Catherine Brashears is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Cape Coral, FL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing five years of industry experience. She has worked at Valic Financial Advisors since 2018 and has also been an agent at Agia since 2022, where she engages in non-securities insurance product activities. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-domiciled individual investors, including high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate and retirement-plan participants. The firm offers discretionary managed-account programs, financial planning, and brokerage services, employing Envestnet-developed UMA models to construct client portfolios.

Steven Hess is a CFP®-designated advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC and has 28 years of industry experience. He has been associated with Wealth Enhancement firms since 1998 and worked with LPL Financial from 2007 to 2025. Outside of advising, he participates in a radio program related to Wealth Enhancement Group. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm manages over $122 billion in assets and employs a diversified, risk-class based investment approach blending passive and active strategies overseen by an internal Investment Committee.

John Gust is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (New York Life) based in Cape Coral, FL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 17 years of industry experience. He has been with Eagle Strategies and affiliated firms since 2010 and was previously employed by Uber from 2016 to 2019. Gust is also involved in insurance brokering activities unrelated to registered products. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors, defined contribution and defined benefit plans, and institutional clients, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm emphasizes tailored solutions delivered through various program types and primarily manages assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Michael Mitch is a financial advisor with United Planners Financial Services of America and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has 16 years of industry experience and has been associated with United Planners and Insley Financial since 2010. Outside of his advisory work, he is the owner of Eastwind Development, a business development firm established in 1987. United Planners Financial Services is a national wealth-management enterprise serving a broad client base including individual investors, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, and estates. The firm employs independent investment adviser representatives and uses a combination of custodians and third-party managers to implement client strategies, with a notable emphasis on non-discretionary account management.

Dusty Japp is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services and holds a Series 66 designation. He has 10 years of industry experience, having worked at various Truist affiliates since 2015. Outside of his advisory role, he manages a residential rental property. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation analysis, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program utilizing third-party managers and AI-enabled research tools.

Jack Thomas is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors in Fort Myers, FL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 32 years of industry experience. He has been with Hightower Advisors and its affiliated entity, Hightower Securities, LLC, since 2014. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base that includes individuals, institutions, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers with proprietary research, and offers a range of portfolio management and consulting services.

Eric Somodio is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors holding a Series 66 designation and three years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Hertz Corp., Murad LLC, and Brajitsu Inc. Outside of his advisory work, he owns Sow to Harvest, LLC, an entity involved in client consultation and insurance sales, and is associated with Inheritguard, LLC, which provides estate planning services. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a diverse client base including individual investors, employer-sponsored retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm delivers advisory services primarily through model portfolios and third-party managers across multiple platforms, managing regulatory assets of approximately $1.7 billion.

Nicholas Purdue is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked previously at firms including Farragut Square Group, Gartner, TD Ameritrade, and Fidelity Brokerage Services. Outside of financial services, he is involved with Maritime Commercial Charters. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as select retail clients. The firm delivers integrated services through Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, offering both point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.

David Morton is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with eight years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked at firms including JP Morgan Securities LLC and Wells Fargo Clearing. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management 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’s services feature an integrated model aligned with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, focusing on long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing.

Chad Burns is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services holding a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. His prior work includes ownership of Burns Bail Bond and Burns Construction, as well as operating a BBQ food trailer business, Tweeders Smokehouse. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, offering asset allocation, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program administered through third-party platforms.

Nicholas Wychocki is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 21 years of industry experience. He currently serves at OSAIC Institutions, INC., and has held prior positions at Infinex Investments, Inc., Finemark Financial Services, Global Wealth Consultants, LLC, and Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. He also works as a portfolio manager providing investment management for Finemark National Bank & Trust’s trust clients. OSAIC Institutions, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, ERISA retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients through a network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers customized advisory services, financial planning, ERISA plan services, and access to alternative investments and lending solutions, operating a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer model that emphasizes both discretionary and non-discretionary management.

Gary Bell Jr Jr. is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. with seven years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Bank, as well as Evolution Retirement Services and Elavon. He is based in Cape Coral, FL. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. serves a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, institutions, and various business entities, through investment advisory and brokerage services. The firm offers multiple program types via the Passageway Managed Account Program, utilizing third-party portfolio managers and providing a range of strategies including mutual funds, ETFs, SMAs, tax overlays, and direct indexing.

Arthur Lavallie is an investment advisor with Kestra Advisory, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and possessing 40 years of industry experience. He has been with Kestra Advisory since 2016 and previously worked at Kestra Investment Services, LLC and The Advisors Group, Inc. Outside of advisory services, he owns and operates AJ Lavallie, an insurance business, and Tecla Partners LLC, a company involved in real estate operations. Kestra Advisory provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting services to a diverse range of institutional and individual clients, including plan sponsors. The firm offers fiduciary consulting, plan design, compliance testing, and plan-level investment advice, supporting recommended investments with due diligence and managing significant assets for clients such as sovereign wealth funds.

William Carlson is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors in Fort Myers, FL, holding a Series 66 designation and eight years of industry experience. He has been with Transamerica Financial Advisors since 2017 and is involved in multiple business activities including offering estate planning services through LegacyShield Solutions Inc and promoting financial literacy locally through The Financial Literacy Project. Transamerica Financial Advisors provides investment advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan services to a broad client base, including individuals, employer-sponsored plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes model portfolios and third-party managers across multiple platforms, delivering services through a large network of advisors and managing approximately $1.7 billion in regulatory assets under management.

Casey Brock is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services and holds a Series 66 designation. He has one year of industry experience, including roles at Truist Advisory Services, Truist Investment Services, and previously as a Truist Banker for twelve years. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation and investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program, using a combination of discretionary manager relationships and third-party platforms to deliver its services.

Thomas Cash is a financial advisor with Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. based in Fort Myers, FL. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 31 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Stratos in 2011, he worked at UBS Financial Services and Morgan Stanley. Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. is an SEC-registered enterprise adviser with approximately 379 advisors and $18.6 billion in assets under management. The firm serves a diverse client base including high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, corporations, nonprofits, and other institutional clients, offering a range of advisory services through an independent adviser model and an open-architecture investment platform.

Luke Finchem is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Cape Coral, FL. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 20 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at New York Life Insurance Company and NYLife Securities LLC since 2005, as well as operating 2M Financial Group, LLC, which brokers non-registered insurance products. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base, including individuals and institutions, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations and operates primarily on a non-discretionary asset management basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Aaron Kowal is a CFP® with 22 years of industry experience and is currently affiliated with Creative Planning. He has held positions at Mutual Securities, Inc., Raymond James Financial Services, and operates Kowal Investment Group, LLC, where he serves as president and financial advisor. Creative Planning provides comprehensive wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a varied client base including high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach emphasizing low-cost indexing and long-term strategies, supplemented by selective private market exposure and advanced portfolio management techniques.

Chelsea Carter is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with nine years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Bank of America and Merrill. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers through discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting.

William Gibson is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. with 16 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with Fifth Third since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, Gibson is a co-owner of Florida Wedding Design, Inc., a wedding planning business based in Cape Coral, FL. Fifth Third Securities serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutions through investment advisory and brokerage services. The firm offers various managed account programs and portfolio management options via the Passageway platform and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank.