Marcus Fryar is a CFP® professional with 19 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Fryar Financial in Durham, NC. His prior roles include positions at Cetera Investment Advisers LLC and HD Vest Advisory Services. Outside of advising, he owns Fryar Management Group LLC, which provides accounting, tax, and payroll services to individuals, businesses, and nonprofits. Fryar Financial offers financial planning and asset management to individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as retirement plan sponsors. The firm emphasizes tailored financial planning and non-discretionary portfolio management, with a focus on ERISA plan services including investment policy creation, monitoring, fee oversight, and participant education.

Alexander Hearley is a financial advisor at Top Rank Wealth Management, LLC with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has held prior roles at firms including RedHawk Wealth Advisors, Inc and CETERA Advisor Networks LLC. In addition to his advisory work, he is an insurance agent selling life, health, disability, annuities, and long-term care products. Top Rank Wealth Management provides discretionary asset management and financial planning services tailored to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses a combination of technical, charting, and quantitative analysis with both long- and short-term strategies, and maintains separate account management practices with custodial statements sent directly to clients.

Samuel Miesmer is a financial advisor at Trillium Square Advisors LLC in Raleigh, NC, with one year of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Fidelity Investments from 2022 to 2025. His background also includes roles in the restaurant industry and a period of employment at The College for Financial Planning. Trillium Square Advisors serves individuals, small businesses, retirement plans, and institutional clients through financial planning, portfolio management, and corporate cash management services. The firm employs a blend of active management and quantitative techniques, including algorithmic trading and multi-strategy portfolios, and offers ongoing supervision alongside educational seminars.

August Pye is a financial advisor with Integrated WealthCare, LLC and holds a Series 65 designation. He has been with Integrated WealthCare since 2024 and has prior experience with Home Tax Solutions LLC and involvement with the YMCA of the Triangle at Camp Sea Gull. Outside of his advisory role, he is a licensed insurance agent. Integrated WealthCare is an SEC-registered wealth management firm that primarily serves physicians and medical professionals, as well as high-net-worth individuals, families, business owners, and retirement plans. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory, using documented risk assessments and client-specific Investment Policy Statements to implement globally diversified portfolios.

James Castleman Jr. is a financial advisor at AdvisorsTrust Partners LLC with 14 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked previously as a consultant and at CoVest Asset Management. Castleman is based in Raleigh, NC. AdvisorsTrust Partners LLC provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to tailor investment advice primarily on a discretionary basis, managing approximately $435.3 million in regulatory assets across about 172 client relationships.

Russell Kroeger is a CFP® professional with 10 years of industry experience. He is currently with Upstart Wealth Management, LLC and Paradigm Wealth, Inc. (Trayecto), where he is the Founder and CEO, focusing on designing and building technology products for financial advisors and consumers. His prior experience includes roles at Michael Powsner CPA, Paradigm Wealth Architects, LLC, and Yeske Buie Inc. Upstart Wealth Management provides investment management and comprehensive financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs discretionary, asset-allocation strategies using model portfolios and a range of implementation vehicles, including derivatives and margin, which are uncommon among peer team firms.

James Brown is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with 15 years of industry experience. He currently works at Minerva Planning Group, where he has been since 2024, following 13 years at Vaughan-Brown Wealth Management. Minerva Planning Group serves individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as trusts, estates, and other investment advisors, offering discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm emphasizes a long-term asset allocation approach using low-cost, diversified mutual funds and ETFs, particularly Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) funds, combined with fundamental analysis and selective use of individual securities.

Eric Schrum is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience, currently serving at Schrum Private Wealth Management, LLC in Raleigh, NC. He has worked at Founders Wealth Management and Planning since 2017 and had a prior role at Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC. Schrum Private Wealth Management offers investment and wealth management services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, utilizing a blend of Modern Portfolio Theory and behavioral finance to construct diversified, low-cost portfolios. The firm emphasizes long-term investing with periodic tactical adjustments and incorporates tax-aware strategies such as tax-loss harvesting.

Lisa Gabriel is a CFP® and ChFC® with 21 years of industry experience. She has been with Pinafore Wealth Counsel Inc. since 2014. Gabriel serves as a board member and occasional instructor at Duke University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, where she teaches classes on financial, retirement, and legacy planning. Pinafore Wealth Counsel provides investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and financial transition planning to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm manages approximately $174 million for about 100 clients, constructing tailored portfolios using a variety of securities and employing fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis, while also offering insurance products and Financial Transition Planning services.

Michael Fenchak is a financial advisor at Top Rank Wealth Management, LLC with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at RedHawk Wealth Advisors, Evergreen Wealth Advisors, Bank of NY Mellon, and Willis Towers Watson, among others. Top Rank Wealth Management is a state-registered advisory firm that offers discretionary asset management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm utilizes technical, charting, and quantitative analysis within customized investment programs and maintains close operational ties to affiliated insurance and legal-planning businesses.

Austin Brown is a CFP® professional with eight years of experience in financial advising. He is currently with Bolin Creek Wealth Advisors LLC, where he has worked since 2023. Prior to this, he spent ten years at Woodward Financial Advisors, Inc. Bolin Creek Wealth Advisors is a fee-only firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and estates through comprehensive financial planning and discretionary investment management. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based approach, focusing on diversified, low-cost funds and personalized allocation strategies developed through client risk assessment.

Daniel Braddock is a financial advisor with Almega Wealth Management in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 65 designation and three years of industry experience. He has worked at Almega Wealth Management since 2022 and also owns an insurance agency, Scott Braddock Financial. Almega Wealth Management advises individuals, families, small businesses, retirement plans, and charitable organizations using a primarily passive investment approach with index mutual funds and ETFs, while offering customized active strategies for complex situations. The firm operates multiple offices and includes affiliated tax services, educational content, and quarterly client reporting.

Joshua Stilley is a financial advisor at TrustStone Wealth Partners, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation with seven years of industry experience. He previously worked at Gordon Asset Management, LLC for six years and has experience at Coastal Carolina University. Stilley is the owner of JVS Financial L.L.C., a holding company, and is a licensed insurance agent. TrustStone Wealth Partners provides portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm emphasizes tailored investment portfolios primarily using ETFs and incorporates multiple analysis methods and both long- and short-term strategies.

Benjamin Scarbrough is a financial advisor at Stone Legacy Capital LLC in Raleigh, NC. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been working in the industry since 2024, with prior experience at Equitable Advisors, LLC and George Pickett & Associates. He spent ten years as a full-time student before beginning his advisory career. Stone Legacy Capital LLC is an independent firm providing discretionary investment management and tailored financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm operates as a solo practice, managing approximately $4.9 million in client assets, and offers financial planning in three tiers alongside investment management using various analytical methods.

Michael Palmer is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving at Ark Royal Wealth Management LLC since 2015. He is based in Raleigh, NC, and is one of three advisors at the firm. Ark Royal Wealth Management LLC provides investment advisory and portfolio management services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm follows a long-term investment approach grounded in Modern Portfolio Theory, emphasizing diversified, low-cost passive funds and utilizes statistical analysis and DFA research for risk-return profiling.

Gray Pendleton is a CFP® professional with 13 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Pendleton Financial Wealth Management in Raleigh, NC. His career includes roles at Concourse Financial Group Securities and operating his own entities since 2010. Outside of advisory work, he runs an educational YouTube channel on financial planning, authors financial planning books, and produces original music distributed on streaming platforms. Pendleton Financial Wealth Management provides investment management and financial planning to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm employs a long-term, buy-and-hold investment approach using modern portfolio theory and fundamental analysis, and offers pension plan consulting alongside educational seminars and client newsletters.

Fred Lowry is a financial advisor with BrightPath Wealth Advisors LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 65 designation and four years of industry experience. He is also an adjunct professor at Wake Tech Community College and operates a sole proprietorship focused on insurance sales. Additionally, he consults for Trivecta, a spa and facial sales business. BrightPath Wealth Advisors serves individual and high-net-worth clients as well as corporate entities, providing discretionary portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning. The firm develops customized investment policy statements, employs fundamental analysis, and offers public educational seminars.

Anessa Custovic is a financial advisor at Cardinal Retirement Planning, Inc. in Durham, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with six years of industry experience. She has held various roles within Cardinal Retirement Planning since 2020 and was self-employed as a dog trainer starting in 2018. Prior to her advisory career, she worked at Tower Street Associates and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Cardinal Retirement Planning primarily serves pre-retirees and retirees, high-net-worth individuals, businesses, and non-profits, offering a range of financial planning, portfolio management, and consulting services. The firm employs a top-down investment approach integrating quantitative models with fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, and features unique capabilities such as in-house econometric research and the use of borrowing within separately managed accounts.

Evan Mccormick is a financial advisor at Investors Mosaic with 12 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Investors Mosaic since 2013. The firm provides fee-based wealth management, investment management, and financial planning services to individuals and families, primarily in the mass-affluent to high-net-worth spectrum. Investors Mosaic uses a blend of passive, low-cost asset-allocation strategies alongside an active Growth equity model for legacy clients, serving a small client base with approximately $148.4 million in assets under management.

Ryan Thomsen is a financial advisor with First Oak Wealth Management, LLC in Raleigh, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has 15 years of industry experience. Thomsen previously worked at Great Lakes & Atlantic Wealth Management and Oak City Consulting, LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he has ownership in a rental property business. First Oak Wealth Management provides financial planning, investment management, and consulting services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable accounts, and trusts. The firm manages approximately $316 million in discretionary assets and employs a diversified investment approach supported by an outsourced chief investment officer and AI tools for operational support.