Derek Kennedy is a CFP® with 24 years of experience and the principal advisor at Kennedy Wealth Management in Knoxville, TN, where he has worked since 2000. He holds a Series 63 license and leads the firm as its sole advisor. Kennedy Wealth Management serves individual investors, trusts, charitable organizations, businesses, and retirement plan sponsors with financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan advisory services. The firm operates as a fee-only fiduciary, uses diversified asset allocation based on fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory, and provides pension consulting and employee education services uncommon among similar independent advisors.

David Burnett is a financial advisor at Shepherd's Financial LLC in Knoxville, TN, with four years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked with Eagle Strategies LLC and NYLIFE Securities LLC. Outside of finance, Burnett serves as clergy at Old North Abbey and is an author of academic books on religious texts. Shepherd’s Financial serves individuals, clergy, churches, businesses, and charitable organizations, providing discretionary and non-discretionary asset management along with financial planning and consulting. The firm employs fundamental analysis, tax-aware techniques, and third-party model managers, with a focus on customized strategies for each client’s objectives and risk tolerance.

With high regard to our fiduciary duty, we exist to faithfully serve individuals and organizations who are eager to understand and take control of their finances. Deep, authentic relationships allow us to help our clients clarify and define what is most important and utilize that knowledge when making important decisions. Our comprehensive approach facilitates a proactive partnership rooted in accountability putting clients in position to Ignite Financial Momentum and create meaningful outcomes. Life is full of Momentum Moments, those times when decisions are most impactful. We proactively prepare our clients for those moments through: Life Planning, Financial Wellness, and Wealth Planning services. Skee began his finance career in early 2012 and has since served many individuals and organizations as their trusted advisor. Having a long family lineage of educators, he naturally has a passion for teaching and helping others. An interest in finance early in life led him to attain his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree focused in Financial Planning and Economics from Western Carolina University in 2010. After college, Skee served as Senior Financial Services Officer at a prominent credit union in his home state of North Carolina. He moved to East Tennessee in 2016 and has built strong relationships with individuals, families, and organizations, managing over $100,000,000 for many of them. One Knoxville non-profit organization he advised was recognized as one of four Plan Sponsor of the Year nominees in a well-known national publication in 2024. He holds designations of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Accredited Investment Fiduciary®, and Accredited Tax Preparer. Skee enjoys serving his community through several organizations in the Greater Knoxville Area. Mission: To empower family stewards, people pursuing independence, and employee-centric organizations to achieve their full potential financially and personally, positively impacting their own circumstances and the lives of those around them. Vision: To grow organically through a commitment to our culture of providing high quality client experiences and by fostering community relationships. Our desire is to build and maintain a Destination Firm for both clients and employees. Along the way, we will make a positive impact on the communities where we live and serve through volunteering and giving back. Core Values: Influence, Competency, Trustworthiness, Boldness, Authenticity

Ramin Olson is a financial advisor at Nomad Financial with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at UBS Investment Bank and UBS Wealth Management, as well as the US International Development Finance Corporation. Olson also has a legal and regulatory background, including experience in regulatory and in-house counsel roles. Nomad Financial Advisors LLC provides investment management and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm emphasizes asset allocation with a preference for passive investment management, incorporating active strategies as appropriate, and offers various engagement options including ongoing wealth management, project-based planning, tax return preparation, and an Outsourced CIO service.

Steven King is a financial advisor at ICON Capital Management, LLC in Powell, Tennessee, with 21 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 designation and has been with ICON Capital Management since 1996. ICON Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management, limited financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, trusts, estates, and retirement plans. The firm is noted for its work with pension and profit-sharing plan clients, including retirement plan consulting and ERISA fiduciary roles.

Nicholas Vantrease is a CFP® and Series 65-registered financial advisor with eight years of industry experience. He has been with Provident Wealth, LLC since 2017 and previously worked at Clayton Bank and Trust from 2010 to 2017. Based in Knoxville, TN, he is the sole advisor at Provident Wealth. Provident Wealth provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers ERISA plan services, including education and plan monitoring as a 3(21) fiduciary and the option to serve as a 3(38) investment manager, with investment strategies focused on tailored portfolios using fundamental and cyclical analysis along with modern portfolio theory.

Leon Ebbert is the principal of Ebbert Asset Management, LP in Knoxville, TN, with 21 years of experience in financial advising. He holds the PFS™ designation and Series 63 license. In addition to his advisory role, he has been president of Leon E. Ebbert, PC, a certified public accounting firm, since 1997. Ebbert Asset Management provides personalized investment management and financial planning services to individuals and small businesses. The firm employs an active investment approach focused on equities, market timing, and trading strategies, and integrates investment management with tax and insurance services through its close affiliation with the principal’s accounting practice.

Kevin Alexander is the principal of Alexander Advisory Services, LLC in Knoxville, TN, with 12 years of experience in the financial industry. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has a background that includes roles at Capital Retirement Planning, Creative Financial Designs, and operating his own independent insurance agency since 1998. In addition to his advisory work, he serves as president of Thriving Foundation Ministries, where he conducts workshops and communicates with missionaries. Alexander Advisory Services, LLC is an independent registered investment adviser providing discretionary asset and portfolio management primarily to individual clients, as well as charitable organizations and corporate clients. The firm builds portfolios based on fundamental analysis tailored to clients’ goals and risk tolerance and manages approximately $10.3 million across 179 accounts.

Hi, I’m Caroline (Murphy) Friedrich CPA, CFP®, a financial planner and founder of Hillvale Wealth Management. Growing up I was always brainstorming business ideas and loved organizing, which led to my first venture, “Caroline’s Closets.” My father, an accounting professor, suggested I become an accountant to organize numbers instead. Today, I organize much more than just closets and numbers – I help people achieve peace of mind through financial planning. A Knoxville native, I earned my accounting degree and master’s in taxation from the University of Tennessee. After graduation, I moved to New York City and spent a decade in public accounting at PwC and EY, reviewing thousands of personal tax returns as a CPA.  I then transitioned into wealth management, working at firms in Chicago and Knoxville, before launching Hillvale Wealth Management. Our Mission Many people leave meetings with financial advisors feeling overwhelmed by investment jargon and economic updates. When I transitioned into wealth management, I noticed a strong emphasis on investments, often at the expense of tax planning and client education. Leveraging my unique expertise in financial planning, investments, and tax strategies, I founded Hillvale Wealth Management to offer personalized recommendations tailored to your goals. My mission is to provide clients with clarity, understanding, and confidence in their financial decisions.

Patrick Carmichael is a financial advisor with Strategic Wealth Investments, LLC in Knoxville, TN, holding a Series 65 designation and 12 years of industry experience. He has worked with Strategic Wealth Management since 2014 and was previously with Wealth and Retirement Investment, Inc. Mr. Carmichael also serves as president and insurance agent at Strategic Wealth Management, dedicating approximately 40% of his time to insurance product sales and services. Strategic Wealth Investments provides discretionary asset management and financial planning to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing roughly $7.36 million across about 60 accounts. The firm employs fundamental, charting, and cyclical analysis, along with periodic rebalancing and tax-loss harvesting, and offers public educational seminars and insurance products through its affiliated insurance business.