Your Trusted Financial Partner and Experience You Can Rely On With over three decades in the financial industry, I've dedicated my career to empowering individuals and families to achieve financial well-being. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional, Dave Ramsey Master Financial Coach and Fee-Only Financial Advisor based in Raleigh, NC, I offer personalized guidance and unwavering support, drawing on my extensive experience to navigate the complexities of the market and tailor solutions to your unique needs. Your Financial Goals, My Priority I believe that everyone deserves to feel confident and in control of their financial future. Whether you're saving for retirement, planning for your children's education, or seeking comprehensive wealth management, I'll work with you to develop a personalized plan that aligns with your goals and values. As a Dave Ramsey Master Financial Coach, I also utilize the proven Dave Ramsey 7 Baby Step process to help you build a strong financial foundation and achieve lasting financial peace. My Fee-Only approach ensures transparency and prioritizes your best interests. Comprehensive Guidance for a Secure Future From investment management to retirement planning, tax strategies to estate planning, I offer comprehensive guidance to address all aspects of your financial life. I'll be there every step of the way, providing reassurance, answering your questions, and adjusting your plan as life evolves. Rooted in the Community As a North Carolina resident and active member of the Wakefield Rotary Club of Wake Forest community, I understand the local landscape and can provide insights tailored to your specific needs. Let's Build a Brighter Financial Future Together Take the first step towards achieving your financial goals. Start with a Complimentary Retirement Review: https://app.rightcapital.com/account/sign-up?referral=3c861414-45bc-4056-8e9d-63371f536cf0&type=client&advisor_id=WyovNSEMqImVmkOBpo0ePA Schedule a Complimentary Consultation: https://calendly.com/getaplan/fee-only-initial-consultation Check out my website as I transparently list how I work with clients and post my fees: https://universityfinancialstrategies.com/ Remember: It's never too late to start planning for your future. With 30+ years of experience, a genuine passion for helping others and the tools of a Dave Ramsey Master Financial Coach, I'm here to guide you every step of the way.

Ryan Emminger is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with 20 years of industry experience. He has worked at Fidelity Investments for 15 years before founding JME Wealth Management, an independent advisory firm based in Raleigh, NC. In addition to his advisory work, he is an independent insurance agent involved in fixed insurance sales and service. JME Wealth Management serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses with comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management. The firm employs a blended investment approach that includes active and passive strategies, core-and-satellite construction, and uses derivatives and hedging techniques within separately managed accounts.

Bradley Turlington is a financial advisor at White Oak Wealth Partners in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 designation with 14 years of industry experience. He has worked at White Oak Wealth Partners since 2015 and has prior experience at Kestra Financial Services, Inc., NFP Advisor Services, LLC, and has operated The Turlington Group, Inc. since 1996. White Oak Wealth Partners provides advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities, serving both high-net-worth and non-HNW clients. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning, discretionary wealth management, and portfolio implementation with an emphasis on downside risk management and regular portfolio reviews.

James Spirko is the principal advisor at Sovereign Financial Group in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 63 and 65 licenses with 20 years of industry experience. He has led Sovereign Financial Group since 2005. Sovereign Financial Group provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients through three service programs: Investment, Legacy, and Wealth Management. The firm manages accounts on a discretionary basis, issues tailored Investment Policy Statements, conducts periodic reviews, and coordinates with tax, estate, and insurance professionals at higher service levels.

Brian Marshburn is a CFP® professional with 21 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Brevity & Associates, an independent firm he has been with since 2013. His prior experience includes roles at Anthem Wealth Management and Abiding Wealth Advisors, as well as operating Marshburn Properties, LLC. Marshburn also works as an independent insurance agent. Brevity & Associates serves individuals, businesses, trusts, foundations, and charitable organizations by providing discretionary portfolio management and standalone financial planning across retirement, estate, tax, education, and insurance areas. The firm emphasizes equity-focused allocations using mutual funds, ETFs, stocks, and bonds within a buy-and-hold framework, and occasionally employs options, REITs, and private placements to enhance diversification.

Mark Vitek is a CFP® professional with 23 years of experience in financial advising. He has been the principal of NC Money Management, Inc. since 1996 and also manages his own CPA firm, Mark Vitek, CPA, PA, which he founded in 1982. He divides his time between his CPA practice and his advisory business. NC Money Management, Inc. serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses with discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm integrates fundamental, technical, and charting analysis to tailor investment strategies and is notable for its affiliation with the principal’s CPA practice, providing tax-preparation support and consulting services uncommon among independent advisors.

Stephen Reh is the sole advisor at Reh Wealth Advisors LLC in Raleigh, NC. He holds the CFP®, CFA®, and Series 66 designations and has 21 years of industry experience. Prior to founding his firm in 2010, he worked at PerTronix for 18 years. Outside of his advisory work, he is an independent contractor for a golf course design company and serves as president of a design business. Reh Wealth Advisors LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and employee benefit plan consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and employer-sponsored plans. The firm emphasizes a goals- and risk-based asset allocation approach, primarily using passive management with index funds and ETFs, and offers retirement-plan consulting services including plan design support and fiduciary oversight.

Gary Balunas is a financial advisor with Unlimited Timing Service Inc in Creedmoor, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 24 years of industry experience. He has worked at Unlimited Timing Service since 2007 and also has a long tenure with Comprehensive Asset Management beginning in 2003. In addition to advisory work, he is registered as an insurance agent in Florida. Unlimited Timing Service Inc provides discretionary portfolio management primarily for high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, and pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm applies a market-timing approach with daily portfolio reviews and manages accounts on the Interactive Brokers platform, operating as a solo practitioner model where the principal assumes full responsibility for investment decisions within agreed client guidelines.

John Underhill is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 12 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Acorn & Oak Wealth Management, where he has worked since 2021. Prior to this, he was with Northwest Asset Management and Edward Jones. Outside of advisory work, he is a cofounder of Good Barrels of the Triangle, a nonprofit that organizes events to raise funds and awareness for local nonprofits. Acorn & Oak Wealth Management is a fee-only, state-registered firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation using both passive and active strategies, manages institutional mandates, and incorporates third-party tools for portfolio implementation and digital custody.

Lucid Wealth Planning ("LWP") was founded to improve the lives of others by helping clients make better-informed financial decisions in both their daily lives and long-term plans. We believe our impact provides added security, confidence, and overall joy in the lives of our clients. Given our focus on clients that strive to improve the world around them, such as Health Care Professionals and Academic professors, we anticipate the ripple effect of betterment to be limitless. Education: B.S.B. degree in Finance Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®), and Certified Student Loan Professional (CSLP®), and Behavioral Financial Advisor (BFA®) Experience: The completion of over 800 comprehensive financial plans for individuals and families since joining the industry in 2006. This includes specialized areas such as student loan analysis, estate planning, tax planning, portfolio management, and cash flow strategizing (to name a few). As a financial planner, my main goal is to help you make well-informed decisions on all financial matters, not just what investments are right for you. I'll always listen to your concerns, devise the best strategy, and treat your financial goals with the same care and interest I devote to my own. I look forward to being your trusted advisor and expert resource as you build a secure, and confident financial life.

Brian Bunn is a CFA® and CPA with seven years of experience in financial services. He is the sole advisor at Brian B. Bunn CPA, PLLC, a firm he has led since 2018. Prior to founding his firm, he worked in tax and accounting consulting as well as financial systems and capital market solutions. He offers tax and accounting services alongside investment advisory, which the firm discloses may present conflicts of interest. Brian B. Bunn CPA, PLLC provides portfolio management and financial planning to entities such as pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm integrates various analytical methods and emphasizes long-term trading and diversified asset allocation tailored to clients’ Investment Policy Statements.

Thomas Tolley is the principal of Tolley Financial Group, LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding Series 65 and Series 66 registrations with 15 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Copperleaf Capital, LLC from 2010 to 2019 and has managed Tolley Financial Group since 2006. Tolley Financial Group provides discretionary investment management, comprehensive financial planning, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and plan sponsors. The firm constructs portfolios based on client-specific investment policies and integrates employee benefits, business planning, estate, and tax planning into its advice, often serving in fiduciary roles for retirement plans.

Cody Peck is a financial advisor at Limber Capital LLC in Wake Forest, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with six years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Ankura and Bloomberg. Limber Capital LLC offers discretionary portfolio management to individual investors, focusing on equities, fixed-income securities, ETFs, and short-term cash instruments. The firm employs a value-oriented investment approach and incorporates long-term equity options (LEAPS) in client portfolios, operating as a solo practitioner with full discretionary authority while executing trades within each client’s individual brokerage account.

Matthew Choplin is a financial advisor with Innovest Strategies LLC in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 65 designation and 12 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Innovest Strategies in 2025, he worked for Private Wealth Management of North Carolina for 12 years. Outside of his advisory role, Choplin is a partner in a tax and management consulting firm and holds an active real estate license, working as a listing and selling agent on weekends. Innovest Strategies LLC provides comprehensive asset management, retirement plan consulting, and financial and tax planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and pension or profit-sharing plans. The firm employs a range of investment strategies including fundamental and technical analysis, managing portfolios with ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, and conservative cash instruments, while also offering tax, accounting, and real estate services under separate agreements.

Patrick Lyons is the principal of Lyons Den Capital, an independent advisory firm based in Zebulon, NC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 25 years of experience in the financial industry. Lyons has operated Lyons Den Capital since 2010 and also has a background in insurance sales through his self-employed practice, Patrick Lyons Insurance Services. Lyons Den Capital provides discretionary investment management and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm constructs diversified portfolios using fundamental and technical analysis, with a focus on exchange-traded funds and options-based hedging, and offers ongoing consultation tailored to clients’ investment guidelines.

Matthew Sweeney is a CFA® charterholder and the sole advisor at Molokai Investments. He has held roles at Thales Management Inc, Radeas LLC, Luma Capital LLC, and Stetson University, with a combined professional history dating back to 2015. Molokai Investments is an investment management firm providing portfolio and private fund management along with financial planning and individual consultation services to pooled vehicles, institutional, and organizational investors. The firm employs a bottom-up, fundamental-analysis approach focused on total return through concentrated equity positions and long-term holdings, and it uses detailed valuation procedures and offers performance-based compensation for certain funds.

Matthew Unger is the sole advisor at Unger Financial in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 66 license with 22 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. for 16 years before founding Unger Financial in 2021. Unger is also an independent insurance agent, offering disability, life, and long-term care insurance products. Unger Financial provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $15.94 million across about 69 accounts. The firm offers tailored portfolio management using various strategies and integrates complex outside holdings into clients’ overall financial plans, with a focus on both discretionary and non-discretionary managed accounts.

Tina Purvis is a financial advisor at Hollingsworth Avent Averre & Purvis, P.A. She holds a Series 65 designation and has 18 years of industry experience. She has been with the firm since 2001. Hollingsworth Avent Averre & Purvis, P.A. serves individuals, corporations, and trusts by providing investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm integrates accounting and tax services into its planning and follows a market-efficiency, evidence-based investment approach that emphasizes passive vehicles, diversified allocations, and periodic rebalancing.

Michael Perkins is a financial advisor with Ridgeline Wealth Advisors, LLC, holding the PFS™ designation along with Series 65 and Series 66 licenses. He has 18 years of industry experience and has been with Ridgeline since 2016, following prior roles at Envision Wealth Planning and Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company. Perkins is also a partner at Perkins Lund Collar and Associates, where he provides tax and accounting services. Ridgeline Wealth Advisors is an SEC-registered firm serving individuals, retirement plan sponsors, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes long-term, diversified portfolios based on fundamental security analysis and efficient capital markets, utilizing third-party technology platforms to manage assets both in and outside custody.

Michael Zeblo is a CFP® and Series 65-registered advisor with Ridgeline Wealth Advisors, LLC, based in Raleigh, NC. He has three years of industry experience, including prior roles at Lennar Homes and Norton, Collar, Lund, Lilley, PLLC. Zeblo also owns Michael Zeblo Tax Services, where he provides CPA and tax return preparation services. Ridgeline Wealth Advisors serves individuals, retirement plan sponsors, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering asset management, financial planning, and fiduciary services. The firm emphasizes long-term, diversified portfolios with a tax-aware investment approach and incorporates tax preparation services through associated CPAs.