Steven Jefferis is a financial advisor at William Blair with 46 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Stifel for 28 years. Outside of advisory work, he is involved in horse racing as the owner of Maplewing Farm LLC and manages an AirBNB operation at the farm. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, and corporate clients. The firm emphasizes active, research-driven management across multiple asset classes and provides access to proprietary models, third-party sub-managers, and private investment opportunities.

Nicholas Wychocki is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 21 years of industry experience. He currently serves at OSAIC Institutions, INC., and has held prior positions at Infinex Investments, Inc., Finemark Financial Services, Global Wealth Consultants, LLC, and Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. He also works as a portfolio manager providing investment management for Finemark National Bank & Trust’s trust clients. OSAIC Institutions, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, ERISA retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporate clients through a network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers customized advisory services, financial planning, ERISA plan services, and access to alternative investments and lending solutions, operating a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer model that emphasizes both discretionary and non-discretionary management.

Scott Zedeker is a financial advisor with Guardian Life and Park Avenue Securities, holding a Series 66 credential and five years of industry experience. Prior to his financial services career, he worked for 17 years at Fort Myers Broadcasting. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in managing a hair salon and a coffee shop in Fort Myers. Park Avenue Securities, a subsidiary of Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, provides brokerage and advisory services to individuals, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a range of financial planning and investment management solutions, combining advisor-led discretionary management with model-based strategies and access to proprietary and third-party platforms.

Gary Bell Jr Jr. is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. with seven years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Bank, as well as Evolution Retirement Services and Elavon. He is based in Cape Coral, FL. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. serves a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, institutions, and various business entities, through investment advisory and brokerage services. The firm offers multiple program types via the Passageway Managed Account Program, utilizing third-party portfolio managers and providing a range of strategies including mutual funds, ETFs, SMAs, tax overlays, and direct indexing.

Arthur Lavallie is an investment advisor with Kestra Advisory, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and possessing 40 years of industry experience. He has been with Kestra Advisory since 2016 and previously worked at Kestra Investment Services, LLC and The Advisors Group, Inc. Outside of advisory services, he owns and operates AJ Lavallie, an insurance business, and Tecla Partners LLC, a company involved in real estate operations. Kestra Advisory provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting services to a diverse range of institutional and individual clients, including plan sponsors. The firm offers fiduciary consulting, plan design, compliance testing, and plan-level investment advice, supporting recommended investments with due diligence and managing significant assets for clients such as sovereign wealth funds.

William Carlson is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors in Fort Myers, FL, holding a Series 66 designation and eight years of industry experience. He has been with Transamerica Financial Advisors since 2017 and is involved in multiple business activities including offering estate planning services through LegacyShield Solutions Inc and promoting financial literacy locally through The Financial Literacy Project. Transamerica Financial Advisors provides investment advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan services to a broad client base, including individuals, employer-sponsored plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes model portfolios and third-party managers across multiple platforms, delivering services through a large network of advisors and managing approximately $1.7 billion in regulatory assets under management.

Casey Brock is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services and holds a Series 66 designation. He has one year of industry experience, including roles at Truist Advisory Services, Truist Investment Services, and previously as a Truist Banker for twelve years. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation and investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program, using a combination of discretionary manager relationships and third-party platforms to deliver its services.

Brian Simon is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with 21 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation and securities licenses Series 63 and Series 65. His career has been with Park Avenue Securities and Guardian Life Insurance Company since 2005. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in community activities including serving as treasurer for the Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties and vice president of finance and building at Temple Judea, as well as owning a newsletter and website promoting youth sports in Southwest Florida. Park Avenue Securities LLC, a subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a blend of advisor-led discretionary management and model-based strategies through proprietary and third-party platforms, with a range of financial planning, consulting, and digital advisory solutions tailored to client needs.

Rick Pearl is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 registrations and bringing 30 years of industry experience. He previously worked at LPL Financial for 17 years before joining Independent Financial Group in 2019. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as an officer and director for an insurance agency and owns a marketing DBA under Pearl Financial Inc. Independent Financial Group, LLC provides investment advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and institutional plans. The firm offers financial planning and portfolio management through a range of platforms and utilizes a combination of strategic asset allocation, multi-manager portfolios, and ongoing due diligence to implement tailored investment strategies.

Thomas Cash is a financial advisor with Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. based in Fort Myers, FL. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 31 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Stratos in 2011, he worked at UBS Financial Services and Morgan Stanley. Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. is an SEC-registered enterprise adviser with approximately 379 advisors and $18.6 billion in assets under management. The firm serves a diverse client base including high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, corporations, nonprofits, and other institutional clients, offering a range of advisory services through an independent adviser model and an open-architecture investment platform.

William Hoffer is a financial advisor at Principal Financial Services with 14 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A. and Wells Fargo Clearing. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and active-duty U.S. military personnel abroad. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions.

Mario Battistini is a CFA® charterholder with seven years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Farther. His prior experience includes roles at JP Morgan and Merrill Lynch. Farther serves individual investors, trusts, and estates through a technology-driven advisory platform combined with direct client meetings. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based investment approach using bespoke and algorithmic model portfolios, focusing primarily on ETFs, mutual funds, equities, and fixed income.

Luke Finchem is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Cape Coral, FL. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 20 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at New York Life Insurance Company and NYLife Securities LLC since 2005, as well as operating 2M Financial Group, LLC, which brokers non-registered insurance products. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base, including individuals and institutions, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations and operates primarily on a non-discretionary asset management basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Aaron Kowal is a CFP® with 22 years of industry experience and is currently affiliated with Creative Planning. He has held positions at Mutual Securities, Inc., Raymond James Financial Services, and operates Kowal Investment Group, LLC, where he serves as president and financial advisor. Creative Planning provides comprehensive wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a varied client base including high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach emphasizing low-cost indexing and long-term strategies, supplemented by selective private market exposure and advanced portfolio management techniques.

Chelsea Carter is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with nine years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Bank of America and Merrill. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers through discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting.

William Gibson is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. with 16 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with Fifth Third since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, Gibson is a co-owner of Florida Wedding Design, Inc., a wedding planning business based in Cape Coral, FL. Fifth Third Securities serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutions through investment advisory and brokerage services. The firm offers various managed account programs and portfolio management options via the Passageway platform and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank.

John Offenburger is a financial advisor at Commonwealth Financial Network with 28 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at Wells Fargo Advisors and EmVision Capital Advisors LLC. Offenburger is also the owner and president of Offenburger Capital Management, LLC, where he operates securities, advisory, and insurance businesses, and he serves as a notary public. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a national network of about 2,900 advisors and managing approximately $213 billion in client assets. The firm offers a broad adviser-support platform including managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, and custody and clearing services.

Blake Fortune is a financial advisor with Osaic Advisory Services, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Osaic Advisory Services, he worked at GCG Wealth Management and has experience in educational roles at the University of Central Florida and Fort Myers High School. Osaic Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise adviser serving a diverse client base including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporate and charitable entities, retirement plan participants, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm offers a range of investment and consulting services, utilizing a mix of fundamental and technical analysis, tactical trading, and alternative investment access, supported by extensive platform relationships and an affiliated management ecosystem.

Stephen Freeman is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services holding a Series 66 credential and four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Fidelity Investments and Seminole Casino Immokalee. 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 AI-enabled research tools.

Paul Parsons is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 31 years of industry experience. He has worked at PlanStrong Investment Management and Next Financial Group prior to his current roles. Parsons is also president of PRP Holdings Inc., a private entity involved in securities, advisory, and insurance business. Commonwealth Financial Network serves a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients, providing advisory programs, technology, and operational support. The firm offers a range of investment solutions, including discretionary model portfolios and personalized indexing options.