Jie Sun is a financial advisor with TLG Advisors, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and five years of industry experience. Jie has worked at firms including Fidelity Investments, Citigroup Global Markets, and LPL Financial. TLG Advisors serves a diverse clientele ranging from individuals to institutional investors, providing investment supervisory services, portfolio management, financial planning, and fiduciary services for retirement plans. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes manager selection and monitoring using fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory, complemented by a direct-to-consumer digital program offering diversified portfolios tailored to client risk profiles.

Thomas Stewart is a CFP®-credentialed financial advisor with 22 years of industry experience, currently with Schwab Wealth Advisory, Inc. in Charlotte, NC. His prior experience includes roles at The Vanguard Group, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and operating his own financial planning practice. Outside of advising, he and his wife occasionally rent out a residential condominium to vacationers. Schwab Wealth Advisory, Inc. provides non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice and financial planning to clients enrolled in the Schwab Wealth Advisory program and certain referred clients, focusing on asset allocation and investment selection with trades executed only upon client approval. The firm uses proprietary research tools and models while typically recommending separately managed accounts managed by third parties or affiliates.

Bradley Kearns is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, Inc. with eight years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and has worked within various Wells Fargo entities since 2017, with additional roles at Millennium Advisors, LLC and Garden Leave. Wells Fargo Investment Institute provides manager research, global investment strategy, securities research, asset allocation analysis, and model-portfolio services to Wells Fargo affiliates and other financial institutions. The firm offers non-discretionary, impersonal model portfolios developed by specialist teams, serving as a research and model provider rather than a direct portfolio manager or financial planner.

Brandie Fintchre is a CFP® with 17 years of experience in the financial services industry. She is currently with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. and First Citizens Bank, having previously worked at PNC Investments. She serves as a Finance Committee Advisor for the Emily Krzyzewski Center, a nonprofit focused on educational and career programs for underrepresented students, and holds a board position with the East Carolina University Foundation. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm emphasizes advisor-led financial assessments and employs a range of portfolio management strategies including UMA and SMA accounts, model portfolios, and automated Guided Investing platforms.

Alice Jenkins is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Charlotte, NC. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has eight years of industry experience. Her career includes long-term employment at First Citizens Bank since 2012 and continuous service with First Citizens Investor Services since 2018. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs a client process led by investment advisor representatives that involves assessing financial needs and risk tolerance and uses fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to allocate investments across various asset classes.

Roger Judy is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 31 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA and its affiliated entities since 2004. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as chair of the Investment Committee at St. Margarets Episcopal Church and is a managing partner in a family investment LLC. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with pre-existing retirement plan relationships. The firm’s advisory model distinguishes between one-time planning services and ongoing discretionary management, employing both model and customized portfolios.

Daniel Henao Ararat is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with six years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has previously worked at The Vanguard Group and South State Bank. Outside of his advisory role, he also provides part-time valet and parking services for special events. Truist Advisory Services offers investment consulting, financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes a combination of traditional research and AI-enabled tools, partnering with Envestnet platforms to provide ongoing client support and customized investment solutions.

Howell Hallett II is a financial advisor with Mercer Global Advisors Inc. in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 43 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Kingfisher Capital, LLC and Stonecrest Capital Markets Inc. Outside of his advisory work, he holds a North Carolina Life Insurance License through Simplicity AFG and manages billing dues for The Bull Investment Club. Mercer Global Advisors serves a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, and nonprofit organizations. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based investment approach focused on globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios using low-cost index vehicles, with additional services such as financial planning, retirement consulting, and estate-planning coordination.

Edwin Shields Jr. is a financial advisor with Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and bringing 20 years of industry experience. He has previously worked at Wells Fargo Advisors and Wells Fargo Clearing. Shields is also a part owner of Nine Bridge Financial Partners, where he dedicates significant time alongside his role at Concurrent. Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC is a multi-team firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm focuses on customized, primarily long-term portfolios using a variety of investment vehicles and integrates affiliated sub-advisory arrangements and third-party solutions to support comprehensive wealth management.

Grant Goodwin is a financial advisor with Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC and LPL Financial, holding Series 65 and Series 66 credentials and 24 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Bank of America and Merrill Lynch. Independent Advisor Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, small businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, offering asset management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a network model of advisory representatives and utilizes various portfolio management strategies and technology platforms to support client services.

Dakota Murray is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Charlotte, NC. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and has four years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at First Citizens Bank and First Citizens Investor Services since 2019, preceded by studies at Western Carolina University. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm employs a client process led by investment advisor representatives that incorporates fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage diversified portfolios across various asset classes.

Thomas Hicks II is a financial advisor with Janney Montgomery Scott in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and 65 licenses and bringing 24 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Janney in 2021, he worked for Wells Fargo Clearing from 2016 to 2021. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a director of sponsorship for the Catawba Ridge High School Athletic Booster Club and is a personnel committee member at Sharon Baptist Church. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, estates, corporate and retirement plans, charitable organizations, and municipal clients, offering brokerage services, financial planning, and multiple advisory programs.

Andrea Hargette is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. based in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations with seven years of industry experience. She has been with Fifth Third Securities since 2018 and has worked at Fifth Third Bank since 2008. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. provides brokerage and investment advisory services through its Passageway Managed Account Program to individuals, charitable organizations, corporate clients, and institutional investors. The firm offers multiple discretionary managed-account programs combining third-party portfolio managers, strategist portfolios, and advisor-managed sleeves, with features such as direct indexing and a tax-overlay service.

Joel Glasco is a financial advisor at &Partners with 42 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has held positions at firms including Wells Fargo Clearing Services and Prudential Equity Group. He also serves as an arbitrator in a non-investment-related capacity. &Partners serves a diverse client base that includes high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm offers a range of investment management and financial planning services, employing various analytical approaches and both proprietary and third-party strategies.

Hanna Yesuf is a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. with four years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at Kingfisher Capital and Bank of America Private Bank. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, foundations, non-profits, and endowments by providing investment advisory services alongside financial, tax, retirement, and estate planning. The firm uses a globally diversified investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, employing low-cost ETFs, index funds, separate account managers, and private funds, while also offering specialized services and client education programs.

Robin Griffin is a financial advisor with Equity Services, Inc. (ESI Financial Advisors) based in Charlotte, NC, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 63 license. He has 40 years of industry experience, having worked at Equity Services since 1985 and previously at National Life of Vermont since 1982. In addition to his advisory work, Griffin operates Robin M. Griffin and Associates LLC, an insurance business, and owns a farm in Marshville, NC. Equity Services, Inc. provides financial planning, consulting, and asset management to individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans. The firm offers various advisory platforms that combine long-term strategies with options for shorter-term trading and utilizes multiple third-party asset managers and model portfolios.

Craig Saurer is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 registrations and 23 years of industry experience. He has worked with PNC Investments since 2016 and joined First Citizens Investor Services in 2024. First Citizens Investor Services serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities, offering portfolio management, wrap programs, model portfolios, and financial planning. The firm’s investment process involves IAR-led assessments and uses fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to allocate among various asset classes.

Kenneth Calhoun is a financial advisor at Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC with 36 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has previously worked at Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network and Wells Fargo Clearing Services. Outside of advising, he owns and operates Basswood Creek Farms, an agricultural business in Gastonia, NC. Concurrent Investment Advisors, LLC is an SEC-registered firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm focuses on customized, primarily long-term portfolios utilizing a range of investment vehicles and offers wealth management, financial planning, and retirement advisory services through a network of approximately 286 advisors.

Michael Frendak is a financial advisor at PNC Wealth Management in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses with 10 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at PNC Investments, The Vanguard Group, SCOTTRADE, and AXA Advisors. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including a digital discretionary model account available in an invitation-only pilot for employees. The firm’s approach integrates algorithmic risk assessment and invests via approved model strategies using mutual funds and ETFs, with annual rebalancing and limited direct client trading.

Jeffrey Collins is a financial advisor with Guardian Life and holds a Series 66 designation. He has 15 years of industry experience, including roles at Park Avenue Securities, Independent Advisor Alliance, LPL Financial, and Edward Jones. He is based in Charlotte, NC. Guardian Life’s subsidiary, Park Avenue Securities LLC, provides brokerage and advisory services to individuals, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a range of financial planning, consulting, and investment management solutions, combining advisor-led discretionary management with model-based strategies and digital advisory platforms.