Ryan Schlick is a financial advisor at PNC Wealth Management with four years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Fidelity Investments, among other firms. Outside of his financial advisory work, he is a certified flight instructor with the Kennebec Flying Club. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including a digital discretionary account pilot available to select employees. The firm’s investment approach uses approved model strategies implemented via mutual funds and ETFs, with portfolio management delegated to third parties and algorithm-driven risk assessment.

Jonathan Larose is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation with two years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at NextEra Energy Resources and Fidelity Investments. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients with advisory and brokerage services. The firm employs a client-centered process integrating fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to manage portfolios composed of equities, fixed income, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Darisa Paezsantana is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and four years of industry experience. Prior to joining First Citizens, she worked at Fidelity Investments for five years and held positions at Bank of America, North State Bank, and BB&T. Outside of her advisory role, she is employed at M.S.G. Heating and Air LLC handling payroll and bookkeeping. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses by providing advisory and brokerage services, including portfolio management, automated investing platforms, and financial planning. The firm’s client process involves thorough assessments led by investment adviser representatives, utilizing various analysis methods to allocate across multiple asset classes.

Liam Powlen is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation with four years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Fidelity Investments and involvement with the WNY Sustainable Business Roundtable. First Citizens Investor Services serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities by providing advisory and brokerage services through investment advisor representatives and third-party portfolio managers. The firm employs a client process focused on assessing financial needs and risk tolerance, using a range of analytical methods to allocate investments across various asset classes.

Derek Mccord is a financial advisor with Equity Services, Inc. (ESI Financial Advisors) based in Cary, NC. He holds a Series 66 designation and has two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Equity Services, Derek worked at National Life Group and MassMutual in various capacities. Outside of his advisory role, he is a product advocate for health and wellness products through Melaleuca, Inc. Equity Services, Inc. provides financial planning, consulting, and asset management to individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans. The firm employs multiple advisory platforms and uses third-party asset managers and model portfolios to offer a blend of long-term strategies and specialized investment options.

William Faircloth is a CFP® with 18 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked with Truist Advisory Services, Truist Investment Services, and Truist Bank since 2016, and previously was with BB&T Securities, LLC. from 2019 to 2021. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary manager relationships and integrates inter-affiliate services, including affiliated broker-dealer and bank partnerships, to deliver its investment solutions.

Paul Dowd is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 23 years of industry experience. He is currently with Primerica Advisors and has previously worked at Park Avenue Securities, Guardian Life Insurance Company, CapWealth Planning, and Allstate Insurance Co. In addition to his advisory role, he is also an insurance broker for products other than Guardian. Primerica Advisors serves a broad retail client base, offering transaction-based brokerage and fee-based advisory services, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm utilizes a mix of proprietary and third-party investment strategies and supports a variety of account-level services, including lending solutions and donor-advised funds.

Kimberly Benfield is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 24 years of industry experience. She has been with Truist and its related entities since 2017. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by third-party platforms and manager arrangements.

Gabriel King is a financial advisor with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. He holds a Series 66 designation and has three years of industry experience. Prior to joining First Citizens Investor Services, he worked at Coastal Federal Credit Union and CUSO Financial Services, LP, and spent six years at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a client-focused process that incorporates fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to allocate assets across equities, fixed income, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Charles Brantley is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. He holds a Series 66 designation and has eight years of industry experience. Prior to joining Bankers Life Advisory Services, he worked at Morgan Stanley for eight years and has held positions at several other firms. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and investment consulting primarily to mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals. The firm’s investment process focuses on customized asset allocation, tax efficiency, and a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to guide portfolio management.

Thomas Gervase is a financial advisor at SPC with 17 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Parkland Securities, Grove Point Advisors, and Prudential Insurance. In addition to his advisory role, he conducts insurance sales focused on non-variable life, disability, and long-term care products. SPC serves a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA-related retirement services, delivering strategies primarily through discretionary management with options for nondiscretionary and direct-at-fund arrangements.

Joanna Ransom is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with nine years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Truist Advisory Services and its affiliated firms since 2019. Prior to that, she was employed at Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC and Wells Fargo Bank NA. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors, participants, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by third-party platform arrangements.

Walter Jethro is a financial advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with five years of industry experience. Prior to joining his current firm, he worked at Bb&T for two years. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs a client-centered approach that integrates fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis across a range of investment products and offers portfolio management, financial planning, and tax-aware services.

Karen Brock is a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) with three years of industry experience. She is currently affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network in Cary, NC, having previously worked with Pathfinder Wealth Consulting. Brock has been associated with Commonwealth Financial Network in two separate periods totaling 12 years of service. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that supports a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and manages roughly $212.7 billion in client assets. The firm offers a broad range of advisory support services, including managed-account programs, access to third-party managers, retirement and plan consulting, and custody/clearing services.

Matthew Bracciante is a financial advisor with Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd., holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 27 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at LPL Financial, Merrill, Banc of America Investment Services, and MetLife Investment Fund Services. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a high school lacrosse coach at Green Level High School. Stratos Wealth Partners is an enterprise advisory firm with approximately 379 advisors and $18.6 billion in assets under management. The firm serves a broad client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, nonprofits, and institutional clients, offering a range of services such as advisor-managed portfolios, financial planning, third-party manager programs, and outsourced CIO solutions.

James Trull is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network in Cary, NC, holding the CFP® and ChFC® designations and possessing 38 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Keystone Financial Partners for 24 years and Commonwealth Equity Services, Inc. for 27 years. Outside of advisory work, he is the founder and managing member of The Senior Resource Alliance of the Triangle, a professional networking group, and serves as a course instructor at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at North Carolina State University. Commonwealth Financial Network serves a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients, providing a range of advisory programs and back-office support including operations, trading, technology, investment management, and compliance. The firm offers discretionary model portfolios and multiple program structures designed to accommodate diverse investment strategies.

Thomas Burchhardt is a financial advisor with Equity Services, Inc., holding a Series 66 designation and three years of industry experience. His prior work history includes roles at National Life Group, Mass Mutual Investors Services, MassMutual Life Insurance Co, Equitable Advisors, Joe Van Gogh, and Starrlight Meadery. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in business operations as the owner of TLB Strategies LLC, which focuses on assessing business strategic direction and growth of intangible capital. Equity Services, Inc., operating as ESI Financial Advisors, provides financial planning, consulting, and asset management services to individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans. The firm offers multiple advisory platforms, combining long-term strategies with options for shorter-term trading, and utilizes both discretionary and non-discretionary management across a broad client base.

Christian Dilorenzo is a financial professional at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation with one year of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Cetera Investment Advisor and Cetera Wealth Services, LLC. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and businesses, utilizing portfolio management, wrap programs, model portfolios, and automated platforms. The firm emphasizes client assessments led by investment adviser representatives to determine financial needs and risk tolerance, employing a range of analytical methods to guide allocations across various asset classes.

John Thomas III is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Clayton, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and six years of industry experience. He has been with Truist and its predecessor firms since 2011. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as treasurer for a local business networking group that meets twice monthly to share leads and discuss topics related to business growth. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary manager relationships supported by AI-enabled research and inter-affiliate integration within the Truist enterprise.

Michelle Mcnamara is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with five years of industry experience. She is currently an advisor at Truist Advisory Services, where she has worked since 2025. Her prior experience includes roles at BB&T-Truist, Lincoln Investments, and Fidelity Capital Management. 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 and employs AI-enabled tools alongside traditional research to support its investment decisions.