Gina Lowery is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and 18 years of industry experience. She has been with TIAA since 2013, including her role at TIAA CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing retirement plan relationships. The firm offers both point-in-time planning services and ongoing portfolio management, operating within a vertically integrated group that includes advisory services for a donor-advised fund.

Benjamin Laubach is a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. with a Series 65 designation and experience in both advisory and other business roles, including work with Tastful Occasions and Phantom Fireworks. He began his industry career in 2025 and is based in Charlotte, NC. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, foundations, non-profits, and endowments by providing investment advisory services along with financial, tax, retirement, and estate planning. The firm’s investment approach centers on Modern Portfolio Theory, using diversified portfolios and various investment vehicles supported by comprehensive client education and specialized service lines.

Austin Lewis is a CFP® professional with 12 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC in Charlotte, NC. His prior roles include positions at AssetMark Brokerage, LLC and The Vanguard Group, Inc. Outside of advising, he is a managing partner and co-founder of SouthPark Family Tax, LLC, a seasonal income tax preparation firm. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning, asset management, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm manages over $122 billion in assets, employing a diversified investment process that blends passive and active strategies overseen by an internal Investment Committee.

Michael George is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 13 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a Logistics Journeyman in the United States Air Force Air National Guard, supporting deployment operations. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm offers both model-based and customized portfolio management under a fiduciary standard within a vertically integrated structure that includes affiliated funds.

Darren Parson is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with 21 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. Prior to joining Truist in 2023, Parson worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Advisors. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation and investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, participant advice, and a manager-selection program implemented through a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary arrangements.

Courtney Williams is a financial advisor at Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC with 16 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Raymond James Financial Services and Edward Jones. Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise-scale RIA managing approximately $36.7 billion in regulatory assets. The firm serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations, offering a range of portfolio management and financial planning services through both proprietary and third-party solutions.

Margaret Keith is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott with 14 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. Her prior experience includes roles at Wells Fargo Advisors and Wells Fargo Clearing before joining Janney Montgomery Scott. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC manages approximately $110 billion in client assets and serves a diverse client base, including individuals, families, trusts, estates, and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of services including brokerage, financial planning, consulting, and advisory programs, supported by both in-house and third-party portfolio management.

Jerry Carpenter Jr. is a financial advisor with Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 38 years of industry experience. He has been with Ameritas Advisory Services since 2021 and maintains roles with Ameritas Investment Corp and Ameritas Life Insurance Corp since 2013. Carpenter is also the owner and president of Carpenter Group Inc/DBA CGI Benefits, which provides group health and dental benefits, and operates a timber farm growing Loblolly Pine trees. Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC offers investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, charitable and corporate entities, and retirement plans. The firm provides fee-based asset management through various programs and emphasizes retirement plan advisory services with a range of fiduciary and consulting options.

Mark Hargrove is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses with one year of industry experience. His prior work includes a decade at McCreary Modern and a year with Thrivent Financial and Thrivent Investment Management. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing relationships through employer retirement plans. The firm provides point-in-time financial planning alongside ongoing portfolio management using model and customized portfolios under a fiduciary standard.

Brent Hann is a financial advisor with OSAIC Institutions, Inc. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 designations and has 11 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Wells Fargo Clearing, Linden Thomas & Company Securities, and AXA Distributors, LLC. 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 with a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer structure that combines discretionary and non-discretionary account management.

Benjamin Beeson is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and having seven years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Principal Life Insurance Company, Wells Fargo Clearing, and New York Life Securities. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by AI-enabled research tools and extensive inter-affiliate integration.

Charles Stegall is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Primerica Advisors since 1999 and has longstanding affiliations with CP Advisory Services, Inc. and Guardian Life Insurance Company. Outside of his advisory work, he is a passive owner of an HVAC installation company and has invested in a resort development project in the Bahamas. Primerica Advisors serves a broad retail client base, offering both brokerage and fee-based advisory services, including financial planning and retirement consulting. The firm employs a range of investment strategies through proprietary and third-party platforms and supports various account-level services such as securities-based lending and tax-harvesting.

Chason Trahan is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with nine years of industry experience, currently with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC. He has worked with multiple firms including Carroll Financial, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, Dixon Wells, and LPL Financial. Trahan serves as trustee, executor, and guardian for immediate family member estates. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans through a network of hundreds of advisors. The firm offers financial planning, asset management, and specialized retirement plan consulting, utilizing a strategic investment process that combines passive and active management guided by an internal Investment Committee.

David Vogt is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and having three years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Rugged Science and Dickinson College, as well as involvement with Pro Skills Basketball. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals with existing employer retirement plans, as well as trusts, estates, and small retirement plans. The firm offers both point-in-time planning services and ongoing portfolio management within a vertically integrated structure that includes affiliated funds and donor-advised fund advisory.

Jerry Pettus is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 25 years of industry experience. He has worked with TIAA-CREF since 2001. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals—often those with existing relationships through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans—as well as trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans. The firm separates point-in-time planning from ongoing discretionary management, employs a fiduciary standard for its advisory services, and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund through Charityvest.

Micah Parks is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with three years of industry experience currently with TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, NC. Prior to joining TIAA-CREF, he worked at Vanguard Advisers and Vanguard Marketing Corporation and has held positions in various industries including DoorDash and automotive sales. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals connected with TIAA retirement plans, as well as trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans. The firm offers both one-time planning services and ongoing portfolio management, including customized investment solutions managed by dedicated portfolio managers.

Evan Jonas is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2015. Prior to his advisory career, he served in the North Carolina Air National Guard from 2010 to 2017. Outside of his professional work, he volunteers with a non-profit dance troupe that supports dance-related activities through fundraising efforts. TIAA-CREF’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans, often serving clients linked to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm’s advisory model separates one-time planning services from ongoing portfolio management, operating within a vertically integrated group that uses affiliated funds and applies a fiduciary standard to its RIA services.

Ernest Kiefer III is a CFP® professional with 17 years of industry experience, currently associated with First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. since 2013. He holds the Series 66 designation and operates out of Charlotte, NC. First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. offers investment advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, pension plans, and business entities. The firm combines IAR-led client assessments with a mix of risk- and outcomes-based asset allocation, discretionary or non-discretionary management, and third-party managers, leveraging integrated banking resources as a subsidiary of a bank holding company.

Robert Holmes is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors based in Charlotte, NC, holding the ChFC® and Series 63 designations and bringing 51 years of industry experience. He has been affiliated with Park Avenue Securities and Guardian Life Insurance since 2013. Holmes serves as a board member of the Society of Financial Services Professionals. Park Avenue Securities LLC serves a broad retail client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, offering a range of brokerage and advisory services along with financial and business consulting. The firm implements investment strategies through proprietary and third-party model portfolios and supports various account-level services such as lending solutions and donor-advised funds.

Samuel Askew is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining TIAA-CREF, he worked at FedEx and held various roles including at the University of Connecticut and educational institutions. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals with ties to TIAA employer retirement plans, as well as trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans. The firm offers a range of services including model portfolio management and customized portfolio solutions, operating within a vertically integrated structure that includes affiliated funds.