Chase Smith is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with 10 years of industry experience. He has worked at Independent Financial Partners since 2023 and previously held roles at Anders Retirement & Investment Advisors, Madison Avenue Securities, LLC, and Anders & Anders Financial Group. Outside of his advisory work, Smith serves as a firefighter with the City of Orlando Fire Department. Independent Financial Partners is an enterprise firm that offers investment advisory, financial planning, trust, and retirement-plan services through a nationwide network of independent representatives. The firm manages over $12.5 billion in assets and provides both decentralized investment strategies and centralized asset management options, with a notable focus on retirement-plan advisory and pension consulting services.

Ronald Piccinini is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Tampa, FL, holding the ChFC® and Series 66 credentials and bringing 36 years of industry experience. He has worked at Principal Securities Inc. since 2016 and Principal Life Insurance Company since 2013. Outside of his advisory work, he owns ROPA Financial Services, a Subchapter S corporation through which he receives residual insurance commissions. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a wide range of clients, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions, with investment implementation typically carried out on a discretionary basis by affiliated or unaffiliated managers.

Noel Pearson is a financial advisor at Oppenheimer with two years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously founded and co-owned About Face Home Staging and Redesign, a home staging business in Alaska. He also worked with Core Real Estate Group for three years. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm offers a range of investment programs and advisory services, including discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management across equity, balanced, and fixed-income investments.

Matthew Barker is a financial advisor with J.W. Cole Advisors, Inc., holding a Series 66 designation and 17 years of industry experience. He has worked at J.W. Cole Advisors since 2010 and was previously with Cornerstone Financial Group from 2006 to 2022. Outside of his advisory role, Barker manages bookkeeping and payroll activities for his own wealth management and wealth-related businesses. J.W. Cole Advisors operates a large network of independent advisers and offers fee-based portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan services, and third-party manager platforms to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional accounts. The firm employs a mix of fundamental and technical analysis along with model- or manager-based strategies and provides access to multiple custodial platforms and digital advice providers.

Steve Athanassie is a Certified Financial Planner® with 30 years of industry experience. He currently serves at Independent Financial Partners, joining in 2024 after ten years at Provise Management Group, LLC. He is also the owner of Athanassie Capital Partners, LLC. Independent Financial Partners provides investment advisory, financial planning, trust, and retirement-plan services through a nationwide network of independent advisors. The firm supports a multi-advisor platform serving tens of thousands of clients and offers a decentralized advisory model with notable retirement-plan advisory and pension consulting capabilities.

Aaron Vanhorenbeck is a financial advisor with J.W. Cole Advisors, Inc. in Tampa, FL, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and having 10 years of industry experience. He has worked with J.W. Cole Advisors since 2018 and J.W. Cole Financial since 2016. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in managing client relationships and operations at Vanhorenbeck Financial Group and serves as president and secretary of Vanhorenbeck Wealth Partners, Inc. J.W. Cole Advisors operates a large network of independent advisers and offers fee-based portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan services, and access to third-party manager platforms for individual, high-net-worth, and institutional clients. The firm uses a range of discretionary and non-discretionary strategies and incorporates digital advice and multiple custodial platforms in its client solutions.

Brittney Axsom is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with two years of industry experience. Her prior work includes roles at Charles Schwab Bank and Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. She is also involved in a retail business, Tampa Bay Merch & Co, where she sells clothes, candles, bags, and stickers. Empower Advisory Group offers 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 emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and integrated services tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Stephanie Pritchard is a financial advisor at Sequoia Financial Group, L.L.C. in Tampa, FL, holding a Series 66 designation with five years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Fisher Investments, Deloitte, Charles Schwab Bank, Charles Schwab & Co., and Lockheed Martin Corporation. Sequoia Financial Advisors, LLC provides wealth planning, investment management, retirement-plan advisory, and consulting services to a diverse client base including individuals, family offices, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes a combination of model and custom portfolio management strategies, incorporating mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, private and alternative investments, and third-party managers.

Amy Rosa is a CFP® and holds the Series 66 designation with 15 years of industry experience. She is currently with Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC and Steward Partners Investment Solutions, LLC. Her prior experience includes roles at Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Rosa has also been involved in local political advocacy, working for the Frank Hibbard mayoral campaign in Clearwater. Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC is an enterprise-scale SEC-registered RIA managing approximately $36.7 billion in regulatory assets. The firm serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and various institutional clients through a range of advisory, financial planning, and managed account programs, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management solutions.

Gregg Hudak is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Gainesville, FL, holding a Series 66 designation and 18 years of industry experience. He has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 2007 and also serves as an agent for 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. The firm offers discretionary managed-account programs, wrap programs, financial planning, consulting, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet-developed UMA models and various overlay services.

Rick Uribe is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF, holding a Series 66 designation and six years of industry experience. He previously worked at Key Investment Services LLC, KeyBank, and Primerica. Outside of his advisory role, he co-owns income-producing apartment buildings in Ocala, Florida. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals and institutional clients, often those with existing employer retirement plan relationships. The firm offers a range of investment services including model-based and customized portfolios, and serves as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

Osvaldo Cuevas is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Clearwater, FL. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has 31 years of industry experience, including over a decade at Truist Advisory Services and Truist Investment Services. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors and participants, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation and investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program, implementing advice through both discretionary and non-discretionary strategies with oversight from its Equity Research and Investment Advisory teams.

Melisa Lloyd is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with 22 years of industry experience, currently with J.W. Cole Advisors, Inc. since 2016. She is the owner of American Executive Tax & Financial Services LLC, which provides securities, tax preparation, investment services, insurance, and divorce planning. J.W. Cole Advisors operates a large network of independent advisors and offers fee-based portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan services, digital advice, and annuity sub-account management for individual, high-net-worth, and institutional clients. The firm uses a mix of fundamental and technical analysis, model and manager-based strategies, and provides access to various custodial platforms and third-party investment advisers.

Lynne Boyle is a financial advisor with Guardian Life and holds a Series 66 designation. She has nine years of industry experience, including her current role at Park Avenue Securities since 2017. Boyle is president of Westshore Benefits, an investment-related business based in Tampa, FL. 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, charities, and businesses. The firm offers advisor-led discretionary management combined with model-based strategies, access to insurance products and alternative investments, and a range of financial planning and consulting services.

Sheila Ross is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 28 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has been with TIAA and TIAA-CREF since 2012, following a two-year tenure at Nuveen Securities. Outside of her advisory role, she serves as president of the Phi Kappa Tau Delta Gamma Chapter Parents Club, a nonprofit supporting the fraternity chapter at Ole Miss. 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 employer retirement plan relationships, as well as to various entities and small retirement plans. The firm’s advisory model differentiates between one-time planning services and ongoing portfolio management, delivering customized investment strategies under a fiduciary standard.

Donald Marks is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Tampa, FL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and with 13 years of industry experience. He has been associated with New York Life and its affiliated entities since 2012, and he operates under Ingram & Marks Financial Resources, brokering insurance products alongside his advisory work. Marks also holds a role as an insurance broker with various outside carriers. Eagle Strategies serves individual and institutional clients by providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated advisors. The firm offers multiple program types and emphasizes tailoring recommendations to client objectives, managing a substantial portion of assets on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life structure.

Christopher Ezzo is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in Largo, FL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 31 years of industry experience. He has been affiliated with Commonwealth Equity Services, Inc. since 1997. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in commercial real estate property management in St. Petersburg, FL. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their retail and institutional clients. The firm provides a range of advisory programs and back-office support, including investment management, compliance, and practice-management services.

Sharon Herman is a financial advisor with Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC and holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. She has 24 years of industry experience, having also worked with LPL Financial and Independent Financial Partners. Herman serves as a board member for a nonprofit organization in Dunedin, Florida. Independent Advisor Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, small businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, offering asset management, financial planning, and retirement consulting. The firm employs a network model of advisory representatives and leverages technology platforms alongside discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management strategies.

Roger Silvera is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Tampa, FL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 18 years of industry experience. His prior roles include work with MassMutual, Transamerica Financial Advisors, and LLWP Wealth Partners. He is also the owner of Compass Financial Pathways LLC, under which he brokers non-registered insurance products. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated representatives. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations and manages a substantial portion of assets on a non-discretionary basis, with particular expertise in retirement plan consulting and advisory services linked to insurance and annuity products.

Samantha Vanhorenbeck is a financial advisor at J. W. Cole Advisors, Inc. in Tampa, FL, with three years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at firms including Formulated Solutions and Reynolds American. J. W. Cole Advisors operates a large network of independent Investment Adviser Representatives and provides a range of services including fee-based portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional accounts. The firm employs a mix of fundamental and technical analysis, model or manager-based strategies, and incorporates digital advice and multiple custodial platforms in client solutions.