Eduardo Gelpi is a financial advisor at T. Rowe Price Advisory Services, Inc. with 21 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at firms including Edelman Financial Engines, LPL Financial LLC, Ameriprise Financial Services, and Wells Fargo Clearing Services. T. Rowe Price Advisory Services, Inc. provides retirement-focused financial planning and discretionary investment management for individual investors and households, utilizing model portfolios invested exclusively in T. Rowe Price mutual funds and ETFs. The firm employs goal-based planning, tax-aware rebalancing, and Monte Carlo simulations, with an emphasis on proprietary funds and electronic client engagement.

Lara Ferguson is a CFP® with five years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Citizens Securities, Inc. since 2022. She previously worked at LPL Financial, LLC and DaVinci Financial Designs from 2020 to 2022. Outside of finance, she was involved with Southern Comforts Consignments and served at Sandy Springs United Methodist Church. Citizens Securities serves a broad retail client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors, offering investment advisory programs alongside brokerage and insurance services. The firm provides a digital advisory program utilizing ETF-based portfolios and a proprietary risk assessment, as well as a Managed Account program.

Abel Rizzo is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses with two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Empower Advisory Group in 2025, he worked at Empower since 2023 and has experience in the hospitality industry with roles at Wurst Haus, Union Kitchen, and several other establishments. 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’s services are integrated with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms and focus on long-term portfolio returns and clients’ savings rates.

Kelly West is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and nine years of industry experience. She has worked with First Citizens Investor Services and First Citizens Bank since 2016. Outside of her advisory role, West owns an online resale shop and participates in direct/network marketing ventures. First Citizens Investor Services serves a range of clients including individuals, pension plans, and charitable organizations, providing advisory and brokerage services through IARs and third-party Portfolio Managers. The firm employs fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis in portfolio management and offers services such as financial planning, tax-aware strategies, and automated investing platforms.

Andrea Smith is a financial advisor at HB Wealth with seven years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at JPMorgan Chase Bank NA and JPMorgan Securities LLC. HB Wealth Management is a registered investment adviser that provides wealth management, investment management, and financial planning services to individuals, families, trusts, retirement plans, corporate entities, foundations, family offices, and institutional clients. The firm combines quantitative and qualitative due diligence across a range of public and private investment strategies and offers outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) and institutional advisory services.

Lucie Mcgowan is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 26 years of industry experience. She has been with TIAA and TIAA-CREF since 2010, based in Charlotte, NC. 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 with existing connections to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm’s advisory model distinguishes between one-time financial planning and ongoing discretionary management, utilizing both model and customized portfolios.

Jessica Council Verner is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Charlotte, NC. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Truist and its predecessor entities since 2017. Her prior experience includes a role at Proof Bar and Lounge from 2016 to 2019. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting, financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan services to individuals, corporations, plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm integrates traditional research with AI-enabled tools and offers a range of advisory services including plan sponsor support and manager selection through the Envestnet platform.

Michael Hariaczyi is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation with 24 years of industry experience. His previous roles include positions at Vanguard, Merrill, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo Clearing Services. Outside of finance, he teaches self-defense as an instructor at Apex Martial Arts in Huntersville, NC. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing TIAA-administered employer retirement relationships. The firm’s advisory model separates one-time planning from ongoing portfolio management and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund, operating within a vertically integrated group using affiliated funds.

Nicholas Levy is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 15 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2012. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals with existing relationships through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans, as well as to trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans. The firm operates within a vertically integrated structure and serves as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

Casey Fleisch is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 26 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2006. 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 with existing relationships through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm separates point-in-time planning services from ongoing discretionary management and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund, operating within a vertically integrated group that includes affiliated funds.

Eric Stanwick is a financial advisor at PNC Wealth Management with 22 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. His prior experience includes roles at LPL Financial, Wells Fargo, Mass Mutual Investors Services, and MetLife Securities. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only digital portfolio solution that uses algorithmic questionnaires to recommend risk bands and implements investments via approved model strategies managed by PNC or third-party strategists.

Robert Nimocks Jr. is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. and has 14 years of industry experience. He has been with First Citizens Bank and First Citizens Investor Services since 2016. Nimocks is a passive partner in Rankin Investments LLC, a family-managed commercial real estate investment entity. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm utilizes a client-focused approach combining fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios consisting of equities, fixed income, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Joshua Helms is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 18 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at TIAA and related entities since 2008, with additional experience at Crump Life Insurance Services and P.J. Robb Variable Corporation. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals and institutional clients, often those connected through TIAA-administered retirement plans. The firm offers a range of advisory services including life goals analysis and personalized portfolio management within a vertically integrated structure.

Ryan Ruff is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses with two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at First Citizens Bank and a year at Poplar Pointe Marine. First Citizens Investor Services serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses, providing advisory and brokerage services supported by fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis across various investment strategies.

Victor Carbone is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. Prior to joining TIAA-CREF, he held positions at Equitable Advisors LLC and the South Carolina Retirement System Investment Commission. He has also worked at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business and in educational roles at North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and Bishop McGuinness High School. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans, as well as to trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans. The firm offers model-based and customized portfolio management within a vertically integrated structure that includes affiliated funds and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

Jannah Keyes is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services in Charlotte, NC, with 11 years of industry experience. She holds Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and has worked at Truist Investment Services since 2018, including roles at BB&T Securities and BB&T Investment Services. Truist Advisory Services offers investment consulting, financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan services to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of client financial information, goal setting, asset allocation strategies, and manager recommendations on the Envestnet platform, supported by AI-enabled research tools and ongoing client reviews.

Marc Shepherd is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services based in Charlotte, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 16 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Union Financial, Optima Financial Services, Principal Securities Inc, Principal Life Insurance Company, MML Investors Services LLC, and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. Outside of advising, he serves as treasurer for his homeowners association and provides Medicare Supplement and Medicare Advantage insurance products to clients aged 65 and older. Principal Securities offers brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and business entities. The firm’s advisory services feature direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

Wendy Anderson is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 29 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with TIAA-CREF since 1993. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning, discretionary managed account programs, and broker-dealer services to individuals, trusts, estates, corporate entities, and small retirement plans. The firm also advises a donor-advised fund and operates within a vertically integrated structure employing affiliated funds.

Gayatri Ramesh is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with four years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Fidelity Investments and as a freelance tennis coach prior to joining TIAA-CREF. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing relationships through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm offers both point-in-time planning services and ongoing discretionary management, using model portfolios or customized strategies managed under client-approved investment policies.

Thomas Sims is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Schwab Wealth Advisory in Charlotte, NC. His prior experience includes positions at Vanguard Advisers, Inc. and MAI Capital Management, LLC. Schwab Wealth Advisory provides non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice and financial planning for clients enrolled in the Schwab Wealth Advisory program and certain Charles Schwab & Co.-referred clients, focusing on asset allocation and investment selection guided by proprietary research and standard asset-allocation models.