Catherine Nevels is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 14 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2012. Outside of her advisory role, she volunteers as a Girl Scout Troop Leader in Charlotte, NC. TIAA‑CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals—often those connected to TIAA-administered retirement plans—as well as trusts, estates, and small retirement plans. The firm differentiates between one-time planning services and ongoing portfolio management, and it serves as adviser to a donor-advised fund while operating within a vertically integrated group that uses affiliated funds.

Craig Bisagna is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 33 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at LPL Financial, TIAA-CREF, and National Asset Management. He is based in Charlotte, NC. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, offering asset allocation analysis, fiduciary support, and third-party manager selection through its AMC Advantage program. The firm employs discretionary and non-discretionary approaches and integrates inter-affiliate resources, including affiliated broker-dealer and banking services, to support its investment solutions.

Matthew Jelnicky is a CFP® with 26 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently affiliated with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC and has prior experience with LPL Financial and Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC. Outside of advisory work, he provides tax preparation and CPA services through his own practice, Matthew Jelnicky CPA PA, and also sells term life insurance. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise firm serving a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm employs a strategic investment process combining passive and active management, supported by an internal Investment Committee and quantitative and fundamental research.

Jens Mueller is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and 25 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA and TIAA-CREF since 2002. TIAA‑CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients connected through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm offers model-based and customized portfolio management under a fiduciary standard and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund sponsored by Charityvest.

Larry Carroll is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC in Charlotte, NC. He holds a Series 63 designation and has 44 years of industry experience, including roles at Carroll Financial Associates, Inc. and CETERA Advisor Networks LLC. Carroll has been with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services and its affiliated Wealth Enhancement Group since 2021. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning, asset management, retirement plan consulting, and referrals to separate managed account investment managers. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans, managing over $122 billion in regulatory assets under management through diversified, risk-class based investment strategies that combine passive and active management.

Thomas Sowers is a CFP®-credentialed financial advisor with six years of industry experience. He is currently with Kestra Advisory and has prior experience at Dimensional Fund Advisors. Outside of his advisory role, he also works as an independent contractor dog walker. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse client base, including institutional and individual clients, offering services such as fiduciary consulting, plan design, and employee education. The firm manages approximately $79.8 billion in assets and serves large institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds.

Michael Bish is a CFP® professional with 21 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with Truist Advisory Services and Truist Investment Services, having joined in 2019, and previously worked at Merrill Lynch and Bank of America. His background includes roles at BB&T Securities spanning nine years. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporations, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by third-party platforms and research tools.

Traci Diblasio is a CFP® with 24 years of experience in the financial services industry. She is currently with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc., where she has worked since 2018. Her prior experience includes roles at Wells Fargo Clearing, Wells Fargo Advisors LLC, and Wachovia Bank, N.A. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. offers investment advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, pension plans, and business entities. The firm combines risk- and outcomes-based asset allocation with discretionary and non-discretionary management, supported by technology-driven model portfolios and tax-aware services.

Nora Knox is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and possessing 11 years of industry experience. She worked at LPL Financial from 2011 to 2019 before joining TIAA-CREF and TIAA in 2019. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC offers financial planning, discretionary managed account programs, and broker-dealer services primarily to individuals connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans, as well as to trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans. The firm’s advisory model separates one-time planning services from ongoing discretionary management, utilizing both model and customized portfolios under fiduciary standards.

Griffin Kasemeyer is a financial advisor at Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC with four years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at firms including LPL Financial and T. Rowe Price. Kasemeyer provides administrative support to Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services in addition to his advisory role. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans through a large network of advisors. The firm offers financial planning, asset management, and specialized consulting, employing a strategic investment approach that combines passive and active management guided by an internal Investment Committee.

David Hudson is a financial advisor at Citizens Securities, Inc. in Concord, NC, with 20 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations and previously worked at TIAA and TIAA-CREF for 10 years. Citizens Securities serves a broad retail client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors and individual retirement plans, offering both investment advisory programs and brokerage and insurance services. The firm’s advisory approach includes a digital advisory program utilizing proprietary algorithms and a managed account program, alongside commission-based brokerage and other non-discretionary business.

Garen Kalender is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Nuveen Asset Management and Nuveen Securities. Outside the financial industry, Kalender owns and operates a jewelry business, Drive Jewelers, and a trading card resale business, The Card Syndicate. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often serving clients connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm offers a range of advisory services that include both model portfolio and customized management approaches.

Brenda Yard is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and bringing 28 years of industry experience. She has worked with Truist and its predecessor entities since 1999, including Bb&T Investment Services and Bb&T Securities. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation, investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program that combines discretionary and non-discretionary approaches, supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

Sumakar Medikayala is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with the Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at North Carolina State University and the University of South Carolina. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning, discretionary managed account programs, and broker-dealer services 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 offers both point-in-time planning and ongoing discretionary management, acting as adviser to a donor-advised fund and operating within a vertically integrated structure that uses affiliated funds.

Jennifer James is a CFP® with 12 years of experience in the financial services industry. She is currently with Truist Advisory Services, where she has worked since 2018, following previous roles at Wells Fargo Clearing and WELLS FARGO Advisors, LLC. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, implementing advice through a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting.

Ruth Dimmett is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and 11 years of industry experience. Her career includes multiple roles at TIAA-CREF and Alight Financial Solutions. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC offers financial planning and managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans, frequently serving clients with existing TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm provides both point-in-time planning and ongoing discretionary account management, operating within a vertically integrated structure that includes affiliated funds and serves as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

Joseph Burns is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Charlotte, NC, where he has worked since 2010. He has 11 years of industry experience, including a decade at SunTrust Advisory Services. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporations, 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-enabled research tools, to manage client investments.

Elizabeth Skettino is a CFA® charterholder with nine years of industry experience. She is currently with Wells Fargo Investment Institute, Inc., where she has worked both earlier in her career and since 2026, and has prior experience at Cullinan Associates, Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities. Wells Fargo Investment Institute (WFII) is a bank-affiliate advisory and research organization that provides manager due diligence, securities research, asset-allocation guidance, and model portfolios primarily to Wells Fargo’s wealth and fiduciary businesses. Its research and strategy development are team-based and support a range of affiliates through impersonal, non-discretionary advice and model constructs.

Grant Palmer IV is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience. He currently works at Mariner and previously held positions at Waypoint Wealth Management, The Vanguard Group, Inc., and Buckingham Strategic Wealth. He also has background experience associated with Virginia Tech, including the Tennis Center and the university itself. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and private funds. The firm offers investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, tax services, and family office capabilities, utilizing customized portfolios overseen by an Investment Committee and supported by extensive in‑house research and third‑party managers.

Christine Neese is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 29 years of industry experience. Her prior work includes roles at LPL Financial, Cetera Advisor Networks, and Carroll Financial Associates. She provides administrative support to Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services as part of her professional activities. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans through a large network of advisors. The firm employs a strategic investment approach that combines passive and active management, supported by an internal Investment Committee and research targeting factor premiums, and offers a broad range of financial planning, asset management, and specialized consulting services.