Joanna Smith is a CFP® with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving at Kestra Advisory since 2018. Her prior roles include positions at Securities Service Network and Rather & Kittrell, Inc. She also holds roles supporting retirement plan clients through meeting preparation and financial planning activities. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse client base, including institutional and individual investors, offering services such as fiduciary consulting, plan design, and employee education.

William Watson is a financial advisor at Oppenheimer with 20 years of industry experience. He holds the CFA® and ChFC® designations and has worked at Oppenheimer since 2009, following two years at Stanford Group Company. Watson serves on the finance and investment committees at Greensboro Day School, providing consultation and financial strategy support. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and IRAs. The firm offers a broad range of programs and advisory services across equity, balanced, and fixed-income portfolios with both discretionary and non-discretionary management approaches.

Stephen Walters is a financial advisor with Brookstone Capital Management LLC in Greensboro, NC. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Brookstone since 2026. Walters also has over a decade of experience with Asset Preservation Solutions, Inc., where he has worked since 2015. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, and other business entities. The firm utilizes a range of investment strategies including strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models, Unified Managed Accounts, and options-enhanced strategies, supported by proprietary and affiliated funds as well as multiple sub-advisors.

Douglas House is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services and holds the Series 66 designation. He has 11 years of industry experience and has previously worked at Merrill, Bank of America, and Charter Communications. House is based in Greensboro, NC. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting, supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

Phillip Williams Jr is a financial advisor with Hightower Advisors in Greensboro, NC, holding a Series 63 designation and 14 years of industry experience. His prior roles include multiple positions at Stearns Financial Group and a year at Innosphere. He serves on the Board of Advisors for Grubb Southeast Real Estate Fund VI, LLC. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, utilizing a multi-manager approach that includes affiliated and third-party managers, proprietary research, and a variety of investment vehicles.

Samuel Biesecker is a financial advisor with Oppenheimer in Greensboro, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has recently begun his advisory career. Prior to joining Oppenheimer, he held various roles across industries including water technology, agriculture, and education. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving high net worth individuals, corporations, pension plans, charitable organizations, and IRAs. The firm offers a wide range of investment programs and services, including discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, consulting, and retirement services.

Brian Coghill is a financial advisor with Davenport & Company LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 29 years of industry experience. He has been with Davenport since 2009 and has worked at Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith, Inc. since 1996. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as treasurer for a local Rotary Club and assists part-time with clerical duties at a tax service. Davenport & Company serves individual and institutional clients by offering asset management, retail brokerage, fixed income, public finance, and investment banking services. The firm’s asset management features dedicated portfolio teams and a Manager Research team that construct and monitor strategies across separately managed accounts, mutual funds, ETFs, and unified managed accounts, and it operates as an employee-owned company with a history dating to 1863.

Karen Kahn is a Certified Financial Planner® with 30 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Truist Advisory Services. She has been with Truist since 2016, working across Truist Advisory Services, Truist Investment Services, and Truist Bank. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporations, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a blend of discretionary and non-discretionary manager relationships supported by advanced research tools and integrated inter-affiliate operations.

William Mann is a financial advisor with Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 29 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at DMJ Wealth Advisors, LLC, and Proequities, Inc. since 2007. Beacon Pointe Advisors provides investment advisory and consulting services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a manager-of-managers approach with a proprietary focus list and offers solutions such as discretionary wealth management, retirement plan consulting, and outsourced CIO services.

Joseph Marus is a financial advisor at Sanctuary Advisors, LLC with 17 years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at Bank of America and Merrill. Marus serves on the board of Red Dog Farm Animal Rescue, a nonprofit focused on fostering and rehoming animals, where he is involved in strategic initiatives and event coordination. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm supports a broad range of investment approaches through a network of over 400 independent adviser representatives and offers portfolio management, retirement plan consulting, and access to sub-advisers and third-party platforms.

Niles Greene is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Greensboro, NC, holding the Series 63, Series 66, and Series 65 registrations. He has 13 years of industry experience, including 10 years with Truist Advisory Services and Truist 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 and non-discretionary consulting, using third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools to support its investment approach.

William Guge is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience. He is currently with Cetera Planning Partners and has previously worked at Ameriprise, Charles Schwab, Fidelity Brokerage Services, TD Ameritrade, and TD Bank. Cetera Planning Partners serves individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on pre-retirees and retirees. The firm offers investment management and comprehensive financial planning, including Social Security optimization, tax planning, bookkeeping, payroll support, and estate planning through a third-party provider.

Grace Hackney is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor at Sanctuary Advisors, LLC with seven years of industry experience. She previously worked at Merrill for six years and Landmark Asset Services for three years. Outside of finance, she is involved in the jewelry industry, working in accounting and sales for Deva Fine Jewelry. Sanctuary Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations through a network of over 400 independent advisers. The firm offers various portfolio management and financial planning services, employing multiple analytical approaches and managing accounts on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases.

James Joyce is a CFP®, CFA®, and Series 66-registered financial advisor with 14 years of industry experience. He has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2020 and previously spent 17 years at Stearns Financial Group. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse group of individual and institutional clients, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing a combination of affiliated and third-party managers and proprietary research.

Brian Winstead is a CFP® professional at Davenport & Company LLC with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with Davenport since 2009 and has a career background that includes Merrill Lynch dating back to 1997. Davenport & Company serves individual and institutional clients such as banks, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, nonprofits, and corporations. The firm offers a range of services including asset management, retail brokerage, fixed income, public finance, and investment banking, with asset management structured around portfolio manager teams and an Investment Policy Committee.

John Murray is a financial advisor at Davenport & Company LLC in Greensboro, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 31 years of industry experience. He has worked at Davenport since 2009 and was previously with Citigroup Global Markets starting in 2006. Davenport & Company serves individual and institutional clients, including banks, pension plans, trusts, estates, nonprofits, and corporations, offering a range of services such as asset management, retail brokerage, fixed income, and investment banking. The firm’s investment advisory division provides separately managed accounts, model delivery, financial planning, and other advisory programs.

David Dupont is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Greensboro, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and 32 years of industry experience. He has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 1997 and also serves as an agent offering non-securities insurance products through Agia since 2022. Valic Financial Advisors serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients, as well as employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services utilizing discretionary unified managed accounts and overlay strategies, supported by a large network of investment advisor representatives.

Mallory Storrie is a financial advisor at Commonwealth Financial Network with one year of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation. Her background includes roles at Crossbridge Financial Group and Commonwealth Financial Network. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and managing about $212.7 billion in client assets. The firm offers a broad adviser-support platform with managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, retirement and plan consulting, and custody/clearing services.

Jeffery Hwang is a CFP® with 19 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC since 2021. His prior experience includes roles at DMJ Wealth Advisors, LLC and ProEquities, Inc. He participates in the governing group for SEI’s RIA Community in an advisory capacity. Beacon Pointe Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and consulting services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, utilizing a proprietary manager selection process and a combination of active and passive investment strategies. The firm also sponsors proprietary investment vehicles and serves as an operating general partner for multiple private funds.

Richard Tesseneer is a financial advisor with Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC and holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. He has 26 years of industry experience, with prior roles at Wells Fargo Advisors and LPL Financial. Outside of his advisory work, Tesseneer owns CMC Trading Partners, LLC, a business that sells culinary supplies on Amazon. 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. The firm provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management using various strategies and technology platforms, and operates through a network of advisory representatives often dually registered with LPL Financial.