Donis Smith is a CFP® with 31 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with Rockefeller Financial LLC and Rockefeller Capital Management, having previously worked at UBS Financial Services for ten years. Smith serves on the board of the University of North Carolina Wilmington Foundation, where he leads meetings and represents the foundation and university at community events. He is also Treasurer of the Landfall Foundation, which awards grants to local charities. Rockefeller Financial LLC serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, institutional clients, retirement plans, foundations, and corporations. The firm offers a broad range of portfolio management and financial planning services and operates as a registered broker-dealer, providing integrated investment, insurance, and banking services through a Private Advisor model and a consolidated investment platform.

Conner Carvell is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding a Series 66 designation and three years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at The Vanguard Group, PNC, and Kish Bank. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm combines discretionary manager relationships with non-discretionary consulting, leveraging inter-affiliate resources and AI-enabled research tools to support its investment programs.

Richard Schrum is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC since 2014 and has also maintained an affiliation with LPL Financial since 2011. Independent Advisor Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, small businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, offering asset management, financial planning, and retirement consulting services. The firm utilizes discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management strategies and leverages technology platforms for asset aggregation and estate planning, operating through a network model with strong connections to LPL Financial.

Leigh Voli is a financial advisor at Commonwealth Financial Network with five years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 credential and has previously worked at RBC Capital Markets and V & V Financial. Her background also includes roles outside finance, such as involvement with Satellite Bar and Lounge and Hotel Ballast. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving approximately 2,900 affiliated advisors and managing about $212.7 billion in client assets. The firm offers a range of managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, retirement consulting, and custody services, supporting advisors with trading, reporting, and portfolio implementation options.

Daniel Cubbison is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and five years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at W&S Brokerage Services and Western & Southern Life. He was also involved with the Boy Scouts of America for one year. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and active-duty U.S. military personnel outside the United States. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

Chad Slate is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience. He is currently affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network and has held prior roles at Pathfinder Wealth Consulting, Raymond James Financial Services, and Pamela Fortenberry. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser supporting a national network of nearly 2,900 advisors and hundreds of thousands of clients. The firm offers a range of advisory services, including managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, retirement consulting, and custody/clearing services.

Scott Meyerson is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in Wilmington, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Commonwealth since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he owns My Time Holdings, LLC, an entity involved in managing real estate in Cullowhee, NC. Commonwealth Financial Network serves a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their retail and institutional clients, providing a range of advisory programs, wealth management, and retirement plan consulting. The firm supports affiliated advisors with operations, technology, investment management, compliance, and practice-management services.

Thomas Green III is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Truist Advisory Services since 2024, following roles at Truist Investment Services, Inc., Ascenus, and BB&T. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors and participants, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary approaches supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

Matthew Bryant is a CFP® certificant with 18 years of industry experience. He is currently with D.A. Davidson & Co., where he has worked since 2023. His prior roles include positions at Truist Advisory Services and Bb&T Securities. D.A. Davidson & Co. offers investment advisory and brokerage services to employer-sponsored retirement plans, individual investors—including high-net-worth clients—charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm provides ERISA retirement plan advisory services, comprehensive financial planning, and a private wealth program for clients with more than $20 million in net worth, operating under fiduciary standards and utilizing both qualitative and quantitative investment analysis.

Jonathan Dell is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 17 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and 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 operates within a vertically integrated group, providing both model portfolio and customized portfolio management under a fiduciary standard.

Keven Johnson is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Bank of America, Merrill, Robinhood Markets, USAA Investment Services, and The Vanguard Group. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and participants, delivering services integrated with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm focuses on long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing within plan lineups chosen by plan sponsors.

Bonnie Celia is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 15 years of industry experience. She has worked previously with Western Southern Life and WS Brokerage Service and is involved with Port City Mushroom, LLC. Transamerica Financial Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan services to individual investors, employer-sponsored plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm uses a model portfolio approach implemented through third-party managers and digital platforms, managing approximately $1.7 billion in assets under management.

Karen Jerabek is a CFP® with nine years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network. She previously worked at Edward Jones and owns Harbor Blue Financial, LLC, a private entity facilitating securities, advisory, and insurance business. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser supporting a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and managing over $212 billion in client assets through a broad platform of managed-account programs, third-party asset managers, and custody services.

Grant Sylvester is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor at Farther with two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Farther, he worked at Zermatt Wealth Partners for three years and spent time in various roles including at the University of North Carolina - Wilmington and Hickory Grove Christian School. Outside of his advisory role, he owns and operates Ashore Services LLC, a surface cleaning and pressure washing business. Farther provides discretionary investment management and advisory services primarily to individual investors, trusts, and estates through a web and mobile platform combined with in-person meetings. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based approach with algorithmic rebalancing and uses a range of investment vehicles including ETFs, mutual funds, individual equities, and fixed income.

Richard Sementa is a CFP® with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at D.A. Davidson & Co. He previously worked at Truist Advisory Services, Truist Investment Services, and BB&T Securities. D.A. Davidson & Co. offers investment advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including retirement plans, individual investors, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm provides ERISA retirement plan advisory services, comprehensive financial planning, and a private wealth program for high-net-worth clients, while operating under the Advisers Act fiduciary standard and offering municipal advisory and underwriting services.

Christina Rodriguez is a financial advisor with First Command Advisory Services, holding CFP® and ChFC® designations and industry licenses Series 63 and Series 65. She has 18 years of experience and has been with First Command and its affiliated entities since 2007. First Command Advisory Services is an SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, corporate, and charitable clients, with a particular focus on active-duty service members and their families. The firm provides financial planning and multiple wrap-fee asset management programs, delivering investment management through a centralized Investment Management Team and Wealth Portfolio Managers who design and monitor model portfolios.

Rebekah Fuller is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, currently with Mariner, where she has worked since 2023. She has prior experience at Goldfinch Wealth Management and Dehollander & Janse Financial Group. Before her financial advisory career, she spent nine years as a full-time parent. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations through investment management, financial planning, and additional services such as tax coordination and Core Family Office offerings. The firm employs a discretionary, customized portfolio approach supported by a combination of in-house research and third-party managers, with integrated tax and administrative services uncommon for a firm of its size.

Paul Edmunds is a CFP® with over 31 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Money Concepts Capital Corp since 2015. He also owns a CPA firm providing tax advice and preparation, a role he has held since 1988, and acts as co-trustee for a family trust. Money Concepts Capital Corp is an enterprise firm with approximately 431 advisors managing a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting, utilizing a combination of model portfolios, advisor-designed portfolios, and third-party sub-advisers.

Samuel Byrd is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in Wilmington, NC. He holds the Series 65 designation and has four years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Pathfinder Wealth Consulting and Live Oak Bank. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,900 affiliated advisors and hundreds of thousands of individual and institutional clients, managing roughly $212.7 billion in client assets. The firm provides a broad adviser-support platform including managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, and custody/clearing services.

Brian Sierer is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 17 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and previously worked at T. Rowe Price for 10 years before joining Empower in 2025. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management services primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and retail brokerage account holders. The firm’s approach integrates proprietary and third-party methodologies, focusing on long-term portfolio returns and clients’ savings rates within plan lineups selected by plan sponsors.