Bruce Gordon is a financial advisor at Merit Financial Advisors with 31 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, LPL Financial, Invest Financial Corporation, and Dasher And Padgett Financial Advisors. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a pastor at Antioch Baptist Church. Merit Financial Group, LLC is an SEC-registered advisory firm managing approximately $10.6 billion with 144 advisors serving a diverse client base including individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a long-term, diversified investment strategy using model portfolios and customizable sleeves, overseen by a central Investment Management team and an Investment Committee.

Deborah Dougherty is a financial advisor with Merit Financial Advisors in Albany, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having six years of industry experience. She previously worked at LPL Financial and IVNEST Financial Corporation. Outside of her advisory role, she serves as President/CEO of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks lodge in Albany and is a member of the finance committee at Move Christian Church. Merit Financial Group, LLC is an SEC-registered advisory firm managing approximately $10.6 billion with 144 advisors and over 14,000 clients. The firm serves a diverse client base, offering asset management, financial planning, retirement plan advice, and employee financial wellness programs through a long-term, diversified investment approach using model portfolios and customizable strategies.

Michael Gaddy is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in Gainesville, GA, holding the CFP® designation and Series 63 and 66 licenses, with 27 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Wells Fargo Advisors and Wells Fargo Clearing. He is involved in managing Strong, Gaddy, Lee Wealth Management Group, a registered investment advisor firm affiliated with LPL Financial. LPL Financial provides advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plan sponsors, institutions, and high-net-worth households. The firm offers a range of investment solutions supported by an in-house research team and a large network of investment adviser representatives.

Aaron Calhoun is a financial advisor at Merit Financial Advisors with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Yeomans Consulting Group, Inc. for six years. Outside of financial advising, he has operated a travel agency, Fairytales Unlimited Travel, assisting with domestic travel planning. Merit Financial Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser with 264 advisors serving over 20,000 clients across 66 offices. The firm offers coordinated wealth-management services and employs a long-term, diversified investment approach centered on centrally managed portfolios overseen by an internal Investment Management team.

Kim Churchill is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC with 11 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at Cetera Investment Services LLC and Regions Bank. Churchill is based in Atlanta, GA. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC provides discretionary investment management, separately managed account access, performance reporting, and financial planning to individuals, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, governmental entities, and other institutional investors. The firm employs tailored strategic asset allocation frameworks and typically manages portfolios on a discretionary basis, utilizing third-party managers, affiliated model strategies, and maintaining ongoing advisor oversight.

Gianna Campo is a financial advisor with Sound Income Strategies, LLC and holds a Series 65 designation. She has seven years of industry experience and has worked at firms including Blackridge Asset Management, Verity Asset Management, and Appreciation Financial. Campo is also president of Bulletproof Financial, a fixed insurance sales business. Sound Income Strategies, LLC manages approximately $4.0 billion in client assets and serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm offers customized managed portfolios with an emphasis on fixed-income analysis and equity review, utilizing a scalable advisor network model and a range of discretionary and non-discretionary services.

Burns Lowry Jr. is a financial advisor with ACR Alpine Capital Research, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 30 years of industry experience. His previous roles include positions at Easterly Securities, John Hancock Funds, and James Alpha Advisors. ACR Alpine Capital Research provides discretionary portfolio management to institutional investors, intermediaries, and individual clients, employing a valuation-based investment approach focused on bottom-up equity analysis and opportunistic multi-asset strategies. The firm manages a diverse set of vehicles including mutual funds and private partnerships and maintains a high client-to-advisor ratio.

Jeffrey Buice is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, with 18 years of industry experience. He has been with Main Street Financial Solutions, LLC for 10 years and is also a minority owner of J.M. Buice Properties Inc., where he assists with back-office management on a part-time weekend basis. Main Street Financial Solutions serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations, offering financial planning, wealth management, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs an academic-based, multi-asset class investment approach, combining passive and active strategies tailored to clients’ objectives and risk profiles.

Samuel Thomas is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC in Atlanta, GA, holding a Series 65 designation with three years of industry experience. He previously worked at The Bank of New York Mellon and Core and Main. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC provides discretionary investment management, separately managed accounts, performance reporting, and financial planning to a broad client base including individuals, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, governmental entities, and institutional investors. The firm utilizes customized strategic asset allocation frameworks and commonly delegates to third-party managers while leveraging resources shared with its parent company, Fifth Third Bank.

Darius Hicks is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 66 license with 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at Merrill and Bank of America, N.A. from 2015 to 2023 and joined BIP Wealth, LLC in 2023. BIP Wealth, LLC is a multi-advisor registered investment adviser serving individuals, families, trusts, estates, and employer-sponsored retirement plans with comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management. The firm offers tailored asset allocations across various securities and manages both discretionary and non-discretionary accounts, including private pooled vehicles and buy-write strategies.

Michel Cowdery is a financial advisor at BIP Wealth, LLC in Atlanta, GA, holding a Series 66 designation with 21 years of industry experience. He has worked at BIP Wealth since 2018 and previously spent a year at Ameriprise Financial Services. BIP Wealth, LLC is a multi-advisor registered investment adviser serving individuals, families, trusts, estates, and employer-sponsored retirement plans with comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management. The firm employs tailored asset allocations including mutual funds, ETFs, fixed income, and options-based covered-call strategies, and provides advisory services for private pooled investment vehicles.

Roberto Arteaga Ascencio is a financial advisor at OpenArc Corporate Advisory, LLC with five years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Merrill, Fidelity Investments, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC. He holds the Series 65 and Series 63 designations. OpenArc Corporate Advisory serves a diverse client base that includes individuals, trusts, nonprofit endowments, and retirement plans. The firm offers wealth management, financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan services using tailored strategies across a broad range of asset types, including private markets and digital assets.

Michael Pearson is a financial advisor at Balentine with 25 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at SunTrust Advisory Services LLC and GFO Advisory Services, LLC. In addition to his advisory role, he serves as a public arbitrator for FINRA, acting as a neutral member on arbitration panels resolving industry-related disputes. Balentine serves entrepreneurs, families, high-net-worth individuals, foundations, and institutional clients, providing comprehensive wealth management, financial planning, investment management, and business advisory services. The firm employs a risk-based investment approach using a mix of active and passive strategies, manager due diligence, and a model-driven Global Tactical Asset Allocation program.

Tyler Knapp is a CFP® professional with six years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Merit Financial Advisors in Alpharetta, GA. His prior experience includes roles at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Morgan Stanley, and The Vanguard Group, among others. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and provides both investment and fixed insurance advice. Merit Financial Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser with over 260 advisors serving approximately 20,000 clients across 66 offices. The firm offers coordinated wealth-management services with a focus on long-term, diversified portfolios managed through centrally overseen models and customized by advisors.

Charles Crowley IV is a CFP® professional with 16 years of industry experience, currently serving at BIP Wealth, LLC. His prior roles include positions at Veracity Capital LLC, Mercer Global Advisors Inc., Commonwealth Financial Network, and Atlanta Financial Associates. He holds life, health, and sickness insurance licenses but is not actively selling fixed insurance products. BIP Wealth, LLC is a multi-advisor registered investment adviser serving individuals, families, trusts, estates, and employer-sponsored retirement plans with comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management. The firm manages discretionary and non-discretionary accounts, advises pooled investment vehicles and private funds, and employs tailored asset allocations including mutual funds, ETFs, fixed income, individual securities, and options-based covered-call strategies.

Glen Carpenter III is a CFA® charterholder and financial advisor at ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc in Atlanta, GA, with 16 years of industry experience. He has been with ZWJ Investment Counsel since 2007. ZWJ Investment Counsel manages approximately $3.86 billion in client assets across about 925 relationships, providing investment counseling and discretionary portfolio management for individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and other entities. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes discretionary equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios tailored to each client through written investment policy statements and incorporates fundamental and financial analysis with both long- and short-term holdings.

Matthew Johnson is a financial advisor with Synovus Securities, Inc. in Atlanta, GA, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of experience at Synovus following prior roles at Ameriprise Financial. His background includes five years in full-time education before entering the financial services industry. Synovus Securities serves a diverse client base including individual and high-net-worth investors as well as institutional clients. The firm offers investment advisory and brokerage services across multiple programs and utilizes both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management on the Envestnet platform.

Michael Love is a financial advisor at Beacon Global Advisor Network, LLC with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at Austen Morris Associates and Ten Cent Investments 5. Beacon Global Advisor Network, LLC provides investment advisory and planning services to individual clients, including both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, through a network of about 60 independent advisors. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, modular financial planning, and retirement consulting, with a focus on tailored portfolios using mutual funds, ETFs, individual equities, and fixed income.

Jeffrey Jones is a CFP® professional with 28 years of industry experience, currently serving at Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC since 2015. He has also worked with LPL Financial since 2013. Outside of his advisory roles, Jones is a silent investor in a family-owned e-commerce coffee distributorship. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC manages approximately $6 billion in client assets with a team of over 150 advisors, serving individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a goals-based, client-centered planning approach supported by proprietary software and combines behavioral economics with fundamental and technical analysis to construct long-term portfolios.

Alan Sabo is a financial advisor with Berthel Fisher & Company Financial Services, Inc., holding a Series 63 designation and 27 years of industry experience. He has been with Berthel Fisher since 2013. Outside of his advisory role, he has worked as an Uber driver. Berthel Fisher & Company Financial Services provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $906 million in client assets through a range of platforms, including discretionary and non-discretionary management, model solutions, and third-party arrangements.