Harold Lockwood Jr. is a CFP® and ChFC® with 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. since 2021 and has prior experience at Truist and BB&T in various advisory and investment roles. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs a client process focused on assessing financial needs and risk tolerance, utilizing fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage diversified portfolios.

Douglas Merrigan is a CFP® professional with 28 years of experience in the financial services industry. He currently works at Schwab Wealth Advisory and previously held positions at The Vanguard Group, LPL Financial, and Uvest Financial Services Group. Outside of his advisory role, he manages a rental property in Ocean Isle Beach. Schwab Wealth Advisory serves clients enrolled in the Schwab Wealth Advisory program and certain Charles Schwab & Co.-referred clients by providing non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice, financial planning, and wealth management consultations. The firm’s approach includes asset allocation guidance based on proprietary Schwab models and research, with trade execution requiring client authorization.

Kimberly Chessler is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 17 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Citigroup Global Markets since 2006. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across private banking, workplace wealth management, and high-net-worth segments. The firm implements multi-asset, multi-manager investment strategies through discretionary and non-discretionary programs, offering a broad range of advisory services supported by extensive in-house research and execution capabilities.

Noel Simons is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott LLC with 26 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Wells Fargo Clearing, Bb&T Securities, Scott & Stringfellow, and Banc of America Investment Services. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, offering brokerage services, financial planning, consulting, and multiple advisory programs.

Robin Oles is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Rock Hill, SC, holding a Series 66 designation and 15 years of industry experience. She has been with TIAA-CREF since 2014. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund and provides a range of investment advisory services using both model and customized portfolios.

Dylan Power is a financial advisor at Cerity Partners LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC, and The Ayco Company, L.P./Mercer Allied. Cerity Partners advises a wide range of clients, including high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, estates, business entities, charitable institutions, and institutional investors, managing approximately $166.2 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2025. The firm offers customized wealth management services and combines proprietary quantitative screening and direct security selection with access to alternative and private market solutions for qualified clients.

Colton Mendenhall is a financial advisor with Guardian Life, holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Wells Fargo and Consolidated Planning. He also engages in independent insurance sales outside of Guardian Life. Guardian Life, through its subsidiary Park Avenue Securities, offers brokerage and advisory services to individuals, businesses, and organizations, combining advisor-led discretionary management with model-based strategies and a range of financial planning and consulting solutions.

Philip Jupp is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and four years of industry experience. His career includes roles at NYLIFE Securities LLC and New York Life Insurance Company, as well as entrepreneurial experience with Onno's Zona Colonial. He is also involved in insurance brokering through Main View Wealth, LLC. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors and institutional sponsors, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm offers multiple program types tailored to client objectives, with the majority of its assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.

George Lin is a CFP® professional with 20 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Creative Planning. Prior to joining Creative Planning in 2022, he worked at The Vanguard Group from 2005 to 2022. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, institutions, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach that emphasizes low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and selective private market exposure, managing approximately $295.6 billion in client assets.

Christopher Tietsort is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. in Charlotte, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has nine years of industry experience. He has been with Bankers Life Advisory Services and affiliated entities since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, he sells Medicare, extended care, life insurance, and fixed 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’s investment process focuses on customized asset allocation, periodic rebalancing, tax efficiency, and a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis.

Melissa Mitchell is a financial advisor with Janney Montgomery Scott in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and totaling 32 years of industry experience. Her prior experience includes six years at Wells Fargo Clearing before joining Janney Montgomery Scott in 2016. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base and offers a range of brokerage, financial planning, and advisory services through both in-house and third-party portfolio management.

John Riley is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience, currently working at Janney Montgomery Scott since 2022. Prior to joining Janney, he held roles at Truist Advisory Services and BB&T Securities. He serves on the local board of Ducks Unlimited in Memphis, TN, a nonprofit focused on land conservation. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, offering a range of advisory and brokerage services supported by in-house and third-party portfolio management.

Shawn Weber is a financial advisor at Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. with nine years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been associated with Bankers Life entities since 2001. In addition to his advisory role, he recruits and trains insurance agents for Bankers Life & Casualty, Inc. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals with discretionary portfolio management, investment consulting, and retirement plan consulting. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to tailor asset allocations and portfolio management based on clients’ goals and risk tolerances.

Michael Kreimer is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with 40 years of industry experience. He currently serves as an investment advisor representative at NewEdge Advisors, having previously worked with firms including Compass Securities Corporation and Raymond James Financial Services. Kreimer is also president of Ballantyne Financial Group LLC and conducts commission-based fixed insurance business through various general agents. NewEdge Advisors is an enterprise-scale registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services through a network of independent advisors, utilizing multiple program structures and centralized due diligence supported by technology tools.

Samuel Barden is a financial advisor at Rockefeller Financial LLC with 24 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Morgan Stanley and UBS Financial Services. Rockefeller Financial LLC serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, and institutional clients, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services. The firm operates as a registered broker-dealer and provides a consolidated investment platform delivering discretionary and non-discretionary solutions across multiple asset classes.

Jonathan Liles is a CFP® with 25 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC. His prior roles include positions at LPL Financial, Cetera Advisor Networks, and Carroll Financial Associates. He is based in Charlotte, NC. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers financial planning, asset management, and specialized consulting, employing a strategic investment process that combines passive and active management guided by an internal Investment Committee.

Gary Preslar is a financial advisor with AE Wealth Management, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 14 years of industry experience. He is the president of Preslar Financial Group, LLC, and has been involved in new home construction and real estate sales through Homes by Gary Preslar, LLC, since 2001. His prior roles include positions at Aspire Private Capital and Global Financial Private Capital, LLC. AE Wealth Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, trusts, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm provides a platform-centered approach combining model portfolios managed by internal and third-party strategists, discretionary asset management, financial planning, and plan services.

Ernest Glass Jr. is a financial advisor with Guardian Life in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 44 years of industry experience. He has been with Guardian Life since 1997 and has additional experience selling life and health insurance. Glass also serves as Secretary and Treasurer for the Orient Point Homeowners Association. Guardian Life, through its wholly owned subsidiary Park Avenue Securities LLC, provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm combines advisor-led discretionary management with model-based strategies, offering proprietary and third-party advisory solutions alongside access to insurance products and alternative investments.

James Baumann is a financial advisor at Equity Services, Inc. with two years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® and Series 63 designations. His prior work includes ten years with National Life Group and a year with Phit Performance. Baumann also works as an independent contractor in race management through a side business called START 2 FINISH. Equity Services, Inc. provides financial planning, consulting, and asset management to individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans. The firm offers multiple advisory platforms, combining long-term strategies with options for shorter-term trading, and utilizes third-party asset managers and model portfolios.

Robert Stiles Jr. is a financial advisor with Janney Montgomery Scott in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 46 years of industry experience. He previously spent 10 years at Robert W Baird before joining Janney Montgomery Scott in 2024. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a general partner in two real estate investment ventures, where his responsibilities include filing taxes. Janney Montgomery Scott is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base with a range of brokerage, financial planning, and advisory services supported by both in-house and third-party portfolio management.