Top Financial Advisors in Greensboro, NC

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Smith, Salley & Associates, LLC (SSA) provides financial planning and ongoing portfolio management services for a diverse range of individuals, corporations, banks, trusts and charitable organizations.

According to SEC documents, the firm works with about as many high-net-worth individuals as those who fall below that threshold. For portfolio management services, you’d generally need a minimum initial investment of $500,000. However, this minimum may be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. 

Investment management fees generally depend on an annual percentage of assets under management currently capped at 1.0%. 

Smith, Salley & Associates Background

G. Mackay Salley and G. Gregory Smith, Jr. formed SSA in 2003. Both serve as the firm’s main principal owners. 

The firm’s team currently consists of five certified financial planners (CFPs) and three chartered financial analysts (CFAs).  

Smith, Salley & Associates Investment Strategy 

SSA deploys financial advisory services based on your needs. If they’re not as complex, you can opt for stand-alone financial planning around the topics you’re interested in. For instance, you can seek assistance on budgeting, cash flow control, retirement savings, estate planning and more. The firm can also build an investment portfolio for you based on your risk tolerance and financial objectives. SSA would monitor this portfolio throughout to make sure it’s best aligned to your goals. 

When it comes to investing, the firm focuses on diversification and fundamental analysis. This means it evaluates securities such as stocks based on the company's underlying financials instead of just the conditions of the economic sector it is in. This analysis can dive into topics like financial strength ratios, dividend yields and more.

Based on client goals and objectives, the firm states that it will mostly invest in stocks and fixed-income securities and also in certain cases invest in equity and fixed-income exchange traded funds (ETFs). It employs a bottom-up, fundamental approach to investing, focusing on individual companies, not simply broad sectors.

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A plethora of experienced advisors reside at the fee-only Triad Financial Advisors. The firm heavily emphasizes the certified financial planners (CFP) certification and all of its advisors have one. Additionally, certain members of the team hold other designations such as chartered life underwriter (CLU) and chartered financial consultants (ChFC).

To open an account with Triad Financial Advisors, you will need a minimum of $550,000 in investable assets. That makes Triad fairly accessible to many prospective investors.

Patrick Rush, the firm’s CEO, was recognized by Barron’s in 2017 as the seventh-best financial advisor in North Carolina. As a firm, Triad Financial Advisors has been selected by Financial Times and AdvisoryHQ as one of the top financial advisors in the state.

Triad Financial Advisors Background

Triad Financial Advisors was formed in 2000. Rush, the principal owner of this independent firm, has more than 20 years of experience in the industry.

Triad offers investment analysis, investment management, estate planning, retirement planning, tax minimization and higher-education preparation. The firm also hosts educational workshops and other seminars to teach clients about various financial topics and to keep them up-to-date on what’s going on in the finance industry. 

Triad Financial Advisors Investment Strategy

Triad Financial Advisors, Inc. emphasizes asking questions of clients to determine where their priorities lie. According to one of the blog posts on its website, putting "feelings in the financial driver’s seat [will] steer you toward what your instincts would prefer, rather than what reason might dictate."

The plans that Triad Financial Advisors subsequently builds emphasize what it calls risk capacity. Risk capacity measures what you feel you can afford to lose in an investment scenario, as opposed to the more commonly used measurement of risk tolerance, which is more focused on the natural movement of the investment market.

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Fund Direct Advisors, Inc. is a fee-only firm with several advisors managing more than 200 clients. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth individuals and pension and profit sharing plans.

Collectively, the credentials among Fund Direct’s advisors include the certified financial planner (CFP), accredited investment fiduciary (AIF), chartered financial analyst (CFA), certified plan fiduciary advisor (CPFA), certified employee benefit specialist (CEBS), chartered retirement plan specialist (CRPS), chartered mutual fund counselor (CMFC), chartered life underwriter (CLU), enrolled retirement plan agent (ERPA) and more. 

Fund Direct mainly charges asset-based fees and hourly fees for its advisory services, and the firm doesn’t have a set account minimum. 

Fund Direct Advisors Background

Established in 2010 as a registered investment advisor (RIA) firm, Fund Direct specializes in portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting and a range of other wealth management advisory services. 

The firm’s principal owners are Charles Christopher Stanley and William Elbert Stanley III.

Fund Direct Advisors Investment Strategy

Fund Direct says on its website that its investment approach is rooted in the philosophy of helping its clients determine how much risk they need to take rather than how much risk they can take. 

When conducting investment research, the firm utilizes a number of sources, including mutual fund prospectuses, magazines, financial newspapers and other financial research materials.

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Holderness Investments Co. is a financial advisor firm independently run by Richard T. Holderness (a majority owner), the firm’s founder and president and Kim Cummings, the firm's VP and chief compliance office. Holderness has nearly 40 years of investing experience, whereas the rest of the staff averages around 20 years’ experience. In total, the firm staff holds various professional certifications, including certified financial planner (CFP), chartered financial analyst (CFA) and personal financial specialist (PFS). 

Although Holderness Investments Co. recommends a minimum account balance of $1 million, that minimum is negotiable. The firm works with both individuals and high-net-worth individuals.

Holderness is a fee-based firm, and clients may be offered insurance by its advisors. However, the firm is a fiduciary, so it’s legally required to act in clients’ best interests.

Holderness Investments Co. Background

Holderness Investments Co. has been around since 1995, making it one of the oldest firms on this list.

Holderness Investments Co. works with about as many high-net-worth individuals as people who fall outside this scope. It also provides services to corporations, charitable organizations and profit-sharing retirement plans. 

Holderness Investments Co. Investment Strategy

Holderness Investments Co. builds custom portfolios based on a client's risk tolerance and objectives. It primarily focuses on long-term investments, meaning it generally holds on to securities in a portfolio for at least two years. 

Depending on your needs, your portfolio may invest in the following:

• Mutual funds
• Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
• Commercial paper
• Certificates of deposit (CD)

However, the firm permits clients to direct investments in specific securities or sectors. Custom portfolio clients are normally scheduled for reviews of their investment performance and goals, but they can call the firm for updates any time. These custom portfolios are generally passively managed. 

But the firm also offers actively managed portfolios through its Vision Tactical strategy. Through this program, clients can choose from five portfolios: Equity, Growth, Balanced, Conservative, and Fixed Income. Using mutual funds and ETFs, managers build these portfolios based on their market outlook in an attempt to take advantage of any potential opportunities within individual asset classes.

Piedmont Capital Management, LLC (also known as PCM) is a fee-only firm earning its compensation through a percentage of its assets under management (AUM). The firm imposes a relatively high minimum account requirement of $10 million and serves client base of the clients of the Piedmont Trust Company (PTC), members of the Richardson family, charitable organizations, some businesses and other high-net-worth families and individuals. PCM also provides investment advisory services to a pooled investment vehicle. 

Piedmont Capital Management Background

The firm was established in 2010 and started operating the following year. It operates alongside Piedmont Trust Company (PTC), which is a state-chartered trust company formed in 2004. PTC provides PCM with some administrative services relating to operational, technology and general office support.

PCM is wholly owned by Piedmont Financial LLC, which is solely owned by Richardson Corporation. Since as far back as 1928, PTC and predecessor entities have served as the family office of the Richardson family. PCM was formed to offer additional investment advisory services to members of the founding family and to what the firm considers other compatible high-net-worth families.

Piedmont Capital benefits through its employees from over 80 years of experience in wealth management and advisory services. 

Piedmont Capital Management Investment Strategy

The firm seeks to thoroughly understand each client’s goals and objectives (including certain restrictions clients may wish to place on the investment process, such as social or environmental restrictions). Clients have the option for the firm to design a customized investment policy statement. 

PCM offers investment management to its clients on a discretionary basis. The firm may employ its clients’ investment strategies via mutual funds, ETFs and other securities that are selected by PCM. Some clients may receive additional financial consulting and advice alongside this investment management.

The firm's main goal is to protect its clients' capital and provide reasonable growth through all market conditions. It aims to offer a disciplined approach to asset allocation, emphasizing active management across all asset classes. The firm’s primary focus is long-term cumulative returns.

Spartan Planning Group (also known as Spartan Planning & Wealth Management, LLC) is a fee-only firm that imposes a range of minimum account requirements depending on the account type.

Typical clients are individuals, small businesses, trusts and estates with investable assets between $500,000 and $10 million. The firm has the sole disrection to waive this minimum. 

Spartan Planning Group Background

Founded in 2013, Spartan Planning Group provides integrated portfolio management, financial planning and pension consulting services. David Childs holds the majority stake of the firm. Other minority owners include Ira Ross, Blaise Stevens, Jon Robinson and Brandon Langley.

Spartan Planning Group Investment Strategy

The firm has developed a client service model that includes discovery, implementation, as well as monitoring progress of clients engaged with Spartan Planning Group. It uses questionnaires, gathering of documents from the client and conversations. It takes into account the following factors about the client: personal situation, individual objectives, risk tolerance, time horizon, liquidity needs, constraints, growth and income needs and expectations as well as estate tax and income tax considerations.

Analyses and investment strategies that an advisor uses may vary depending on client needs, but all advisor recommendations stem from one or more of the following ideas: 

• Risk Profile - targeting the ideal balance of risk and return
• Macro Direction - determining the path and strength of overall markets and sectors
• Micro Direction - determining the path and strength of individual funds and securities
• Volatility/Volume - determining the stability and breadth of a particular directional move
• Correlation - determining the relationship of a given sector/financial instrument to other investments held by the client
• Diversification - evaluating the appropriate asset allocation

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Cascades Capital Asset Management, LLC is a fee-only firm earning its compensation through a percentage of its assets under management (AUM). The firm doesn’t impose an account minimum for its client base of individuals, high-net-worth individuals, pension and profit sharing plans, charitable organizations and corporations. 

Cascades Capital Asset Management Background

Founded in 2013, Cascades provides portfolio management, financial planning, pension consulting and advisor selection services. The firm’s financial planning services also address other areas such as retirement planning, cash flow planning and insurance analysis. 

Barry Carpenter is the firm’s sole principal owner.

Cascades Capital Asset Management Investment Strategy

Cascades says its investment decisions are fundamental research of industries and companies, as well as the analysis of financial market conditions, according to its firm brochure. When conducting fundamental research, Cascades normally reviews factors such as price-to-earnings ratios, financial strength ratios, dividend yields and growth rate-to-price earnings ratios.

The firm mainly invests in equities, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, bonds and other asset classes. 

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Founded in 2013, Zuraw Financial Advisors, LLC (ZFA) is a relatively young firm but has accumulated millions in assets under management (AUM). According to official documents it recently filed with the SEC, the firm primarily works with individuals who lie outside the category of high-net-worth. In fact, you’d generally need an initial investment of $250,000 to open an account with ZFA. This arrangement makes ZFA one of the more accessible firms on our list. 

And when you work with ZFA, you’d have access to a small staff of experienced advisors. ZFA founder and president Ann Zuraw holds the titles of certified financial planner (CFP), chartered financial analyst (CFA) and certified divorce financial analyst (CDFA). 

CFA charges asset-based fees. However, its advisors may also collect commissions based on the sale of specific insurance products. This structure may create a potential conflict of interest. Nonetheless, ZFA is a fiduciary advisor. This means it’s obligated by law to place the best interests of its clients ahead of its own at all times.  

Zuraw Financial Advisors Background 

ZFA was founded by Ann Zuraw. Coming from a family in the real estate industry, Zuraw decided to pursue a career in helping families manage their finances. According to the ZFA website, the firm “maintains its commitment to serving families, couples, and women.” 

ZFA aims to build a holistic financial plan for its clients. This plan can touch upon various topics such as budgeting and cash flow, paying off debt, planning for retirement and managing a comprehensive investment portfolio. 

Zuraw Financial Group Investment Strategy 

ZFA specializes in portfolio management and financial planning services for individuals. The firm takes into account a client’s risk tolerance, current financial picture, tax situation and more to build an appropriate portfolio that may meet his or her investment objectives. These are primarily constructed with mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and individual equities and fixed income securities. 

Clients also get access to a Morningstar portal where they can analyze their portfolio based on factors like fees, asset allocation and securities used to build it. 

ZFA charges an asset-based fee for its investment advisory services. This annual fee is currently capped at 0.90% of your assets under management.

If you're still looking for financial advisors, you can use our advisor research tool. It connects you with advisors in your area and provides you with their profiles. You can compare qualifications and specialities before deciding to work with one.