Christopher Kowal is a CFP® professional with 13 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with HB Wealth in Atlanta, GA. He has been with Homrich Berg since 2006. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as Board Chair and Trustee for the Cherokee Employee Scholarship Foundation and participates in an AICPA Task Force providing a technical review of the fiduciary handbook for Fi360. HB Wealth Management provides wealth management, investment management, and financial planning services to individuals, families, trusts, retirement plans, corporate entities, foundations, family offices, and institutional clients. The firm employs a combined quantitative and qualitative investment process across a range of public and private strategies and offers outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) and institutional advisory services.

Mariana Battista is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. She previously worked at Atlanta Financial Associates, LLC, Patton Albertson Miller Group, LLC, and Anthony Smith Advisors, Inc. Mariana also has work experience at the University of Georgia. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, foundations, non-profits, and endowments, providing investment advisory services alongside financial, tax, retirement, estate planning, and family office services. The firm employs a globally diversified, risk-appropriate investment approach using low-cost ETFs, index funds, separate account managers, and other strategies, and offers various specialized programs and educational initiatives.

Roger Shaffer is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with 32 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked with Hightower Securities and Hightower Advisors since 2013. Shaffer serves on the Board of Directors at Signature Banks of Georgia. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions using affiliated and third-party managers, with services that include discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting.

Rajen Chokshi is a CFP® professional with 23 years of industry experience. He has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2021 and previously held roles at Bluerock Wealth Management, Redwood Wealth Management, and BlueRock Financial Advisors. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing proprietary research and a range of investment strategies across mutual funds, ETFs, alternatives, and customized indexing.

Laurie Schaeffer is a financial advisor with Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and possessing 23 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at LPL Financial, Independent Financial Partners, Mass Mutual Investors Services, and MetLife Securities Inc. She is also a commissioned notary in New York. Independent Advisor Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, small businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, offering services such as asset management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm combines a network of independent advisory representatives with technology-driven portfolio management and planning solutions, including access to third-party managers and estate-planning platforms.

Robert Szymanski is a CFP® and ChFC® with 16 years of industry experience. He is currently affiliated with Horter Investment Management, LLC and is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC in Duluth, GA. His other business activities include insurance sales and Medicare back-office referrals. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser offering fee-based asset management and financial planning through a turnkey asset management platform and wrap-fee programs. The firm serves a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, other RIAs, sovereign wealth funds, and banking institutions.

Aleece Kardon is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors in Alpharetta, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 15 years of industry experience. She also maintains an active legal practice as an attorney specializing in trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and residential real estate closings. Kardon has worked at multiple legal and financial firms, including WealthWave and Shafritz & Dean, Attorneys at Law. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a broad client base ranging from individual investors to institutional entities and offers both advisory and broker-dealer services. The firm delivers investment advice through proprietary and third-party model portfolios with discretionary and non-discretionary management options.

Ronald Kibbe is a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. in Atlanta, GA, holding CFP®, ChFC®, and Series 66 designations with 26 years of industry experience. He has been with Mercer Global Advisors since 2015. Mercer Global Advisors provides investment advisory and related planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, foundations, and nonprofit organizations. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, emphasizing globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios with multi-factor tilts and strategic use of low-cost index vehicles.

Mark Wyrobek is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. with 12 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has worked at Fifth Third Bank since 2018, following four years at B.C. Ziegler and Company. Outside of his advisory role, he is the owner of a vacation rental business in Dahlonega, Georgia. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. offers brokerage and investment advisory services through its Passageway Managed Account Program to individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and institutional investors. The firm combines bank affiliation with municipal-advisor registration and provides access to multiple managed-account programs, including direct indexing and tax-overlay services.

Clayton Pond is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with over 11 years of industry experience. He has been with Kestra Advisory since 2016 and is also involved with oXYGen Financial, where he works as a Wealth Plan Design Specialist. Pond serves as the Treasurer on the board of a homeowners association. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting for plan sponsors, institutional clients, and individuals. The firm offers a range of services including fiduciary consulting, plan design, employee education, and manages assets for large institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds.

William Brand is a financial advisor at NewEdge Advisors with 16 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Triad Advisors since 2010. In addition to his advisory role, he owns a compliance consulting firm, Willful Compliance Partners, Inc., providing regulatory guidance to registered entities. NewEdge Advisors is an enterprise-scale registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers various portfolio management and consulting services through multiple program structures, emphasizing centralized due diligence and the integration of technology such as algorithmic model portfolios and held-away account platforms.

James Galloway is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management in Roswell, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 21 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Wells Fargo Advisors and Legend Financial Marketing. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only digital portfolio solution that uses algorithmic risk assessment and external strategists to manage investments primarily in mutual funds and ETFs.

Michelle Fernandez is a CFP® professional at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Focus Partners Wealth, she worked at Gratus Capital, LLC and Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group, LLC. Outside of her advisory role, Michelle is a part-time lecturer in the financial planning program at the University of Georgia and contributes as a writer and editor for the CFP Board and National Underwriter, producing educational financial planning materials. Focus Partners Wealth serves a diverse range of clients including individual, high-net-worth, family office, corporate, retirement plan, and institutional investors. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment strategy, utilizing a combination of fundamental and quantitative analysis along with access to third-party managers and alternative investment options.

Eric Lapai is a financial advisor with FIFTH THIRD SECURITIES, Inc. in Lawrenceville, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having seven years of industry experience. He has been with FIFTH THIRD SECURITIES since 2018 and also works with Fifth Third Bank since 2017. Prior to that, he spent a year at Southern New Hampshire University. FIFTH THIRD SECURITIES, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individual, high-net-worth, and institutional clients through both advisory and brokerage services. The firm offers multiple investment programs on the Passageway platform, combining third-party portfolio management with advisor-guided selections, and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank.

Donette Corley is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Alpharetta, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 22 years of industry experience. She has been with SunTrust Advisory Services since 2016 and with SunTrust Investment Services since 2015. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm offers asset allocation, investment policy analysis, fiduciary support, and a manager-selection program that combines discretionary and non-discretionary approaches supported by AI-enabled research tools and an integrated inter-affiliate structure.

William Eudy is a financial advisor with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC in Atlanta, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Focus Partners Wealth in 2026, he worked at EQUITABLE ADVISORS llc from 2023 to 2026. Focus Partners Wealth serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, family offices, corporations, retirement plans, and institutions. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach with a broad range of strategies and integrates services across managed and held-away assets, supported by an extensive network of affiliated service companies.

Richard Phelan is a CFP® professional with 29 years of industry experience, currently with Janney Montgomery Scott since 2021. He previously worked at Morgan Stanley and its Private Bank divisions from 2011 to 2021. Phelan serves on the boards of the Gwinnett Hospital Foundation and The Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia, where he is Chair overseeing the Board CEO. Janney Montgomery Scott is a 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 financial planning, consulting, brokerage services, and multiple advisory programs.

Standar Hammonds is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Alpharetta, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 29 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Fidelity, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, PRUCO Securities, Ameriprise Financial Services, and Scottrade. He serves as a trustee for the Reginald C. Powers Trust, overseeing the distribution of his step-father’s estate. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, along with Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm employs an integrated model linked to Empower’s administrative platforms and focuses on long-term portfolio returns, annual rebalancing, and client savings rates.

Andrew Medders is a CFP® with 19 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. His prior experience includes roles at Kays Financial Advisory Corp., Strategic Advisers, Inc., and Fidelity Brokerage Services. Mercer Global Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, foundations, and nonprofits. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, emphasizing globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios using a range of investment vehicles and strategies.

Jonathan Miles is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services in Atlanta, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and bringing 24 years of industry experience. He has worked with SunTrust Investment Services since 2016. Outside of his advisory role, he is a Stewardship Education Coach at Milestones Wealth & Wellness Institute LLC, a faith-based financial literacy organization focused on educating underserved and minority communities about stewardship and financial decision-making. He is also authoring a book on stewardship, faith, and empowerment. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, implementing advice through discretionary and non‑discretionary manager relationships supported by third‑party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.