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 15 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Janney Montgomery Scott and Wells Fargo Clearing. Janney Montgomery Scott is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, offering brokerage services, financial planning, and advisory programs through a combination of 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 licenses and bringing 39 years of industry experience. He has been with Ameritas Advisory Services since 2021 and has over a decade of experience with Ameritas Investment Corp and Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. Carpenter is also the owner of a family timber farm, Carpenter Timber LLC, overseeing tree planting and future harvests. Ameritas Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm utilizes a combination of model portfolios, mutual funds, ETFs, and individual securities, offering a range of program platforms and leveraging third-party technology and managers to customize investment solutions.

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. in Cornelius, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 11 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at firms such as Wells Fargo Clearing and Linden Thomas & Company Securities, 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, wrap programs, and access to alternative investments and lending solutions, operating a hybrid adviser/broker-dealer model with both discretionary and non-discretionary assets.

Benjamin Beeson is a financial advisor at Rockefeller Financial LLC in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses with seven years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Truist Investment Services, Principal Securities, Wells Fargo Clearing, and New York Life Insurance Company. Rockefeller Financial LLC serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, institutional clients, retirement plans, foundations, and corporations. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting, operating both as a registered broker-dealer and provider of placement and investment banking services within an integrated Private Advisor model and consolidated investment platform.

Charles Stegall is a financial advisor with Guardian Life in Charlotte, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and over 35 years of industry experience. He has worked at Guardian Life since 1990 and at CP Advisory Services, Inc. since 1991. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in multiple business ventures including a financial advisory practice and a passive ownership interest in an HVAC installation company. Guardian Life’s Park Avenue Wealth Management offers brokerage and advisory services to individuals, retirement and corporate plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm integrates advisor-led discretionary management with model-based strategies and provides access to proprietary and third-party investment platforms, alongside various financial planning and consulting solutions.

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® with 18 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. in Charlotte, NC. He has been with First Citizens Investor Services since 2013. 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 offers portfolio management, wrap programs, model portfolios, and financial planning, utilizing IAR-led assessments and a mix of fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis to allocate assets.

Robert Holmes is a financial advisor with Guardian Life in Charlotte, NC, holding the ChFC® and Series 63 designations and bringing 52 years of industry experience. He has worked at Park Avenue Securities and Guardian Life since 2013, with prior roles at New England Securities, Woodbury Financial Services, and Mony Securities Corporation. Holmes serves as a general board member of the Society of Financial Services Professionals. 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, along with financial planning, consulting, and access to proprietary and third-party investment solutions.

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.

Patricia Godfrey is a financial advisor with Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and seven years of industry experience. She also serves as Senior Manager of Sales Operations at Veritas Technologies, LLC, a data information technology firm. Godfrey is a 50% owner of Blackbridge Financial, LLC, a DBA associated with her work at Independent Advisor Alliance. Independent Advisor Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, small businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans. The firm offers asset management, financial planning, wealth coaching, and retirement plan consulting, utilizing a network model of advisory representatives supported by sub-advisors and third-party platforms.

Harry Koutroumanis is a financial advisor at Truist Advisory Services with three years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at CMI Packaging and Ruffalo Noel Levitz. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a director of the Hellenic Performing Arts Foundation, which supports traditional Greek and Cypriot performing arts. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary approaches alongside third-party platforms and manager relationships.

Michael Conerly is a CFA® charterholder with five years of industry experience. He is currently with Savant Wealth Management and previously worked at Exencial Wealth Advisors, Wells Fargo, and Columbia Threadneedle. Savant Wealth Management serves individuals, families, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and high-net-worth clients with comprehensive wealth management, portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and family office services. The firm employs a combination of evidence-based, model-driven asset allocation and actively managed strategies across various asset classes, supported by in-house accounting, legal, and trust services.

Susan Barsnica is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 10 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Her prior experience includes roles at Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors, Fidelity Investments, Alight Financial Advisors, and Axa Advisors. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals with ties to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans, as well as to trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans. The firm offers both point-in-time financial planning and ongoing portfolio management through model and customized portfolios, operating under a fiduciary standard with disclosure of potential conflicts related to affiliated funds and fee structures.

Benjamin Dobson is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory who holds the Series 66 designation and has 20 years of industry experience. He has been with Kestra Advisory since 2016 and has also worked with Kestra Investment Services, LLC and Corporate Benefit Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, Dobson serves as a board member for the ACC Championship/Belk Bowl, supporting the selling of corporate packages. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to plan sponsors and a broad range of institutional and individual clients. The firm offers services that include fiduciary consulting, plan-level investment advice, employee education, and pooled plan solutions, serving clients such as large institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds.