Carolyn Smith is a financial advisor with ValMark Advisers, Inc. She holds a Series 66 designation and has 21 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Lion Street Advisors and Kestra Financial Services. Outside of her advisory work, she is a senior partner at C3 Financial Partners, where she is involved in the sales and service of life, disability, and long-term care insurance. ValMark Advisers provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth investors, retirement plan sponsors, and institutional clients. The firm’s approach focuses on diversified, goal-based model portfolios and asset allocation, utilizing a range of proprietary and third-party platforms and investment products.

John Dix Jr. is a financial advisor at Arax Advisory Partners in Dallas, TX, with 53 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors and USCA Securities LLC. Arax Advisory Partners is a multi-team SEC-registered wealth manager overseeing approximately $26.5 billion in assets and serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, family offices, institutions, and retirement plans. The firm offers a range of services including financial planning, portfolio management, retirement plan consulting, and advisory services to pooled private funds, utilizing a combination of internal portfolio management, third-party models, and tailored asset allocation.

Mark Gehlbach is a financial advisor at True North Advisors, LLC in Dallas, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 26 years of industry experience. He has been with True North Advisors since 2000. True North Advisors serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, trusts, endowments, and other institutions by providing comprehensive financial planning, portfolio management, and consulting services. The firm employs a fundamentally driven, bottom-up investment approach with a focus on value-oriented strategies and organizes portfolios across four Functional Asset Classes: Equities, Fixed Income, Diversifiers, and Private Investments.

Philip Kistler is a CFA® charterholder with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving at Turtle Creek Trust in Dallas, TX. He has been with Turtle Creek Management since 2006, totaling 20 years at the affiliated firm. Turtle Creek Trust provides investment management and separately managed account services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm emphasizes fundamental analysis across equity, fixed income, and balanced strategies and manages most assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Jordan Schwartz is a financial advisor with Strategic Wealth Investment Group, LLC in Louisville, KY, holding a Series 65 designation and 10 years of industry experience. He is the owner of Jean and Jordan, LLC, a virtual success coaching company, and maintains a blog targeted at millennials. His prior experience includes roles at Bass Realty and operating independent leasing and consulting businesses. Strategic Wealth Investment Group serves individual clients, including high-net-worth households, and select business entities by providing discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis to develop tailored investment plans, which are typically managed on a discretionary basis and may include allocations to private placements and externally managed vehicles.

Dan Hoey is a financial advisor with Trajan Wealth, L.L.C. holding a Series 65 designation and four years of industry experience. His prior work includes positions at Fisher Investments and Goldman Sachs. Trajan Wealth, L.L.C. provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a long-term, disciplined investment approach that incorporates stocks, ETFs, and occasional mutual funds, with portfolios tailored to client-specific factors such as risk tolerance and tax considerations.

Duane Roberts is a CFA® charterholder with 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Dana Investment Advisors, Inc. since 2008. Dana Investment Advisors, Inc. is an independent investment management firm serving individual and institutional clients, including pension plans, high-net-worth individuals, banks, insurance companies, and public-sector entities. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary equity and fixed-income portfolio management with an emphasis on relative-value equity selection and fixed-income strategies focused on income and credit quality, incorporating ESG screening and client-directed social or faith-based exclusions.

Angela Tacco is a financial advisor with Level Four Advisory Services in Fort Worth, TX, holding a Series 66 designation and 15 years of industry experience. She previously worked at Edward Jones from 2010 to 2019 before joining Level Four Financial, LLC, and Level Four Advisory Services. Outside of her advisory role, she volunteers as a retirement planning educational seminar facilitator with AARP and serves as an instructor at Tarrant County Community College and Texas Christian University. Level Four Advisory Services is an SEC-registered enterprise investment adviser managing approximately $5.32 billion across 115 advisors and 13,865 client relationships. The firm serves a diverse client base including individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, corporations, and charitable organizations, providing fee-only financial planning, asset management, and retirement plan advisory services.

Kris Maksimovich is a financial advisor at Merit Financial Advisors with 25 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Global Wealth Advisors and Commonwealth Financial Network from 2008 to 2025 before joining Merit Financial Group. Outside of his advisory work, Maksimovich owns KTM Vans, LLC, which holds a sprinter van used for sports-related travel and remote work. Merit Financial Group, LLC manages approximately $10.6 billion and serves a diverse client base including individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a long-term, diversified investment approach utilizing model portfolios and modular sleeves that advisors can tailor through various investment vehicles, with oversight from a central Investment Management team and committee.

Nelson Kamimura is a financial advisor at USAA Investment Services Company with 15 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked in various roles within USAA, including positions at USAA Life Insurance Company and USAA Financial Advisors Inc. USAA Investment Services Company provides retirement-focused advice and referral services primarily to USAA members and individual investors through phone and digital channels. The firm delivers a Retirement Income Strategy Report and facilitates client referrals to third-party broker-dealers and advisers rather than managing client assets directly.

Sharran Hood is a financial advisor with First Advisors National, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and possessing 12 years of industry experience. Prior to joining First Advisors National, Hood worked at Primerica Advisors for five years and has been involved with Primerica Financial Services for over a decade. Outside of advisory work, Hood is engaged in independent sales of insurance products. First Advisors National manages discretionary assets for individual and high-net-worth clients, offering investment management, third-party portfolio recommendations, and retirement plan consulting. The firm emphasizes selecting and monitoring third-party money managers and combines tactical and strategic investment approaches with fundamental analysis for supplemental security recommendations.

Angela Raley is a financial advisor with BOK Financial Securities, Inc. in Plano, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 12 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Hilltop Securities Inc., BBVA Securities Inc., and JPMorgan Securities LLC. BOK Financial Securities, operating as BOK Financial Advisors, serves a diverse client base including individual investors, corporations, retirement plans, government agencies, and institutional clients. The firm offers non-discretionary, fee-based investment management through its Guided Portfolio Solutions program, with investment research provided by an affiliated advisory firm.

Andrew Seale is a financial advisor at Merit Financial Advisors with a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. He previously worked at PwC and studied at Texas A&M University. Merit Financial Group, LLC is an SEC-registered advisory firm managing approximately $10.6 billion across 144 advisors and serving a diverse client base including individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm applies a long-term, diversified investment approach through customizable model portfolios and offers specialized services such as independent fiduciary and ESOP trustee work.

Timothy Thurston is a financial advisor with Accelerate Retirement, holding Series 63 and 65 credentials and bringing 22 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at NFP Retirement, LPL Financial, Visionpoint Advisory Group, Hub International, IPS Advisors, and MSI Financial Services. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a Minister of Music at Community North Baptist Church in McKinney, Texas. Accelerate Retirement serves individuals, trusts, corporations, and employer-sponsored retirement plans by providing discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm uses a primarily long-term allocation approach with customized portfolios and offers various fiduciary and advisory services for retirement plan sponsors.

Paul Benge is a financial advisor with Advisor Resource Council in Dallas, TX. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has 40 years of industry experience. Since 2016, he has been associated with both Advisor Resource Council and LPL Financial. Advisor Resource Council serves individuals, families, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and business enterprises with asset management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs AI-driven model portfolios combined with fundamental analysis and offers a range of investment strategies tailored to different account sizes and client needs.

Cole Staton is a financial advisor at Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Virtue Capital Management and C&M Financial Group, where he also serves as owner of an advisory and insurance business. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC, operating as Fusion Investment Advisors, provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes an open-architecture platform with tailored investment strategies and a broad range of investment tools, managing over $1 billion in client assets.

Christopher Wigington is a financial advisor at Prospera Financial Services, Inc. in Dallas, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses with 27 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Wells Fargo Clearing, Manarin Investment Counsel Ltd, and Securities America Advisors, Inc. He has been with Prospera Financial Services since 2014. Prospera Financial Services is a multi-team advisory firm with 271 advisors managing approximately $14.4 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and access to multiple advisory platforms.

Allan Peiser is a financial advisor at Prosperity - An EisnerAmper Company with 25 years of industry experience and holds a Series 66 designation. He has worked at several firms, including EisnerAmper and Avantax Advisory Services, Inc., and is also a contract partner at Eisner Advisory Group LLC, advising clients on tax transactions. Peiser is involved in theater production as a passive investor in the "Dear Evan Hansen" tours. Prosperity - An EisnerAmper Company serves individuals, trustees, estates, retirement plans, and business entities, providing financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $5 billion in assets and focuses on asset allocation and diversification, utilizing third-party Independent Managers and technology platforms to support its services.

Charles Love is a financial advisor at Financial Gravity Family Office Services, LLC with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at Sterling Hawthorne Wealth Management LLC, Sterling Hawthorne Group LLC, and Love Myles Group LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he is also engaged in insurance-related activities as an independent agent for Financial Gravity Enhanced Markets, LLC. Financial Gravity Family Office Services, LLC offers comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and pension consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm uses fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to construct portfolios and frequently incorporates third-party sub-advisors and model portfolios in its investment approach.

Justin Davis is a financial advisor with Ascentis Independent Advisors, LLC, holding the CFP® designation and Series 63 and 66 licenses. He has 25 years of industry experience, including roles at Raymond James Financial Services and Wells Fargo Clearing. He is also the CEO of Impact Financial Strategies, LLC, which offers disability insurance and related services. Ascentis Independent Advisors is a multi-team SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, trusts, retirement plans, and corporate clients. The firm provides asset management and financial planning using diversified portfolios that include public and private securities, with discretionary management and a Private Direct Investments program for select clients.