Vernon Maples is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Raleigh, NC, holding the ChFC® designation along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has 46 years of industry experience, including 28 years with Principal Life Insurance Company and 10 years at Principal Securities INC. His outside business activities include work with fixed insurance products such as fixed life, annuities, disability income, and long-term care insurance. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

Jonathan Wakin is a financial advisor at Principal Financial Services with 11 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 and Series 63 designations and has previously worked at First Citizens Investor Services, Park Avenue Securities, Guardian Life Insurance Company, Edward Jones, and RGA Investments. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and active-duty U.S. military personnel abroad. The firm’s advisory services include direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

Devon Blair is a financial advisor at Principal Financial Services with a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Principal, Blair held positions at Thrivent Financial, S&P Global, and Equitable Advisors. Outside of advisory roles, Blair has business experience with Restaurant Applications, LLC and Hamptons Delivery Service, Inc. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and active-duty military personnel. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions.

David Elliott is a CFP® with 25 years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He is currently with Clearstead Advisory Solutions, having joined in 2024 after 23 years at Wilbanks, Smith & Thomas Asset Management. Elliott also serves as Assistant Vice President at Lafayette Advisor, focusing on collective investment trusts. Clearstead serves affluent private clients and institutional investors, providing investment management, financial planning, tax planning, family office administration, and institutional consulting services. The firm utilizes an institutional investment process across a variety of investment vehicles and maintains approximately $33.9 billion in assets under management.

Andrew Sparrow is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has three years of industry experience. He has also worked at First Citizens Bank since 2011. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a client-focused process driven by financial needs assessments and utilizes fundamental, quantitative, and technical analyses in portfolio management across various asset classes.

Amy Sharpe Verdugo is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with 10 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Creative Planning since 2016. Outside of her advisory role, she is the managing member of Toolbox Heroes Handyman Services LLC and serves as Board Chair of EYC Academy, a special education organization. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a wide range of clients, including high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment strategy that integrates low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold approaches, and selective private market investments.

Jordan Janis is a financial advisor at Principal Financial Services with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Principal Securities, Principal Life Insurance, Raymond James & Associates, and Morgan Stanley. Janis serves as a board member of the Wake Forest College Board of Visitors and is president-elect of WAKERaleigh, a volunteer group that engages Wake Forest University alumni and affiliates through various events. Principal Securities offers brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm provides direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions under both adviser and promoter arrangements.

Jillian Rhyner is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 19 years of industry experience, currently with Janney Montgomery Scott since 2020. She previously worked at Morgan Stanley for 11 years. Outside of her advisory role, she is a sales consultant for BeautyCounter, a skincare and beauty brand focused on safer products. Janney Montgomery Scott is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, estates, and institutional clients, offering a variety of brokerage, financial planning, and advisory services through in-house and third-party portfolio management.

David Carper Jr. is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has four years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at First Citizens Bank, First Citizens Investor Services, Synvous, BB&T, and Honest Solutions. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses, offering portfolio management, automated investing platforms, and financial planning. The firm’s client process emphasizes individualized assessments and diversified asset allocation using fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis.

John Hopper is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Raleigh, NC, holding credentials including ChFC®, Series 63, and Series 65. He has 55 years of industry experience, with prior roles at THE O.N. Equity Sales Company, Financial Independence Planning Group, and has maintained his own firms, Hopper Financial Group, Inc. and Blanton & Hopper Investments, for over 25 years. He is also involved in the sales and service of fixed insurance products such as fixed life insurance, annuities, disability income, and health insurance. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and active-duty military personnel. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, financial planning, and access to third-party money manager solutions, utilizing both adviser and promoter arrangements.

William Sewell is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott with 45 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations. His previous roles include positions at BB&T Securities and multiple terms at Janney Montgomery Scott beginning in 2014. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, families, trusts and estates, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and municipal clients, offering brokerage services, financial planning, consulting, and various advisory programs.

Michael Warren is a financial advisor with SPC based in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 38 years of industry experience. He has worked at Parkland Securities since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, Warren is president of First South Financial, Inc., an insurance brokerage, and serves as a trustee for Hayes Barton Baptist Church as well as president of the Needham Broughton High School Caps Club, an athletic booster organization. SPC provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base including individuals, employer-sponsored plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm supports a large advisory network and delivers typically tailored, discretionary investment advice through various account programs, with custody and execution services provided through Fidelity/NFS.

David Leder is a financial advisor with United Planners Financial Services of America, holding Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and bringing 11 years of industry experience. His prior roles include multiple positions at Cambridge Investment Research and Cambridge Investment Research Advisors. Outside of advisory work, he is president of Legacy Insurance Solutions LLC. United Planners Financial Services is a national wealth-management enterprise serving a broad client base with advisory and brokerage services. The firm supports a large network of independent advisors and primarily manages accounts on a non-discretionary basis.

Zayvion Cartwright is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and three years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Fidelity Investments and State Employees' Credit Union. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, delivering services through an integrated model tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and client savings rates in its planning approach and serves a large participant base relative to its advisor headcount.

Casey Pickett is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with seven years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing Services, Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Transamerica Life Insurance, and Merrill, among others. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing relationships through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm offers a range of advisory services, including model and customized portfolios, and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

Peter Sargent is a CFP® and CFA® credentialed financial advisor with 34 years of industry experience, currently with Janney Montgomery Scott in Raleigh, NC, where he has worked since 2012. Prior to joining Janney, he spent 11 years at Merrill. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and municipal clients, offering a range of brokerage, planning, and advisory services supported by in-house and third-party portfolio management.

David Walters is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 26 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo, where he worked for a combined 13 years before joining First Citizens Bank and First Citizens Investor Services in 2021. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm emphasizes IAR-led financial assessments and applies fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis across a range of investment products and managed portfolios.

Amy Boyd is a CFP® professional with eight years of industry experience. She has worked at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. since 2022 and previously was with Wrenn Financial Strategies, Inc. and operated as a self-employed advisor. Mercer Global Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, foundations, and nonprofit organizations. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory and features globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios with multi-factor tilts, utilizing a range of implementation options and emphasizing tax management and regular rebalancing.

Brian Thornton is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and having 24 years of industry experience. He has been with Truist Advisory Services since 2021, following roles at Bb&T Securities and BB&T Investments dating back to 2006. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of services including asset allocation, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program, utilizing a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary approaches supported by AI-enabled research tools and inter-affiliate integration.

Craig Scheuerman is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 14 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Bank NA, with a combined tenure of 10 years at the latter. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only discretionary digital offering that uses algorithm-driven risk assessment and invests primarily in mutual funds and ETFs.