Thomas Griffith is a CFP® with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving at Brookstone Capital Management LLC since 2022. His prior roles include positions at Insurance Advisor Associates, Inc., Gradient Investments, LLC, and Cardinal Retirement Planning, Inc. He is also the manager and insurance agent at H.E. Scheil & Associates, Inc., where he dedicates a significant portion of his time. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning to a diverse clientele, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, and other entities. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management through its BCM Platform, employing strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models and a variety of investment strategies, including the use of ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, options-enhanced strategies, and structured notes.

Frederick Freeman is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 16 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Merrill, Bank of America, Fidelity, and Wells Fargo before joining TIAA-CREF. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning, discretionary managed accounts, and broker-dealer services primarily to individuals with existing TIAA employer retirement relationships, as well as trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans. The firm combines point-in-time financial planning with ongoing discretionary management through model and customized portfolios.

William Creech is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. based in Raleigh, NC, with nine years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at firms including Wells Fargo and Commonwealth Financial Network. Creech serves as an officer and director on the Alumni Volunteer Corporation board for the NC Kappa Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon, supporting undergraduate students at East Carolina University. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm’s approach includes client assessments led by investment adviser representatives and diversified portfolio management utilizing equities, fixed income, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Garrett Letchworth is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and six years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at First Citizens Bank and First Citizens Investor Services, as well as a position at High Point University. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities, offering advisory and brokerage services. The firm employs a client-focused process led by investment advisor representatives and utilizes a range of investment strategies including portfolio management, wrap programs, and tax-aware services.

Jonathan Carter is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and nine years of industry experience. He has worked at Valic Financial Advisors since 2017 and previously held roles at Primerica Financial Services and Primerica Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved as an agent with AGIA, focusing on non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and discretionary unified managed accounts using Envestnet’s platform and third-party model managers, supported by a large network of advisors and centralized technology solutions.

Lloyd Nelms is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 credential and 23 years of industry experience. He has worked at Truist Advisory Services and Truist Investment Services since 2021, and previously spent nine years at BB&T Securities, LLC. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors and participants, 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 guide investment decisions.

Alfred Jordano is a CFP® and Series 66-registered advisor at Creative Planning with 19 years of industry experience. He previously worked for Sullivan Bruyette Speros & Blayney for 14 years before joining Creative Planning in 2021. Creative Planning serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, foundations, and retirement plans, managing approximately $217 billion in assets. The firm employs a financial planning-led investment approach focused on low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supplemented by advanced techniques such as direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting.

John Kline is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott with 33 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with Janney Montgomery Scott since 2013. Outside of his advisory role, he owns short-term vacation rental properties in North Carolina and Florida, though the properties are professionally managed. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing about $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse clientele including individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, offering brokerage, financial planning, consulting, and multiple advisory programs.

Jack Lord is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC in Raleigh, NC. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Wealth Enhancement since 2026. Prior to joining the firm, he worked in education at several schools and holds a degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 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 regulatory AUM and employs a diversified investment approach that blends passive and active strategies overseen by an internal Investment Committee.

Joshua Alford is a CFP® with five years of industry experience, currently serving at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. His prior experience includes roles at First Citizens Asset Management, Fidelity Investments, MML Investors Services, LLC, and MassMutual Life Insurance Company. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities, offering a range of portfolio management and financial planning solutions utilizing fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis.

Roy Burns is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Schwab Wealth Advisory, where he has worked since 2025. He has one year of experience in the financial industry and previously held roles at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., among other employers. Schwab Wealth Advisory, Inc. provides non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice, financial planning, and wealth management consultations primarily for clients enrolled in the Schwab Wealth Advisory program. The firm uses Charles Schwab & Co.’s asset-allocation models and internal research tools to tailor recommendations based on client goals and risk tolerance.

Marc Anstrom is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Durham, NC, holding Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 designations and over 31 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2013. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division serves individuals—including those connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans—as well as trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans. The firm offers financial planning, discretionary managed account programs, and brokerage services, operating with a fiduciary standard in its RIA services and acting as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

Rebecca Crumpler is a CFP® professional at Commonwealth Financial Network with five years of industry experience. She has worked at Commonwealth since 2021 and previously held roles at Credit Union Investment Services, SECU Life Insurance Company, SECU Brokerage Services, and State Employees' Credit Union. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that supports a national network of approximately 2,900 affiliated advisors. The firm offers a broad range of managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, and back-office services, serving both individual and institutional clients.

John Ware is a financial advisor with Guardian Life in Raleigh, NC, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses. He has 24 years of industry experience, including roles at Park Avenue Securities since 2012 and Guardian Life Insurance Company since 2010. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as executor for the estates of his parents and stepfather. Park Avenue Securities LLC, a subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm combines advisor-led discretionary management with model-based strategies and offers a range of financial planning and consulting solutions tailored by investment adviser representatives.

Adrian Orozco is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. with four years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked previously at BB&T (now Truist) and First Citizens Bank. Outside of his advisory role, he co-manages a rental property with his spouse. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm’s investment approach includes comprehensive client assessments and employs fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis across various asset classes, offering services such as portfolio management, financial planning, and tax-aware strategies.

Lorraine Johnson is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding a Series 63 designation and bringing 30 years of industry experience. She has worked at Commonwealth since 2017 and previously held roles at Royal Alliance Associates Inc., Triad Financial Advisors, Inc., and Principal Financial Services. Johnson serves as a board member of the North Carolina Supplemental Retirement Systems Board. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser supporting a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and managing about $212.7 billion in client assets. The firm offers a broad platform that includes managed-account programs, third-party asset manager access, and custody services, combining internally managed model portfolios with external execution platforms.

Adam Roche is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC in Raleigh, NC. He began his career in the financial services industry recently and has experience with WealthShield Partners, LLC, Medidata Solutions, and GreenPrint. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans with financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm manages over $122 billion in assets through a large advisor network, emphasizing diversified, risk-class allocations that combine passive and active management and employ quantitative, momentum, and fundamental analysis.

Thomas Overcash Jr. is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 39 years of industry experience. He has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 1997 and also serves as an agent with Agia, where he is involved in non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-based 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, consulting, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet-developed UMA models for portfolio construction and management.

Stephanie Burks is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 11 years of industry experience, currently with Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. She has been with Voya since 2016, including its predecessor organizations, and she also operates Burks Financial Management, LLC. Her other business activities include serving as an independent insurance agent and operating Providence Financial Solutions. Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. is an enterprise-scale advisory and broker-dealer affiliate of Voya Financial that provides financial planning, portfolio management, retirement-plan advisory services, and access to third-party money managers. The firm serves individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporations through a network of advisers, combining in-house and outside strategists with technology-enabled tools to implement investment strategies, often with client authorization for trades in non-discretionary arrangements.

Nahed Alsous is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 22 years of industry experience. She has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 2003 and also serves as an agent with Agia, focusing on non-securities insurance products. 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, offering managed-account programs, financial planning, and brokerage services.