planning, investment consulting, and advisory services to individual, high-net-worth, institutional, and corporate clients. The firm offers tailored, non-discretionary planning using risk profiling and modeling tools, and it supports municipal and public finance work through a unique municipal advisor affiliation.

Monette Spears is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 35 years of industry experience. She has been with Morgan Stanley and its affiliates since 2007. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management serves individual and institutional clients by providing a range of advisory programs, including tailored financial planning supported by firm-approved tools and strategies, managing approximately $2.74 trillion in client assets.

Travis Bowersox is a Wealth Management Advisor and Portfolio Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, serving clients in The Villages, FL. He specializes in wealth management planning, professional investment management, and providing financial strategies tailored to high net worth families, CEOs, business owners, executives, and retirees. Travis earned a Bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Central Florida School of Business. He holds several professional designations, including CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® (CFP), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ (CRPC), and Personal Investment Advisor (PIA). He is also the founding member and current president of The Villages Estate Planning Council, which comprises professionals such as attorneys, CPAs, and trust officers. Outside of his professional commitments, Travis enjoys an active lifestyle with interests in biking, chess, cooking, hiking, rock climbing, running, swimming, and spending time with his family. He resides in Mount Dora with his wife, Sarah, and their daughter, Ella.