Zayvion Cartwright is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses with 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, along with Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm’s integrated approach combines proprietary and third-party methodologies focused on long-term portfolio returns and client savings rates.

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® with 33 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott since 2012. Based in Raleigh, NC, he holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. 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 range of clients, including individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and municipal clients, offering brokerage services, financial planning, consulting, and multiple wrap and advisory programs.

Brian Thornton is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 23 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Truist Advisory Services since 2021. Prior to that, he was employed at BB&T Investments and BB&T Securities. 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 non-discretionary consulting, supported by third-party platforms and AI-enhanced research, to deliver asset allocation, fiduciary support, and manager selection services.

Craig Scheuerman is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management in Cary, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 14 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Wells Fargo Clearing, Wells Fargo Advisors LLC, and Wells Fargo Bank NA, spanning from 2011 to 2021. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only digital portfolio offering that uses algorithm-driven risk assessments and delegated portfolio management via mutual funds and ETFs.

Stephen Snow is a financial advisor with OSAIC Institutions, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and 34 years of industry experience. His prior firms include Wells Fargo Advisors, Wells Fargo Clearing, Infinex Investments, Inc., and Southern Bank and Trust, where he has participated in a financial advisor referral program. OSAIC Institutions, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, ERISA retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients. The firm offers customized advisory services, financial planning, ERISA plan services, and access to alternative investments through a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer structure with a focus on both discretionary and non-discretionary accounts.

Melanie Price is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 22 years of industry experience. She has been affiliated with New York Life Insurance Company and its related entities since 2010. Price is also appointed with outside insurance carriers to broker non-registered insurance products. Eagle Strategies serves individual and institutional clients by providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated advisors. The firm offers a variety of program types and emphasizes tailored recommendations, with a significant portion of its assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.

Jason Obermeier is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. He previously worked at Thrivent Financial and its investment management division before joining Principal. Outside of advisory work, he receives royalties from prior work as a composer for film and television. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a broad client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

Joshua Denney is a ChFC® and Series 63-licensed financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Raleigh, NC. He has three years of industry experience, including positions at NYLIFE Securities and New York Life since 2022. Outside of his advisory work, Denney serves as a certified referee for the US Gaelic Athletic Association, volunteering at regional sports tournaments. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated advisors. The firm works with individual investors, defined contribution and benefit plans, and institutional clients, emphasizing tailored advice and primarily managing assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Austen Hawkey is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Creative Planning. His prior roles include positions at First Oak Wealth Management, Armor Investment Advisors, and Bank of America. Creative Planning offers investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm employs a financial planning–led investment process focused on low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supported by a broad range of supplemental approaches and integrated retirement plan services.

Richard Murray is a financial advisor with Prime Capital Financial in Clayton, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and over 31 years of industry experience. He has been with Prime Capital Investment Advisors, LLC since 2018 and previously worked at Corinthian Partners, LLC and National Securities Corporation. Murray is also involved with CHHSZ Holdings, LLC, which owns Prime Capital Investment Advisors. Prime Capital Financial is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, corporations, and retirement plans with services including asset management, financial planning, and family office offerings. The firm employs a variety of investment strategies and provides integrated tax and financial administration services through affiliated entities.

Lupton Haigler is a financial advisor with Janney Montgomery Scott in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 18 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Truist Advisory Services, Truist Investment Services, BB&T Securities, and BB&T Capital Markets. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that manages approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base, including individuals, families, trusts, estates, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and municipal clients, offering a range of brokerage, financial planning, consulting, and advisory services.

Timothy Cowhey is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 11 years of industry experience. He is currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and previously worked at Buckingham Strategic Wealth, LLC. Outside of advisory roles, he was involved with Apex Motorsport LLC for six years. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC provides wealth advisory and investment management services to a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, retirement plans, institutions, and businesses. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach within an enhanced open architecture framework that combines active and passive strategies, separate account managers, private funds, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Jessica Alpers is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC and holds a Series 65 designation. She has five years of industry experience, having worked previously at WealthShield Partners, LLC, The Atlantic Group, LLC, and Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting for individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm manages over $122 billion in assets using diversified, risk-class based allocations that combine passive and active managers, supported by an internal Investment Committee.

Hayden Lewis is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. based in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and three years of industry experience. He has worked at several entities within the First Citizens group, including First Citizens Asset Management and First Citizens Bank, as well as Fidelity Investments and State Employees' Credit Union. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate/business entities, offering advisory and brokerage services through IARs and third-party Portfolio Managers. The firm’s investment approach involves IAR-led assessments and a mix of fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to allocate assets across equities, fixed income, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Deborah Wright is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has seven years of industry experience. Her prior work includes positions at First Citizens Bank, HPW Towne Mortgage, and Caldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs a client process centered on financial needs assessment and uses a combination of fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to allocate assets across various investment types.

Stephanie Bowens is a financial advisor at Kestra Advisory with 28 years of industry experience. She previously worked at Triad Advisors and OSAIC before joining Kestra in 2025. Outside of her advisory role, she is CEO of Chrysalis Capital Management, a developer of financial education and literacy materials, and serves as a board member on the finance committee of The Hope Center at Pullen. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to plan sponsors and a diverse range of institutional and individual clients. The firm offers services including fiduciary consulting, plan design, employee education, and access to multiple management platforms, serving clients such as sovereign wealth funds and large institutional investors.

Michael Dipenta is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 19 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2015. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans, as well as to trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans. The firm separates one-time financial planning services from ongoing portfolio management and serves as adviser to a donor-advised fund while operating within a vertically integrated group utilizing affiliated funds.

Robert Williams IV is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in Cary, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and having 26 years of industry experience. He is president and owner of AI Financial, Inc., operating as Williams Wealth Management since 2005. Williams worked at NEXT Financial Group, Inc. from 2005 to 2019 before joining Commonwealth and Williams Wealth Management. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and managing roughly $212.7 billion in client assets. The firm provides a broad adviser-support platform, including managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, retirement and plan consulting, and custody/clearing services.

Andrew Orr is a CFP® with 13 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services. He has held previous roles at Wells Fargo Advisors and Suntrust Advisory Services. Orr is based in Raleigh, NC. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm combines discretionary manager relationships with third-party platform and manager arrangements to deliver its services, including its AMC Advantage manager-selection program.