Philip Ferrara III is a financial advisor at Merit Financial Advisors with 23 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® designation along with Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses. His prior experience includes roles at Scholar Financial Advising, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, and Larson Financial Group. Merit Financial Group is a multi-team SEC-registered advisory firm serving individual investors, employer-sponsored retirement plans, ESOPs, and other institutional clients. The firm emphasizes long-term, diversified asset allocation managed through centrally coordinated model portfolios and uses a combination of internal investment management and third-party sub-advisers.

John Hawkins is a financial advisor at United Brokerage Services, Inc. with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at FTB Advisors, PNC Bank, and Edward Jones. United Brokerage Services, Inc. provides investment advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, small businesses, and retirement plans. The firm’s investment approach includes strategic and tactical asset allocation, use of mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, third-party research, and tax-aware overlays, typically advising on a non-discretionary basis.

Ashwini Ahluwalia is a CFP® with 36 years of industry experience, currently serving at Prosperity Capital Advisors. Prior to joining Prosperity Capital Advisors in 2023, Ashwini held roles at firms including ONETEAM FINANCIAL LLC, Atlas Advisory Group, and MSI Financial Services. Ashwini is involved in social security planning and serves as a speaker for financial professional training programs. Prosperity Capital Advisors is an SEC-registered firm that provides financial planning, consulting, and discretionary investment management to individuals, high-net-worth investors, corporations, trustees, and retirement plans. The firm emphasizes model-based, asset-allocation strategies and ongoing portfolio supervision using model suites from providers such as BlackRock, Dimensional, and Vanguard.

Grant Russell is a CFP® with nine years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at HUB Investment Partners, LLC. He has previously worked at Millennium Advisory Services, Inc. and has been involved in lacrosse officiating associations since 2015. HUB Investment Partners serves a diverse client base including institutional investors, public entities, and individual clients. The firm employs a blend of active and passive investment strategies across various asset types, offering portfolio management, retirement planning, and specialized advisory services for banks and municipalities.

Sean Mcgill is a financial advisor at Verity Asset Management in Durham, NC, with 32 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been associated with Verity Financial Group and its affiliates since 2011. Mcgill is also a partner at PlanScope360, LLC, a plan administration business. Verity Asset Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser that offers discretionary portfolio management, model portfolio services, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning to individual, corporate, institutional, and other adviser clients. The firm employs a model-driven investment process emphasizing tactical asset allocation across diverse asset classes and manages a proprietary no-load mutual fund while serving as a sub-advisor and service provider to other advisers.

Elizabeth Boehne is a CFP® with two years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Abacus Wealth Partners. Prior to joining Abacus, she worked at Woodward Financial Advisors and has experience with Presbyterian Campus Ministry and the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. Abacus Wealth Partners provides financial planning, consulting, and investment management services to a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs an asset-class investing approach based on academic research, utilizing no-load mutual funds, ETFs, and passive institutional funds, and integrates ESG screening and private pooled vehicles into suitable portfolios.

Kurt Preble is a financial advisor with Verity Asset Management in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 24 years of industry experience. He has been with Verity Asset Management and its affiliated entities since 2000 and also serves as an independent consultant for TSP Pilot, LLC, focusing on Thrift Savings Plan consulting. Verity Asset Management is an SEC-registered adviser providing discretionary portfolio management, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning services to individual, corporate, institutional clients, and other advisers. The firm employs a model-driven investment process emphasizing tactical asset allocation across diverse asset classes and offers both internally managed and third-party models under fiduciary and ERISA standards.

Sujatha Avutu is a CFA® charterholder with seven years of industry experience. She is currently a financial advisor at Verity Asset Management and serves as a senior advisor for a private equity fund at Aston Peak. Avutu also holds a role as treasurer on the board of directors for New Leaf Behavioral Health, a not-for-profit organization in Raleigh, NC. Verity Asset Management is an SEC-registered multi-team advisory firm managing approximately $1.15 billion for a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plan sponsors and participants, institutional clients, and other registered investment advisers. The firm utilizes a largely model-based investment approach emphasizing tactical asset allocation and acts as a manager-of-managers through internal and third-party managed strategies.

Jerrold Bergner is a financial advisor with LaSalle St. Investment Advisors, L.L.C. He holds Series 63, 65, and 66 credentials and has 32 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at SCF Securities, Inc., SCF Investment Advisors, Inc., and Edward Jones. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a family trustee and guardian for a relative. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors provides personalized, fee-based financial planning and investment supervisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm offers both non-discretionary and discretionary management programs with a notable predominance of non-discretionary assets under management.

Connor Low is a financial advisor at Private Client Services, LLC with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Private Client Services in 2025, he worked for Northwestern Mutual in various capacities from 2022 to 2025. Outside of advisory work, he is involved in a residential and commercial cleaning business and real estate renovation and development ventures. Private Client Services is an independent SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, families, trusts, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a discovery-driven approach that focuses on risk profiling and tailored investment platform selection, offering a range of advisory options including proprietary wealth management and third-party asset manager programs.

Alison Yuk Ngai is a CFP® professional affiliated with CGN Advisors, LLC, with experience spanning several roles since 2020, including positions at Chinese Abraham Investment Advisors LLC and Sycamore Financial Planning LLC. She has also worked at Durham Academy for over a decade. CGN Advisors provides financial planning, investment consultation, and portfolio supervisory services to a diverse client base, utilizing various asset-allocation strategies and tax-aware investment vehicles. The firm serves individuals, trusts, businesses, pension plans, and charitable organizations, and offers additional services such as educational workshops and pension consulting.

Orlando Rosario is a financial advisor with SeaCrest Wealth Management, LLC in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 21 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, and Advised Assets Groups, LLC. SeaCrest Wealth Management is an SEC-registered multi-advisor firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a customized, long-term investment approach that combines fundamental and technical analysis and incorporates both internal and third-party AI tools as decision support.

Christopher Demetropoulos is a financial advisor at Modern Wealth Management, LLC with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked previously at Advisory Services Network, LFM Wealth Management, Team Wealth Investments, and Trillium Asset Management, LLC. He serves on the advisory board for First in Families of North Carolina. Modern Wealth Management, LLC is a multi-team SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $10.9 billion in assets. The firm provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and related services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and institutional clients, employing a centralized investment committee and a combination of model portfolios, third-party managers, and tactical adjustments.

Lorren Bryant is a CFP® with 36 years of industry experience, currently serving at Verity Asset Management. His career includes roles at Verity Investments, Inc., Verity Financial Group, and The Leaders Group Inc DBA Simplicity Investments. Outside of his advisory work, he is president of Manton Financial Services. Verity Asset Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser providing discretionary portfolio management, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning services to individual, corporate, institutional clients, and other advisers. The firm employs a model-driven investment process emphasizing tactical asset allocation across multiple asset classes and offers both internally managed and third-party models under fiduciary and ERISA standards.

Roy Ray is a financial advisor with Gibbs Wealth Management, LLC in Durham, NC, holding a Series 65 credential and having two years of industry experience. He has also served as CEO of Strategic Retirement Solutions, Inc., a firm focused on insurance-related products, since 2010. In addition to his advisory roles, Mr. Ray is involved in managing a commercial and residential rental property business. Gibbs Wealth Management provides discretionary investment advisory services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients through a model management program that utilizes third-party platforms and strategists. The firm focuses on assessing clients’ financial situations and risk tolerance to select and monitor model portfolios rather than managing individual securities directly.

Bruce Frankel is a CFP® with 23 years of industry experience, currently serving at Parallel Advisors, LLC since 2024. His prior roles include positions at MGO Private Wealth, Eckhoff Wealth Management, Yerba Buena Wealth Advisors, LPL Financial, and other firms dating back to 2003. Outside of financial advising, he is involved with AB Bedding, LLC, a bedding products company, where he provides strategic support. Parallel Advisors serves individuals, business entities, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations with discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a multi-strategy investment approach that includes fixed income, mutual funds, ETFs, independent managers, and options strategies, while using technology platforms to support tax-efficient rebalancing and portfolio management.

Colton Neighbors is a financial advisor with New Edge Wealth in Durham, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. He has two years of industry experience and has worked at firms including Fidelity Investments and Northwestern Mutual. New Edge Wealth primarily serves ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, as well as family offices, foundations, and institutional clients. The firm focuses on asset allocation and investor behavior, offering diversified portfolio management and advisory services enhanced by AI-assisted analytics combined with adviser judgment.

Peter Klas is a financial advisor with Verity Asset Management in Durham, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and 25 years of industry experience. He has worked at Verity Investments, Inc. and Verity Asset Management, Inc. for over a decade. Outside of his advisory role, he is also an insurance agent operating independently through Verity Financial Group, Inc. Verity Asset Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser offering discretionary portfolio management, model portfolio services, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning to individual, corporate, institutional clients, and other advisers. The firm employs a model-driven investment process focused on tactical asset allocation across diverse asset classes and manages both internally developed and third-party models while operating under fiduciary and ERISA standards.

Michael Wong is a financial advisor with Abacus Wealth Partners in Durham, NC. He holds a Series 65 designation and began his advisory career in 2026 after eight years at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and two years at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Abacus Wealth Partners provides financial planning, consulting, and investment management to a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, and institutional entities. The firm employs an asset-class investing approach grounded in academic research, utilizing primarily no-load mutual funds, ETFs, and passive institutional funds, while incorporating ESG screening and private pooled investments for qualified clients.

Jason Barbera is a CFA® charterholder with four years of industry experience. He has worked at Heritage Wealth Advisors since 2024 and previously held roles at Towards Equilibrium, LLC and SOJE Capital LLC. Heritage Wealth Advisors serves high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, business entities, non-profits, and retirement plans with portfolio management, financial planning, tax preparation, and retirement-plan advisory. The firm constructs personalized asset-allocation models and manages both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolios using a variety of investment vehicles while also acting as investment manager and general partner to multiple private investment funds.