David Roper is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory in Germantown, MD, holding the PFS™ designation along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has 27 years of industry experience and has been with Kestra Advisory since 2016, additionally maintaining a role at Roper & Roper, P.C., where he serves as President in the tax and accounting field. Outside of financial advising, he is involved as a tax matters partner in a real estate business and holds a leadership position in a recycling company. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to institutional and individual clients, offering services such as fiduciary consulting, plan design, and employee education. The firm manages approximately $79.8 billion in assets and serves large institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds, through a range of proprietary and third-party managed solutions.

Daniel Avnaim is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory Services, holding a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Kestra Investment Services and involvement with the Associated Students at San Diego State University. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to institutional and individual clients, offering services such as plan design, fiduciary consulting, and employee education. The firm manages approximately $79.8 billion in assets and serves clients that include large institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds.

Melissa Holt is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 29 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Kestra in 2026, she worked at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney for 17 years. She also serves as a trustee and successor in various trust and estate roles. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to plan sponsors, institutional, and individual clients. The firm offers a range of services including fiduciary consulting, plan-level investment advice, and access to multiple management platforms and third-party solutions.

Christopher Hofmeister is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to his current role, he worked at Truist Bank and Bank of America. His background also includes a two-year period at Attaboy Brewery. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting along with third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

Tamara Trocha is a financial advisor at First Command Advisory Services with 14 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with First Command Advisory Services since 2015, having previously worked at affiliated entities since 2011. Outside of her advisory role, she serves as a township auditor for Hamiltonban Township. First Command Advisory Services is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, corporate, and charitable clients, with a particular focus on active-duty service members and their families. The firm provides financial planning and multiple wrap-fee asset management programs, utilizing a centralized Investment Management Team to design and manage model portfolios.

Katy Chase is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 12 years of industry experience. She is currently with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC and has prior experience at Lighthouse Financial Advisors and LPL Financial. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm that serves a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm employs a strategic investment approach combining passive and active management, guided by an internal Investment Committee and quantitative and fundamental research.

Charles Smith is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding a Series 66 credential and bringing 10 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Morgan Stanley and SunTrust Advisory Services. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a board member for Boy Scouts of America Troop 68. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a combination of discretionary manager relationships and consulting supported by a dedicated Equity Research team and integrates services across affiliated entities.

Michael Tedeschi is a financial advisor at Integrity Alliance, LLC with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at firms including Avantax Advisory Services, Cetera, and LPL Financial. Outside of his advisory role, he owns Visionairy Art, an AI art and t-shirt business. Integrity Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans through a network of 164 independent advisers. The firm offers continuous asset management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party manager programs, utilizing a variety of portfolio approaches and custodial platforms.

Michael Wali is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, holding CFP® and ChFC® designations and more than 40 years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at First Allied Securities, Inc. and Lighthouse Wealth Management prior to joining Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services in 2021. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning, asset management, retirement-plan consulting, and managed account referrals 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 managers, supported by an internal Investment Committee.

John Stakem Jr. is a financial advisor at Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. with six years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 designations and has worked with various entities under the Bankers Life umbrella since 2013. Outside of advisory services, he is also an insurance agent licensed to write Medicare Supplement, annuity, life, health, and long-term care insurance products. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals with tailored portfolio management and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to create customized investment strategies across multiple asset classes.

Christian Edwards Saliu is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (New York Life) holding a Series 66 designation and five years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at LPL Enterprise and The Prudential Insurance Company of America. Outside of advisory work, he is also an insurance broker providing sales and service for various insurance and annuity products. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse group of individual and institutional clients, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated representatives. The firm emphasizes tailored solutions and manages a substantial portion of its assets on a non-discretionary basis within the integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Janine Sam is a CFP® with five years of industry experience, currently advising at Empower Advisory Group. Her prior roles include positions at GWFS Equities, Inc. and teaching appointments at Shepherd University and Massey University. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, along with Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm’s services integrate with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, focusing on long-term portfolio returns and client savings rates through both standalone plans and managed account solutions.

Brian Ferguson is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc., holding a Series 66 designation and bringing 10 years of industry experience. He has worked with Bankers Life Securities, Inc. since 2016 and ProEquities, Inc. since 2015, alongside his ongoing role at Bankers Life since 2009. In addition to his advisory work, Ferguson serves as a Unit Supervisor and insurance agent, focusing on the sale and training related to non-variable insurance products. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and investment consulting primarily to mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals. The firm emphasizes customized asset allocation, tax efficiency, and a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis in its investment process.

Eric Kodish is a CFP® professional with 14 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with United Planners' Financial Services of America as a Limited Partner. He has managed multiple business ventures, including tax preparation and accounting firms as well as several real estate enterprises. Kodish’s career encompasses accounting and tax consulting alongside financial advisory roles. United Planners Financial Services is a national wealth-management enterprise serving a diverse client base including individual investors, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm offers advisory and brokerage services primarily through independent Investment Adviser Representatives and employs a range of custodians and third-party managers to implement its investment strategies.

Christopher Lawson is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding a Series 66 designation and 22 years of industry experience. He has worked at Truist Advisory Services and Truist Investment Services since 2021, and previously held roles at BB&T Securities and BB&T Investments from 2010 to 2021. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a mix of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting, supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

Stephen Wengryniuk is a financial advisor at PNC Wealth Management with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with PNC Investments since 2016. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including a Portfolio Solutions Strategist Digital Offering that uses algorithmic assessments and delegated portfolio management for its clients.

Bruce Johnson is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management in Frederick, MD. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 15 years of industry experience. Since 2010, he has worked with PNC Investments Inc. PNC Wealth Management provides retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only digital discretionary model account for employees. The firm uses algorithmic risk profiling and executes investments via approved models managed by PNC or third-party strategists, primarily through mutual funds and ETFs.

Andrew Mercer is a financial advisor with Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd., holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and with 24 years of industry experience. He has worked at Stratos Wealth Partners since 2016 and previously at LPL Financial LLC and Uvest Financial Services Group, Inc. Outside of advisory services, he is a Maryland state notary and owns an LLC named 1772 Productions. Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. is an SEC-registered enterprise adviser with approximately 379 advisors and $18.6 billion in assets under management, serving individuals, retirement plans, corporations, nonprofits, and other institutional clients. The firm operates on an IAR-driven model emphasizing customized portfolio management and employs an open-architecture platform integrating multiple third-party managers and overlay strategies.

Michael Russ is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Frederick, MD, holding Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and five years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at ErgoMotion and a lengthy tenure of 24 years at Serta Simmons Company. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base, including individual and institutional investors, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a broad network of affiliated advisers. The firm focuses largely on non-discretionary asset management and offers multiple advisory programs tailored to client and plan sponsor objectives within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

James Mc Neill is a financial advisor with T. Rowe Price Advisory Services, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and eight years of industry experience. He has been with T. Rowe Price since 2018. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a referee for men's and boys' lacrosse games through the Western Maryland Lacrosse Officials Association. T. Rowe Price Advisory Services offers retirement-focused financial planning and discretionary investment management to individual investors and households, utilizing proprietary mutual funds and ETFs in model portfolios guided by an online planning tool and supported by financial advisors.