Tommy Lewis is a financial advisor at First Financial Group in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with three years of industry experience. Prior to joining First Financial Group in 2022, he was affiliated with East Carolina University and Wakefield High School. First Financial Group serves individual investors, trusts, estates, and business entities, providing both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management along with financial planning services. The firm employs a client-driven investment approach that includes fundamental and cyclical analysis, customized portfolio construction, and ongoing monitoring.

Marcus Fryar is a CFP® professional with 19 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Fryar Financial in Durham, NC. His prior roles include positions at Cetera Investment Advisers LLC and HD Vest Advisory Services. Outside of advising, he owns Fryar Management Group LLC, which provides accounting, tax, and payroll services to individuals, businesses, and nonprofits. Fryar Financial offers financial planning and asset management to individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as retirement plan sponsors. The firm emphasizes tailored financial planning and non-discretionary portfolio management, with a focus on ERISA plan services including investment policy creation, monitoring, fee oversight, and participant education.

Alexander Hearley is a financial advisor with Top Rank Wealth Management, LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and six years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at RedHawk Wealth Advisors, CETERA Advisor Networks, and Valic Financial Advisors. He is also an insurance agent licensed to sell life, health, disability, annuities, and long-term care insurance. Top Rank Wealth Management provides discretionary asset management and financial planning services to individuals and high-net-worth clients. The firm builds investment programs based on client goals and risk tolerances, employing technical, charting, and quantitative analysis with a focus on discretionary trading authority.

Samuel Miesmer is a financial advisor at Trillium Square Advisors LLC with Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Trillium Square Advisors, he worked at Fidelity Investments for three years. His background also includes roles in the restaurant industry and financial education. Trillium Square Advisors serves individuals, small businesses, retirement plans, and institutional clients by providing financial planning, portfolio management, retirement-plan advisory, and corporate cash-management services. The firm combines active management with quantitative techniques and offers ongoing supervision alongside educational seminars and workshops.

August Pye is a financial advisor with Integrated WealthCare, LLC and holds a Series 65 designation. He has been with Integrated WealthCare since 2024 and has prior experience with Home Tax Solutions LLC and involvement with the YMCA of the Triangle at Camp Sea Gull. Outside of his advisory role, he is a licensed insurance agent. Integrated WealthCare is an SEC-registered wealth management firm that primarily serves physicians and medical professionals, as well as high-net-worth individuals, families, business owners, and retirement plans. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory, using documented risk assessments and client-specific Investment Policy Statements to implement globally diversified portfolios.

James Castleman Jr. is a financial advisor at AdvisorsTrust Partners LLC with 14 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked previously as a consultant and at CoVest Asset Management. Castleman is based in Raleigh, NC. AdvisorsTrust Partners LLC provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to tailor investment advice primarily on a discretionary basis, managing approximately $435.3 million in regulatory assets across about 172 client relationships.

Russell Kroeger is a CFP® professional with 10 years of industry experience. He is currently with Upstart Wealth Management, LLC and Paradigm Wealth, Inc. (Trayecto), where he is the Founder and CEO, focusing on designing and building technology products for financial advisors and consumers. His prior experience includes roles at Michael Powsner CPA, Paradigm Wealth Architects, LLC, and Yeske Buie Inc. Upstart Wealth Management provides investment management and comprehensive financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs discretionary, asset-allocation strategies using model portfolios and a range of implementation vehicles, including derivatives and margin, which are uncommon among peer team firms.

James Brown is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with 15 years of industry experience. He currently works at Minerva Planning Group, where he has been since 2024, following 13 years at Vaughan-Brown Wealth Management. Minerva Planning Group serves individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as trusts, estates, and other investment advisors, offering discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm emphasizes a long-term asset allocation approach using low-cost, diversified mutual funds and ETFs, particularly Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) funds, combined with fundamental analysis and selective use of individual securities.

Eric Schrum is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience, currently serving at Schrum Private Wealth Management, LLC in Raleigh, NC. He has worked at Founders Wealth Management and Planning since 2017 and had a prior role at Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC. Schrum Private Wealth Management offers investment and wealth management services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, utilizing a blend of Modern Portfolio Theory and behavioral finance to construct diversified, low-cost portfolios. The firm emphasizes long-term investing with periodic tactical adjustments and incorporates tax-aware strategies such as tax-loss harvesting.

Lisa Gabriel is a CFP® and ChFC® with 21 years of industry experience. She has been with Pinafore Wealth Counsel Inc. since 2014. Gabriel serves as a board member and occasional instructor at Duke University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, where she teaches classes on financial, retirement, and legacy planning. Pinafore Wealth Counsel provides investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and financial transition planning to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm manages approximately $174 million for about 100 clients, constructing tailored portfolios using a variety of securities and employing fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis, while also offering insurance products and Financial Transition Planning services.

Michael Fenchak is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor at Top Rank Wealth Management, LLC in Raleigh, NC, with one year of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at RedHawk Wealth Advisors, Inc., Evergreen Wealth Advisors, Bank of NY Mellon, and Willis Towers Watson. Outside the financial sector, he has experience with Clean Juice. Top Rank Wealth Management specializes in discretionary asset management and financial planning for individuals and high-net-worth clients, using technical, charting, and quantitative analysis tailored to client goals and risk tolerances. The firm also integrates advisory services with affiliated insurance and legal planning entities.

Austin Brown is a CFP® professional with eight years of experience in financial advising. He is currently with Bolin Creek Wealth Advisors LLC, where he has worked since 2023. Prior to this, he spent ten years at Woodward Financial Advisors, Inc. Bolin Creek Wealth Advisors is a fee-only firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and estates through comprehensive financial planning and discretionary investment management. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based approach, focusing on diversified, low-cost funds and personalized allocation strategies developed through client risk assessment.

Daniel Braddock is a financial advisor with Almega Wealth Management in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 65 designation and three years of industry experience. He has worked at Almega Wealth Management since 2022 and also owns an insurance agency, Scott Braddock Financial. Almega Wealth Management advises individuals, families, small businesses, retirement plans, and charitable organizations using a primarily passive investment approach with index mutual funds and ETFs, while offering customized active strategies for complex situations. The firm operates multiple offices and includes affiliated tax services, educational content, and quarterly client reporting.

Joshua Stilley is a financial advisor at TrustStone Wealth Partners, LLC with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Gordon Asset Management, LLC for six years. He is also the owner of JVS Financial L.L.C., a holding company that owns TrustStone Wealth Partners. TrustStone Wealth Partners provides portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs tailored investment strategies primarily using ETFs, third-party managers, and model portfolios, applying various analysis methods and trading strategies to meet client objectives.

Michael Honea is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience. He currently works at Cary Financial Planning, LLC and previously held roles at Members Trust Company, Credit Union Investment Services, and related firms. Cary Financial Planning serves individuals, families, business owners, and high-net-worth clients with investment advisory and financial planning services. The firm employs a long-term, evidence-based investment approach focusing on diversification, cost control, tax awareness, and disciplined rebalancing, utilizing mutual funds, ETFs, and factor-based funds.

Benjamin Scarbrough is a financial advisor at Stone Legacy Capital LLC in Raleigh, NC. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been working in the industry since 2024, with prior experience at Equitable Advisors, LLC and George Pickett & Associates. He spent ten years as a full-time student before beginning his advisory career. Stone Legacy Capital LLC is an independent firm providing discretionary investment management and tailored financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm operates as a solo practice, managing approximately $4.9 million in client assets, and offers financial planning in three tiers alongside investment management using various analytical methods.

Michael Palmer is a CFP® professional with 12 years of industry experience. He has worked at Ark Royal Wealth Management LLC since 2015 and previously spent one year at Woodward Financial Advisors, Inc. Palmer is based in Raleigh, NC. Ark Royal Wealth Management LLC provides discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm follows a long-term investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, utilizing primarily passive mutual funds from DFA and Vanguard, and provides tailored portfolio management with performance reporting and occasional financial education seminars.

Gray Pendleton is a CFP® professional with 13 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Pendleton Financial Wealth Management in Raleigh, NC. His career includes roles at Concourse Financial Group Securities and operating his own entities since 2010. Outside of advisory work, he runs an educational YouTube channel on financial planning, authors financial planning books, and produces original music distributed on streaming platforms. Pendleton Financial Wealth Management provides investment management and financial planning to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm employs a long-term, buy-and-hold investment approach using modern portfolio theory and fundamental analysis, and offers pension plan consulting alongside educational seminars and client newsletters.

Fred Lowry is a financial advisor with BrightPath Wealth Advisors LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 65 designation and four years of industry experience. He is also an adjunct professor at Wake Tech Community College and operates a sole proprietorship focused on insurance sales. Additionally, he consults for Trivecta, a spa and facial sales business. BrightPath Wealth Advisors serves individual and high-net-worth clients as well as corporate entities, providing discretionary portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning. The firm develops customized investment policy statements, employs fundamental analysis, and offers public educational seminars.

Anessa Custovic is a financial advisor at Cardinal Retirement Planning, Inc. in Durham, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with six years of industry experience. She has held various roles within Cardinal Retirement Planning since 2020 and was self-employed as a dog trainer starting in 2018. Prior to her advisory career, she worked at Tower Street Associates and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Cardinal Retirement Planning primarily serves pre-retirees and retirees, high-net-worth individuals, businesses, and non-profits, offering a range of financial planning, portfolio management, and consulting services. The firm employs a top-down investment approach integrating quantitative models with fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, and features unique capabilities such as in-house econometric research and the use of borrowing within separately managed accounts.