Kristin Ezzell is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. She has worked within the Truist organization since 2021 across various affiliated entities. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm combines discretionary and non-discretionary approaches, utilizing third-party platforms and manager relationships, supported by AI-enabled research and inter-affiliate integration.

Jonathan Ludwig is a financial advisor at United Planners Financial Services of America and holds a Series 65 credential. He has one year of advisory experience and previously worked at Accenture Federal Services as a Growth & Strategy Manager. United Planners Financial Services is a national wealth-management enterprise serving a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm delivers advisory and brokerage services through independent representatives and employs a combination of custodians, third-party managers, and platform programs to implement client strategies.

James Appleby is a CFP® certified financial advisor with 21 years of industry experience. He has worked at Truist Advisory Services since 2018, including leadership roles at Truist Investment Services and Bb&T Securities. Appleby serves as a local board member for Beginnings, a nonprofit focused on education and assistance for children with hearing loss. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary manager arrangements and AI-enabled equity research tools.

Stuart Gay is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Wealthshield Partners, LLC and MassMutual Life Insurance Company. Outside of advising, he owns businesses in construction, cleaning services, and farming operations. 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 and employs a diversified investment approach blending passive and active management with oversight from an internal Investment Committee.

Rajesh Chundi is a financial advisor at Transamerica Financial Advisors with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Change Healthcare Inc. and Optum Services Inc. Outside of advising, he serves as a database administrator for the Orange Water and Sewer Authority and operates Chundi Financial Services, LLC. Transamerica Financial Advisors provides investment advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan services to a diverse client base, utilizing model portfolios and third-party managers across multiple platforms such as Transamerica ONE and the TFA365 Advisory Program.

Christopher Hill is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC in Raleigh, NC, bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has worked at Bank of America, N.A. since 2011 and previously spent over two decades at Merrill. Outside of his advisory role, Hill owns FHJ Properties, LLC, a real estate investment entity. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, and institutions, offering investment advisory and financial planning through a network of more than 400 independent advisers. The firm provides a range of solutions such as portfolio management, retirement plan consulting, and employs various analytical approaches while maintaining fiduciary standards under written advisory agreements.

Henry Dunbar Jr. is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 65 credential with 23 years of industry experience. He has worked at First Citizens Bank and First Citizens Investor Services since 2014. 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/business entities. The firm employs a client process centered on financial needs assessments and uses a combination of fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios across various asset classes.

Sarah Hickey is a Planning Consultant at Fidelity Investments, a role she has held since 2023. She has accumulated over a decade of experience in financial services, working in various capacities including service management, investment solutions, and client relationship management. Her professional background includes positions at RBC Wealth Management, Fidelity Investments, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, and Barclays Wealth. Throughout her career, she has focused on understanding clients' unique needs and circumstances to develop financial plans that align with their goals and values. Outside of her professional work, Sarah has interests in art, food, parenthood, and yoga.

Guy Swain is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in Raleigh, NC, holding CFP® and ChFC® designations and possessing 40 years of industry experience. He has been affiliated with Commonwealth Equity Services, Inc. since 1995. Outside of his advisory role, he is co-owner of LifeTime Tax Management, a private entity focused on tax-related services. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser supporting a national network of nearly 3,000 advisors and their clients. The firm offers a variety of advisory programs and services, including discretionary model portfolios and customized investment solutions, while providing operational, compliance, and technology support to affiliated advisors.

Jacob Niles is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with two years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Raleigh Capital Management and Fidelity Investments. Outside of advisory work, he is also an insurance agent with Raleigh Wealth Solutions. 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 retail brokerage clients. The firm uses an integrated model tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms and focuses on long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing.

Noah Fitzgerald is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with TLG Advisors, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, with four years of industry experience. Prior to joining TLG Advisors, he held roles at The Leaders Group Inc, MWA Financial Services Inc, and Modern Woodmen of America. Outside of advising, he is involved as a junior varsity offensive line football coach at Cardinal Gibbons High School. TLG Advisors, Inc. serves a wide range of clients including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and institutional investors. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes manager selection, fundamental analysis, and portfolio diversification, offering both sub-advisor managed accounts and a direct-to-consumer digital program called Starlight Portfolios.

Dustin Thornton is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. with two years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 and Series 63 licenses. His work background includes roles at First Citizens Investor Services, First Citizens Bank, Uber, Exchange Bank, Central National Bank, and Kansas State University Federal Credit Union. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved in managing rental properties owned personally and with his spouse. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm offers portfolio management, wrap programs, model portfolios, a Guided Investing automated platform, and financial planning, with a client process that emphasizes fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis across various asset classes.

Kelly Sullivan is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 28 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Cuso Financial Services, LP and Coastal Federal Credit Union. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm’s approach includes fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to guide portfolio allocation, offering a range of services such as managed portfolios, a Guided Investing platform, and tax-aware financial planning.

Joshua Brien is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation with 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Janney Montgomery Scott since 2013. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a committee member for BSA Trop 215, participating occasionally in camping trips with the group. 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, corporations, and municipal clients, offering brokerage services, financial planning, and advisory programs with a combination of in-house and third-party portfolio management.

Christopher Kriak is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. He holds a Series 66 designation and has eight years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at LPL Financial, Mass Mutual Investors Services, and PNC Investments. 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 uses a client-centered process combining fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios across various asset classes.

Anna Fagan is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 24 years of industry experience. She is affiliated with Carson Wealth and has held roles at firms including Cetera Wealth Services, Infinex Investments, Merrill, and Morgan Stanley. In addition to her advisory work, she is an insurance agent selling life, annuities, and long-term care products. Carson Wealth is an SEC-registered investment adviser operating an enterprise platform with over 650 advisors and approximately $50.6 billion in assets under management. The firm offers discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, utilizing model portfolios overseen by an Investment Committee and providing tailored solutions such as custom indexing and alternative investments.

Hans Scheil Jr. is a financial advisor with Brookstone Capital Management LLC in Durham, NC. He holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations and has 20 years of industry experience. He is also the CEO of H.E. Scheil & Associates, Inc., an insurance agency based in Durham. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning to a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and trusts. The firm employs a range of strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models, incorporating proprietary funds and external sub-advisors, while also acting as a sub-advisor to other advisory programs.

Kwame Richards is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with four years of industry experience. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services since 2022 and previously worked at First Citizens Bank from 2007 to 2025. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities, offering a range of advisory and brokerage services including portfolio management, model portfolios, and financial planning. The firm emphasizes IAR-led assessments and applies fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis in its investment approach.

Kimberly Loftin is a financial advisor at OSAIC Institutions, Inc. with seven years of industry experience. She holds Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and has previously worked at firms including Thrivent Financial, First Citizens Bank, Principal Life Insurance Company, Edward Jones, and First Federal Bank. 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, wrap programs, and access to alternative investments and lending solutions within a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer structure.

James Simone is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 30 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA and TIAA-CREF since 2013. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and corporate entities, often serving clients connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm also advises donor-advised funds and combines point-in-time planning with ongoing portfolio management under a fiduciary standard.