Nicole Petersen is a financial advisor with Navy Federal Investment Services, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and six years of industry experience. She has been with Navy Federal Credit Union and its affiliated entities since 2012. Navy Federal Investment Services primarily serves members of Navy Federal Credit Union along with individual investors and trusts, offering portfolio management, financial planning, retirement-plan fiduciary services, and an automated ETF-based Digital Investor product. The firm utilizes model portfolios managed by third-party managers through platforms like Envestnet, providing account monitoring, rebalancing, and additional overlay services.

Adrian Nicholson is a financial advisor at Arete Wealth Advisors, LLC with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Arete Wealth Advisors since 2020, previously working at Arete Wealth Management LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he co-hosts the investment-related podcast Retirement Lifestyle Show. Arete Wealth Advisors provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs both advisor-driven and proprietary model allocations, manages assets primarily on a discretionary basis, and incorporates third-party sub-advisers and due diligence processes in its investment approach.

Chaz Billak is a CFP® professional at Bogart Wealth, LLC with two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Bogart Wealth, he worked at Avenue Wealth and Carahsoft, and spent four years at Virginia Tech. Bogart Wealth serves individuals, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations with comprehensive financial planning and wealth management services. The firm utilizes model portfolios alongside specialized options such as direct indexing and private-market alternatives, combining fundamental equity analysis with top-down asset allocation.

Garrett Beckstrom is a CFP®-credentialed financial advisor with six years of industry experience. He is currently with United Capital Financial Advisors and has previously worked at Lincoln Financial Advisors, Ameriprise, and other firms. Outside of finance, he has experience in the food service industry with roles at Philly Pretzel Factory and Publico Kitchen and Tap. United Capital Financial Advisors provides national financial planning and discretionary investment management to a diverse client base, including individual and high-net-worth households, retirement plans, and institutional accounts. The firm supports customization in investment strategies and offers a broad affiliate network and technology platform that serves other independent advisors.

Craig Alden is a financial advisor with Founders Financial Securities LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 26 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Fortune Financial Services, Brooklight Place Securities, Gwn Securities, and Interactive Financial Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, Alden serves as a baseball umpire for college, high school, and recreational games. Founders Financial Securities serves a diverse client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers a range of services such as portfolio management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and brokerage and insurance services, utilizing various delivery methods including managed portfolios, third-party asset managers, and co-advised wealth management programs.

Thomas West is a financial advisor at SEIA with 30 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Signator Investors, Royal Alliance Associates, and SEIA, where he has been since 2011. West is the founder of LifeCare Affordability Plan, a sole proprietorship focused on financial planning for long-term care financing, and serves as CEO of Longevity Strategists LLC, a software-driven networking business in the financial services industry. SEIA serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, retirement plans, and institutional and charitable clients through a multi-team platform of approximately 140 advisors. The firm offers investment management, modular and comprehensive financial planning, and consulting services, utilizing a combined strategic and tactical investment approach guided by an in-house Investment Solutions Group and Investment Committee.

Mark Frenzel Sulyok is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with four years of industry experience. He is currently an advisor at Brighton Jones LLC, where he has worked since 2021. Prior to that, he was with Mcadam Financial and held roles at Dickinson College. Brighton Jones LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth families, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, business entities, and trusts. The firm provides comprehensive wealth management services including family office services, discretionary investment management, tax preparation, real estate consulting, and access to private investment opportunities through a holistic, balance-sheet approach.

Gabriella Cajina Schafer is an associate advisor at SEIA with nine years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. and SES LLC. Gabriella also holds a Virginia insurance license, though she is not a producer. SEIA serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, retirement plans, and institutional and charitable clients through a multi-team platform of approximately 140 advisors. The firm combines strategic macro asset-allocation with tactical adjustments using both quantitative and qualitative research, and it manages a majority of assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Christopher Hoffa is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with six years of industry experience. He has worked at Brighton Jones LLC since 2020, with prior experience at ANKURA Consulting Group and Dixon Hughes Goodman. Brighton Jones LLC serves a diverse client base including high-net-worth individuals, families, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm provides comprehensive wealth management services through a holistic, balance-sheet approach, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary management along with access to private investment opportunities.

James Ortlip is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 26 years of industry experience. He is currently with F. L. Putnam Investment Management Company and has previously worked at Kalos Capital, Inc. and AOG Wealth Management. F. L. Putnam serves a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, offering various investment management and advisory services including discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, family office solutions, and consulting. The firm uses a strategic asset allocation framework supplemented by internally managed strategies, third-party managers, and specialized offerings such as Optimized Indexing and AI-supported research.

Justin Harris is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with 26 years of industry experience. He is currently a principal at Cassaday & Co Wealth Management, LLC and has held roles at Cassaday & Company, Inc. and Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. outside of his advisory work, he is a senior partner in multiple LLCs and involved in insurance sales including life, disability, and long-term care insurance. Cassaday & Company manages investment portfolios and provides financial planning and retirement-plan consulting for individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and small businesses. The firm employs a long-term, Modern Portfolio Theory–based approach focused on diversified, buy-and-hold allocations using actively managed mutual funds, ETFs, and conservative fixed income securities.

Brendan Condron is a financial advisor at Cassaday & Company, Inc. with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Cassaday, he held roles at OSAIC, EaseAlert, The Selling Factory, and Kidball Baseball Inc. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and small businesses, managing approximately $7.14 billion in discretionary assets. The firm employs a long-term, asset-allocation driven investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory and offers a range of consulting and financial planning services, supported by various corporate affiliations.

Aidan Baron is a financial advisor with ValMark Advisers, Inc. holding a Series 66 license and one year of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at W3 Financial Group and Christopher Newport University. ValMark Advisers provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth investors, retirement plan sponsors, and institutional clients. The firm’s investment approach focuses on diversified, goal-based model portfolios and asset allocation, utilizing mutual funds, ETFs, and separate-account managers with oversight from an investment committee.

Chris Belchamber is a financial advisor at Brookwood Investment Group with 22 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at several firms including CB Investment Management, LLC, Belpointe Asset Management, LLC, and Great Lakes & Atlantic Wealth Management and Advisory Partners. He is also the author of two books, "UK Government Bond Market" and "Invest Like the Best." Brookwood Investment Group is a multi-advisor registered investment adviser managing approximately $1.06 billion for over 3,100 clients. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services using tailored portfolios that incorporate passive, active, tactical, and blended strategies.

Fabiano De Franco is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Sound Income Strategies, LLC since 2019 and concurrently owns Retirement Solution LLC, where he focuses on fixed insurance sales. Prior to that, he worked at ICMA Retirement Corporation from 2010 to 2017. Sound Income Strategies, LLC manages approximately $4.0 billion in client assets and serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm offers customized portfolio management with an emphasis on fixed-income analysis and equity evaluation, supported by a scalable advisor network and specialized family-office style services.

Lloyd Layton is a financial advisor with Realta Investment Advisors, Inc. in Ashburn, VA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 39 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Advisors. Realta Investment Advisors provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services and financial planning to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, and institutional clients. The firm employs a goal-oriented approach using asset allocation across a variety of investment vehicles and offers multiple portfolio management options including third-party manager programs and held-away account aggregation.

Harriet Fountain is a financial advisor with The Burney Company in Reston, VA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and four years of industry experience. She has been with The Burney Company since 2019 and previously worked at Macy's and Marshall's. The Burney Company serves mainly individual investors, including high net worth clients, as well as small businesses, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm manages approximately $3.59 billion in discretionary assets through a multi-team platform and offers discretionary equity portfolio management, financial planning, and tax preparation services via an affiliated CPA firm.

Kathleen Pena is a financial advisor at Spire Wealth Management, LLC with seven years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 and Series 63 designations. Her prior experience includes roles at Ameriprise, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase Bank, and JP Morgan Securities. Spire Wealth Management provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, corporations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $4.5 billion in assets for over 6,100 clients through a combination of advisor-led portfolios, model asset allocation strategies, and sub-advised solutions.

Matthew Plourde is a CFP® with three years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at AlphaCore Capital LLC. He previously worked at SPC Financial, Inc. and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Outside of his advisory work, Plourde engages in part-time gig economy work on Task Rabbit. AlphaCore Capital LLC is an independent wealth advisory firm serving individual, high-net-worth, entity, and institutional clients. The firm provides comprehensive wealth planning and investment management, emphasizing alternative investing alongside traditional strategies and managing accounts with a focus on multi-asset diversification and resilience.

Pamela Mudd is a CFP® professional with 22 years of industry experience. She is currently with AlphaCore Capital LLC and previously worked at SPC Financial, INC. and Sella & Martinic, LLC for over two decades. AlphaCore Capital LLC is an independent wealth advisory firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, entities, and institutional investors. The firm provides comprehensive wealth planning and investment management, focusing on both traditional and alternative investment strategies, and offers services including tax preparation, trustee services, and ERISA retirement plan advisory.