Jennifer Astles is a financial advisor with Raymond James Financial in Concord, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations. She has 20 years of industry experience, including 13 years at Wells Fargo Advisors and over six years with Raymond James and Pinnacle Bank/Pinnacle Financial Partners. Astles also works as an associate at Pinnacle Asset Management, supporting financial advisors and client services. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. provides financial planning, investment consulting, and advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm offers tailored, non-discretionary planning and consulting, utilizing analytical tools and models to support client goals, and maintains specialized programs in municipal and public finance as well as employer retirement plans.

Mark Thomas is a financial advisor at Cambridge Investment Research Advisors with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Cambridge Investment Research, OneAmerica Securities, and W&S Brokerage Services. Thomas serves as a board member for Cabarrus Area Crime Stoppers and is a commissioned notary public. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors is a large SEC-registered firm serving a diverse client base that includes individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and retirement-plan sponsors. The firm offers financial planning, investment management, and retirement advisory services through a network of independent professionals, utilizing both proprietary and third-party strategies across various platform arrangements.

William Rankin is a financial advisor with Thrivent Investment Management in Concord, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and 15 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Robinhood Financial, Equitable Advisors, and MassMutual. Thrivent Investment Management provides Dedicated Planning Services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit clients, focusing on holistic, goal-based financial analyses without discretionary trading authority. The firm offers planning engagements as either one-time or ongoing relationships and combines planning with managed-account programs through a consolidated billing option called “WealthPlan.”

Stephen Kidd is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 27 years of industry experience. He previously worked for Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. for 12 years before joining LPL Financial in 2023. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, banks, corporations, and charitable organizations through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of financial planning and advisory programs, including discretionary and non-discretionary management, with access to model portfolios, research, and various investment strategies.

Sheryl Johnson is a financial advisor with LPL Financial based in Salisbury, NC, holding a Series 63 designation and 39 years of industry experience. She previously worked at LPL Financial, LLC from 1986 to 2019 before rejoining the firm in 2025, and has also been associated with SCF Investment Advisors, Inc and SCF Securities, Inc since 2019. Outside of her advisory work, she is involved with Skorpik Johnson Farm in South Dakota. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, financial institutions, and charitable organizations through a national network of advisers. The firm offers financial planning, advisory programs, retirement plan consulting, and brokerage services, utilizing model portfolios and research from multiple sources, with both discretionary and non-discretionary management options.

Jason Holt is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in Kannapolis, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 30 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Linsco Private Ledger Corp for 25 years. His outside activities include serving as an independent insurance agent specializing in fixed insurance products. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, banks, corporations, and charitable organizations through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a variety of advisory programs, financial planning, retirement consulting, and brokerage services with discretion over a broad range of investment strategies and access to extensive research and technology.

Stephen Smith is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 15 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC and Wachovia Bank, N.A. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as an umpire in local recreational sports leagues. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm utilizes research and analytics to guide investment decisions and offers a wide range of brokerage and advisory solutions.

Raif Todd is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Salisbury, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and having 30 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2016. Outside of his advisory role, he is co-president of a family rental property business in Monterey, California. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients, offering a range of advisory programs and investment options supported by a large network of financial advisors and branch offices.

Stephanie Houghton is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. Her prior roles include work at Kidd Financial Investments with Ameriprise Financial, Morgan Ridge Vineyards, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and East Rowan High School. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, financial institutions, corporations, and charitable organizations through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, financial planning, retirement consulting, and brokerage services, utilizing model portfolios, third-party subadvisors, and various technology-driven investment strategies.

Patrick Dunston is a CFP® with 12 years of industry experience and has been with Edward Jones since 2013. He is based in New London, NC. Outside of his advisory role, he is a member of Mallard Pig LLC, an entity intended to potentially hold real estate property. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients with approximately $1.01 trillion in assets under management. The firm offers a range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment strategies, tax-efficient services, and operates under a fiduciary standard.

Caroline Collins is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with nine years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has been with Edward Jones since 2001. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of investment strategies and advisory services supported by a large nationwide network of financial advisors and branch offices.

Daniel Richardson is a financial advisor at Thrivent Investment Management in Concord, NC. He holds a Series 66 designation and has professional experience at Lincoln Financial and Liberty Life Assurance prior to joining Thrivent. Richardson has been with Thrivent and its affiliated entities since 2025. Thrivent Investment Management provides Dedicated Planning Services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits through a network of financial advisors. The firm offers holistic, goal-based financial planning covering a wide range of topics and combines planning with managed-account programs under a consolidated billing arrangement called “WealthPlan,” while maintaining separation between planning and portfolio management.

Erik Johnson is a CFP® professional with 27 years of experience in the financial industry. He is currently with LPL Financial, where he has worked since 2025, and previously spent 20 years at LPL Financial, LLC (formerly LINSCO/PRIVATE LEDGER CORP.), as well as six years at SCF Investment Advisors, Inc. and SCF Securities, Inc. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves a wide range of clients, including individuals, retirement plans, banks, corporations, and charitable organizations through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers various advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and brokerage services, utilizing model portfolios, research, and technologies such as machine learning.

Thomas Harding is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor at Edward Jones with five years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2020 and previously worked at Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. from 2010 to 2019. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets through a network of over 23,700 advisors and offers a range of investment strategies, including discretionary and non-discretionary wrap fee programs, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds.

Djibril Diallo is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with securities registrations including Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66. He has been with Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. since 2025. Prior to this, he held various roles including at The UPS Store and NorthStone Masonry. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $671 billion in assets and offers both brokerage and advisory solutions supported by research from Wells Fargo Investment Institute and third-party sources.

Charles Ketner is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Salisbury, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Equitable Advisors since 1999 and previously worked with AXA Advisors, LLC for 21 years. Equitable Advisors serves individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, corporations, and charitable organizations by providing financial planning, retirement-plan support, and access to asset management through LPL programs and third-party asset managers. The firm uses a hybrid referral and implementation model, tailoring services through a client intake process and offering both advisory and brokerage/insurance channels to implement client recommendations.

Cameron Hunt is a financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities, holding Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and one year of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase Bank. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC provides investment consulting and advisory services primarily to institutional clients and retirement plan sponsors, combining quantitative asset-allocation modeling with centralized due diligence and an ESG eligibility framework to guide investment recommendations.

Diana Decuir is a financial advisor at Merrill with four years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Bank of America and its affiliate Merrill Lynch since 2022, following a 16-year tenure at Bank of America. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program, offering model-based and discretionary strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and various institutional investors.

Davis Whitley is a financial advisor with MML Investors Services, LLC, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses, with 42 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Metlife Securities Inc. for 40 years before joining MassMutual Life Insurance Company and Mass Mutual Investors Services. Outside of advising, he serves as a North Carolina notary public and operates a health and group insurance sales business. MML Investors Services, LLC is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser affiliated with MassMutual that provides comprehensive financial planning and asset management services to individuals, business owners, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers collaborative, annual financial planning engagements using firm-approved tools and supports event-driven planning services such as estate settlement and divorce planning.

James Richardson III is a CFP® professional affiliated with Edward Jones, where he has worked since 2000, accumulating 25 years of industry experience. Based in Kannapolis, NC, he holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets with a nationwide network of more than 23,700 financial advisors and offers a range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment strategies alongside affiliated mutual funds and other services.