Professionally, I earned my undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Wake Forest University. I also hold the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®), and Chartered Special Needs Consultant® (ChSNC®) designations. My educational and professional experiences have taught me that successful financial planning requires more than technical expertise. It requires listening, understanding what matters most to the client, and helping clients make thoughtful decisions through every stage of life. Outside of my professional practice, I remain actively involved in the community through volunteer leadership, youth baseball, and service through local civic and church organizations. Whether coaching youth on the field, serving in the community, or advising clients, I believe the most rewarding work comes from helping others develop confidence, navigate challenges, and achieve meaningful goals.

Charles Kern III is the sole advisor at Pilot Investment Services, LLC in Greensboro, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with 32 years of industry experience. Since 2015, he has operated his independent advisory firm and also works as an auditor for the Department of the Treasury in Charlotte. Pilot Investment Services, LLC provides discretionary portfolio management and limited financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as trusts and estates. The firm manages approximately $1.5 million on a discretionary basis and employs a blend of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to construct portfolios using ETFs, individual equities, bonds, and selective options and margin.

We’re built for families! We focus on bridging generations to connect families and their finances. As Baby Boomers, you created more wealth than any generation before you. Now in your retirement years, the economic expansion that aided your careers doesn’t feel as robust. You worry about your savings lasting a lengthy life expectancy. You also worry that your children and grandchildren will be the first generation to not have it better than the generation before them. Our goal is to solve both problems. Our structure allows us to provide the same great advice whether you have a lifetime of savings or you are just starting out. That means we can work with multiple generations, and where appropriate, find opportunities to coordinate across generations while maintaining privacy and independence. I am a millennial myself with over a decade of experience helping retirees with personal finances. That combination of youth and experience gives me an advantage over many of the advisors out there. My youth, to retirees, means I am likely to be around for the entirety of your retirement. All those plans you made with your advisor, will be executed by the advisor that helped you plan them. If that includes an inheritance, good news because I want to work with your heirs too! To a younger generation, you get an advisor you can relate to who doesn’t treat your problems as less significant because you don’t have the same level of assets. Just because I’m young, doesn’t mean I’m green! I was previously the Practicing Partner of a wealth management firm focused solely on retirees. As the lead portfolio manager, I oversaw almost $500 million in client portfolios. That experience means I’ve guided and advised clients through every stage of a successful retirement. It also means I know what a successful retirement looks like. As I’ve always said, best laid plans begin with the end in mind, so my experience serves just as well early in your journey to financial independence. I started my own firm because I saw an increasing need to reconnect families and their finances. Grandparents are providing child care, children are providing elderly care, and everyone is chipping in to pay for education. As much as ever families need each other, and our program is specifically designed to be prepared when they do.

Mike took a different path, and every stop along the way shaped how Legs Financial works today. Mike started as a high school physics teacher, where he learned to take genuinely complex ideas and make them clear and actionable for people who had never encountered them before. That skill never left. Years at Vanguard grounded his investment philosophy in evidence, low cost, and long-term discipline. Working with advisors across a multi-state territory at LPL gave him a front-row view of the wide range of practices and offerings in the industry, what worked, what didn’t, and what was missing. Time at a tech startup sharpened his eye for the tools that actually help clients. And a stint at a trust company gave him firsthand experience in trust administration, the kind of operational depth that most advisors simply don’t have. The pattern across all of it: every role added a layer. And when it came time to build his own firm, he couldn’t reconcile the standard model. Charging someone twice as much simply because their portfolio had grown, even when the work hadn’t changed, felt fundamentally misaligned. So he changed the model. Legs Financial operates on a transparent flat fee, quoted upfront based on the complexity of your situation, not the size of your portfolio. Mike earned his ChSNC® (Chartered Special Needs Consultant) designation specifically to offer deeper expertise and better support to families navigating Special Needs Trusts, Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts, and the long-term coordination required to plan for two lifetimes. For him, it isn’t just a credential, it’s a commitment to carrying the heavy pack for families protecting a loved one’s quality of life. Mike and his family moved to North Carolina in 2003, settling in the Lake Norman area before relocating to Greensboro in December 2021. Outside the office, he volunteers as lead for Abilities Tennis in Greensboro, serves on the board of the Guilford Regional Tennis Association (GRETA), leads new Blind and Low-Vision tennis clinics, sits on the Mayor’s Committee for Persons with Disabilities, serves as Operations Lead for the Winston-Salem Open professional tennis tournament, and offers educational seminars to organizations across the area.

Michael Brown is a financial advisor at Olde Towne Financial Management Co. in Greensboro, NC, with 28 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Olde Towne Financial since 2017, following eight years at Invest Financial Corp. Olde Towne Financial Management Co. offers investment management and financial planning services primarily to individual clients, focusing on tailored portfolios and ongoing advisory contact. The firm manages discretionary accounts guided by client objectives and delivers written financial plans that address clients’ overall financial situations.

Travis Ray is a CFP® professional at BY Design Financial Planning in Greensboro, NC, with four years of industry experience. Prior to founding this independent firm, he worked at Envestnet for ten years. Outside of financial advising, he operates a software consulting business focused on guiding companies in technology solutions and tax preparation. BY Design Financial Planning is a fee-only advisory firm serving individual and high-net-worth clients with investment management and financial planning. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation approach using mutual funds, ETFs, and offers socially responsible portfolios, with distinctive services including third-party platform access for held-away accounts and a structured options strategy.

David Isley is a financial advisor with Abound Investments in Burlington, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Abound Investments since 2010 and has previously worked with various insurance carriers from 2002 to 2024. In addition to his advisory role, he is a licensed North Carolina life and health insurance agent. Abound Investments serves individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals, as well as corporate pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, insurance planning, and consulting services, with a focus on individualized portfolio management and plan-level pension consulting.

Jamal Brooks is the principal of J. Brooks & Company, LLC in Greensboro, NC, holding a Series 66 designation with 15 years of industry experience. He has led his independent advisory firm since 2011. In addition to his advisory role, Brooks works as an independent insurance agent specializing in life insurance, annuities, and long-term care insurance. J. Brooks & Company, LLC provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, investment groups, and family offices. The firm combines fundamental and technical analysis in its investment approach and tailors financial plans to clients’ specific life stages and goals.

Joshua Scott is the principal of Eden Family Wealth Group, LLC in Greensboro, NC, with one year of experience as a financial advisor. He holds the Series 65 designation and has held roles at Modern Woodmen of America and the Internal Revenue Service. In addition to his advisory work, he operates Joshua Scott & Associates, LLC, a tax consulting firm providing tax preparation, planning, and IRS representation services. Eden Family Wealth Group offers investment management and financial planning to individuals, families, small business owners, and qualified retirement plans. The firm provides customized, tax-aware portfolio management and retirement plan advisory services, combining fundamental analysis with client-approved transactions and a focus on both individual and institutional clients.

Andrew Lippert is a CFP® and CFA® with 12 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Simplified Wealth LLC in Greensboro, NC. His prior roles include positions at Fidelity, LPL Financial, and XY Tax Solutions. Simplified Wealth LLC provides financial planning, investment management, and tax return preparation services to individual and high-net-worth clients, emphasizing integrated planning across financial, tax, estate, and risk management. The firm’s investment approach focuses on strategic asset allocation primarily through passive vehicles, with a notable emphasis on tax-aware planning and a substantial portion of non-discretionary asset management.

Egbert Davis IV is the president and chief compliance officer of 95 Impact Capital, Inc., an independent advisory firm based in Greensboro, NC. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 10 years of industry experience. In addition to his advisory role, Mr. Davis serves as chair of the board for ShurTape Peru S.A., an industrial distributor in Lima, Peru, a position he has held since 2001. He is also a licensed attorney in North Carolina and applies his legal expertise to reviewing complex investment documents. 95 Impact Capital, Inc. provides specialized consulting services primarily to ultra-high net worth clients, family offices, and institutional investors, focusing on alternative investments such as private equity, private placements, real estate, and hedge funds. The firm emphasizes portfolio-level analysis and investment committee support without discretionary management, leveraging Mr. Davis's combined legal, accounting, and business background in its approach.

Ryan Foster is a CFP® professional with 19 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Crossroads Financial Services Inc and has worked at several firms including Intercarolina Financial Services, Fund Direct Advisors, and Investment Advisors Corp. Foster holds the Series 66 designation. Crossroads Financial Services Inc provides investment management and financial planning primarily for individuals, high-net-worth individuals, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a fee-only, discretionary management approach that combines passive and active strategies, focusing on personalized investment policies and regular portfolio reviews.

William Davidson is a financial advisor with PARK Wealth Management, LLC in Greensboro, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 12 years of industry experience. He is also a licensed insurance agent and registered representative with Mass Mutual and MML Investors Services. PARK Wealth Management provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individuals and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis with both long- and short-term trading strategies, offering a broad range of investment options including mutual funds, equities, fixed income, ETFs, REITs, non-U.S. securities, alternative investments, and insurance products.

Wendell Jones Jr. is a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) and Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) with 17 years of industry experience. He has been the principal advisor at Phoenix Financial Solutions, Inc., an independent firm based in Greensboro, NC, since 2005. Phoenix Financial Solutions, Inc. offers fee-only financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, small businesses, and other corporate entities. The firm emphasizes asset allocation and long-term, fundamental investment strategies while providing non-discretionary advice and conducting educational workshops on financial topics.

Michael Quinlivan is a financial advisor at Pension Planning Solutions, Inc. with 24 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation as well as Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Quinlivan has been affiliated with Presidium Retirement Advisers, Inc. since 2006. Pension Planning Solutions, Inc. provides individualized investment advice and portfolio management primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm operates exclusively on a non-discretionary basis, employing a mix of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, and offers services including retirement-account rollover guidance under fiduciary standards.

Amit Hampel is the principal of Hampel Investment Advisors in Greensboro, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with seven years of industry experience. He founded Hampel Investment Advisors in 2018 and also owns a property management business, Always My Home, LLC. Hampel Investment Advisors provides discretionary investment management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional-type accounts, including charitable organizations and corporations. The firm customizes investment policies and employs diversified asset allocation with a mix of strategic and active management approaches.

Laura Collins is a financial advisor with Provident Wealth Management in Burlington, NC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and possessing 17 years of industry experience. Her prior work includes roles at Meritage Holdings, LLC, Lincoln Financial Securities Corporation, and Crossharbour Partners, LLC. Outside of her advisory duties, she is a managing member of Crossharbour Partners, LLC, providing consulting on non-qualified deferred compensation strategies with attorneys and CPAs. Provident Wealth Management offers investment advice to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities, providing both discretionary and non-discretionary asset management along with financial planning and consulting. The firm incorporates fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis in its investment approach and is known for its affiliations with an insurance agency and a real estate business, as well as for offering no-fee public seminars and cryptocurrency advisory services.

Christopher Jones is a CFP® with 13 years of industry experience and a CPA since 1982. He is a principal at Carolina Financial Advisors, Inc. in Greensboro, NC. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved in management consulting and accounting for two self-storage businesses. Carolina Financial Advisors, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, retirement plans, and non-profit organizations. The firm emphasizes preservation of principal through quality and diversification, employing both fundamental and technical analysis, and offers a Values Based Investing option aligned with traditional Christian values.

Blaise Stevens is a CFP® and ChFC® with 17 years of industry experience. He is currently with Strategic Advisory Partners, where he has worked since 2021. Prior to that, he was with Spartan Planning Group and Prudential Financial. Strategic Advisory Partners serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporate clients by providing investment management and financial planning services. The firm uses a combination of fundamental and technical analysis within a Modern Portfolio Theory framework and offers both active and passive strategies tailored to client objectives.

Harry Wellons is a financial advisor at Cascades Capital Asset Management, LLC in Greensboro, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations with 24 years of industry experience. He has been with Cascades Capital since 2014. Cascades Capital Asset Management serves individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, and retirement plans, providing portfolio management, limited financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm focuses on fundamental research, long-term equity ownership, and diversified portfolios, with approximately $322 million in assets under management.