Kyle Boyd is a financial advisor at Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC with 24 years of industry experience. He previously worked for Altavista Wealth Management, Inc. for 19 years before joining Beacon Pointe in 2022. Based in Asheville, NC, Boyd holds professional credentials pertinent to his advisory role. Beacon Pointe Advisors provides investment advisory and consulting services to individual and institutional clients, including charitable organizations and retirement plans. The firm employs a manager-driven investment approach using proprietary due diligence and a mix of active and passive strategies, and it sponsors proprietary investment vehicles and serves as an operating general partner for multiple private funds.

Paul Collins III is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Asheville, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and bringing 10 years of industry experience. His previous roles include positions at Triad Advisors, Peachtree Wealth Advisors, and Waddell & Reed. Collins has worked at Truist Investment Services since 2019. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting, supported by third-party platform and manager arrangements, to deliver its investment solutions.

Suzanne Bell is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Asheville, NC, holding Series 66 and Series 63 designations and 15 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Independent Investment Bankers Corp, Ba Securities, LLC, UpCountry Advisors, LLC, and Stillpoint Capital, LLC. She is also involved with SJH Synergy, LLC, a business she has been part of for 10 years. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as certain retail brokerage clients, using an integrated model aligned with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and client savings rates through point-in-time financial plans and managed account solutions.

Jeffrey White is a financial advisor at OSAIC Institutions, Inc. with 30 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at several firms including First Bancorp, Infinex Investments, Inc., and First Citizens Investor Services. OSAIC Institutions, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, ERISA retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients through a network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers customized advisory services, financial planning, ERISA plan support, and access to alternative investments, operating a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer model with both discretionary and non-discretionary assets.

Kathleen King is a financial advisor with Oppenheimer in Asheville, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 12 years of industry experience. She has been with Oppenheimer since 2012. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension plans, charitable organizations, and IRAs. The firm offers a range of investment and consulting services using both discretionary and non-discretionary approaches, managing equity, balanced, and fixed-income portfolios alongside tailored retirement solutions.

Hannah Kennicott is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Asheville, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and three years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Thrivent Financial, LPL Enterprise, and The Prudential Insurance Company of America. Outside of finance, she has experience working at Culver's Garden Center & Greenhouse. 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 and non-discretionary manager strategies and integrates advanced tools and inter-affiliate resources to support its investment offerings.

James Shand is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group in Asheville, NC. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been in the industry since 2026. His prior work experience includes roles at IngeniousIO, Callminer Inc, and various positions in the restaurant and catering industries. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm offers integrated services connected to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, focusing on long-term portfolio returns and client savings rates.

Barbara Ristow is a CFP® professional with 27 years of experience in the financial industry. She is currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and has previously worked at Buckingham Strategic Wealth, LLC, Focus Wealth Management, Ltd., Pinnacle Advisory Group, Inc., Securian Financial Services, Inc., First Horizon Advisors, Inc., and Capitol Securities Management, Inc. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients with wealth management, financial and tax planning, family office and business management, retirement plan consulting, and investment management services. The firm’s approach combines active and passive strategies within an enhanced open architecture framework, utilizing both fundamental and quantitative analysis alongside various portfolio overlay strategies.

Jose Velarde Gainza is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Empower, he held roles at First Horizon Bank and Northwestern Mutual, among other positions. 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 integrates its services with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms, offering proprietary and third-party planning methodologies focused on long-term portfolio returns and client savings rates.

Joshua Dillard is a financial advisor at Oppenheimer with Series 66 credentials and three years of industry experience. Prior to joining Oppenheimer, he was involved with Bhramari Brewing Company for eight years and briefly worked at Black Mountain Pizza & Ale House. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of programs and advisory services, including asset management, financial planning, and retirement consulting, with both discretionary and non-discretionary account management.

Lewis Akers Jr. is a CFP® with 29 years of industry experience, currently serving at Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC since 2022. His prior roles include nearly two decades at Altavista Wealth Management, Inc. and six years at Merrill. In addition to his advisory work, he owns a small tax preparation business focused on limited income tax returns. Beacon Pointe Advisors provides wealth advisory, consulting, financial planning, and outsourced chief investment officer services to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm combines asset-allocation modeling with third-party managers across active and passive strategies and offers proprietary private funds alongside comprehensive reporting and participant education.

Douglas Bridges Jr. is a CFP® professional with 24 years of industry experience, currently serving at VALIC Financial Advisors since 2006. He also holds an agent position with Agia, focusing on non-securities insurance products. VALIC Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-domiciled individual investors, including high-net-worth clients, and offers discretionary managed-account programs, financial planning, and brokerage services through its broker-dealer operations.

Eric Henry is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. in Asheville, NC, holding a Series 66 credential and nine years of industry experience. He has been with Bankers Life and its affiliated entities since 2004 and serves as a unit field trainer, recruiting and training new insurance agents. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. primarily serves mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, consulting, and retirement plan services. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to tailor asset allocations and manages portfolios across a range of securities based on clients’ goals and risk tolerances.

Mary Kiser is a CFP® professional with three years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC. Her prior experience includes five years at Altavista Wealth Management and roles at Cumberland Trust & Investment Co and Page and Windrow. Beacon Pointe Advisors provides investment advisory and consulting services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a manager-of-managers approach using a proprietary Focus List and offers discretionary wealth management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and outsourced CIO solutions.

Madison Ramella is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, with three years of industry experience. She is currently with Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and previously worked at Raymond James Financial Services Advisers. Outside of finance, she has experience working with Flour Shop. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, foundations, non-profits, and endowments, offering investment advisory services alongside financial, tax, retirement, and estate planning as well as family office services. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory and utilizes globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios with multi-factor tilts, implemented through ETFs, index funds, separate account managers, direct indexing, and other options.

Linda Puryear is a financial advisor at OSAIC Institutions, Inc. with 14 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Hometrust Bank and Infinex Investments since 2020, with prior experience at BB&T and its affiliates from 2011 to 2019. Outside of her advisory role, she serves on the finance committee of Children’s First/Communities in Schools and is the board treasurer for RiverLink, a local environmental nonprofit. OSAIC Institutions, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients. The firm offers customized advisory services through a network of representatives and operates a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer model with a focus on providing both discretionary and non-discretionary investment management.

Brendan Reidy Jr. is a financial advisor at Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC with 19 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at firms including The Mather Group, Mercer Global Advisors, Churchill Management Group, and US Trust Bank of America. Beacon Pointe Advisors provides investment advisory and consulting services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a manager-of-managers approach using proprietary due diligence and asset allocation strategies, and it sponsors proprietary investment vehicles and private funds.

Eric Hauser is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory who holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 30 years of industry experience. He has worked at Kestra Advisory since 2017 and previously held roles at Williams Financial Group and Valic Financial Advisors. Hauser operates under the DBA KB Elliot Financial Advisors, providing investment advisory and insurance services. Kestra Advisory Services offers investment advisory and retirement plan consulting to a diverse client base, including institutional and individual investors. The firm provides fiduciary consulting, plan design, and access to multiple management platforms, serving clients such as large institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds.

Donald Weidemann is a financial advisor with Oppenheimer who holds the CFP® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses. He has 38 years of industry experience, including roles at Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Global Markets before joining Oppenheimer in 2010. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a broad range of investment programs and advisory services, operating with a mix of discretionary and non-discretionary account management while maintaining custody of client assets.

James Novello is a financial advisor at Oppenheimer with Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Oppenheimer in 2024, he worked at John Hancock and its related entities from 2019 to 2023. He is also the owner of Glassmine Publishing LLC, an editing and publishing business started in 2024. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension plans, charitable organizations, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm offers a variety of advisory programs with a focus on both discretionary and non-discretionary management, including equity, balanced, and fixed-income portfolios, and maintains custody of client assets as a qualified custodian.