Top Financial Advisors in Winston Salem, NC

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Salem Investment Counselors Inc is a fee-only firm. Clients of the firm include a nearly even mix of regular individuals and high-net-worth individuals, plus a small number of institutional clients, all of which are charitable organizations. 

Many of the advisors at Salem are chartered financial advisors (CFAs) and some are also certified public accountants (CPAs).

Fees are generally charged based on a percentage of assets under management. There is no minimum account size at this firm.

Salem Investment Counselors Background

Salem was founded in 1979. It is wholly owned by its partners, President David B. Rea, VP Dale M. Brown, Secretary/Treasurer Jeffrey C. Howard, VP Kenneth S. Jones, VP Mark Thompson and VP Joseph McCaffrey.

Services offered at Salem include asset management and financial planning.

Salem Investment Counselors Investing Strategy

Salem believes that equities should be at the heart of a client’s portfolio and that portfolio strategies should meet clients' objectives while matching risk tolerance. Fixed-income investments are also used, as are mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), cash and cash equivalents and venture capital/private equity funds.

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Sheets Smith Wealth Management is a fee-only firm. The team's education and professional certifications include MBA degrees, chartered financial analyst (CFA), certified financial planner (CFP) and chartered retirement planning counselor (CRPC).

Clients of the firm are mostly individuals, many of whom do not have high net worths. Institutional clients include pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations and other investment companies. 

Fees at Sheets Smith are generally based on a percentage of assets under management with different rates based on whether equity or fixed-income is the principal investment. The minimum account size is $500,000.

Sheets Smith Wealth Management Background

The firm was founded in 1982 by John Sheets and William (Bill) Smith. Sheets remains the principal owner of the firm.

Services include investment management, wealth preservation strategies and financial planning.

Sheets Smith Wealth Management Investing Strategy

Advisors at Sheet Smith seek to build a portfolio for each client with return expectations that match the risk tolerance the client has expressed. For equities, advisors look for good companies with shares trading at reasonable prices, allowing for good long-term investments. For fixed-income, advisors look to give investors a range of maturity dates.

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Arbor Investment Advisors is a fee-only firm. Clients of the firm - which has a minimum account size of $1 million - are mostly individuals, the majority of whom are high-net-worth. Institutional clients include pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations and corporations.

Some of the team members of the firm have certified financial planner (CFP) and/or chartered financial advisor (CFA) certifications.

Investment advisory fees are based on a percentage of assets under management. Financial planning fees are sometimes billed hourly.

Arbor Investment Advisors Background

The firm was founded in 1998 and is owned by Scott E. Cawood, Scott D. Jones, William E. Hollan III, Paige P. Birchfield, April Y. Beason and Erika L. Mielke. Cawood serves as the CEO and chief investment officer.

Services offered at the firm include investment advice, employee stock option evaluation, financial planning, consulting, estate planning and insurance planning.

Arbor Investment Advisors Investing Strategy

Arbor generally uses asset allocation models that it implements with various types of funds, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs), no-load open ended mutual funds and closed-end funds. Individual securities recommendations are generally only discussed if a client comes into the relationship already holding shares.

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Timonier is a fee-only firm. Clients of the firm include individuals and high-net-worth individuals, plus institutional clients including pension plans and charitable organizations. The minimum account size is $1 million but certain other services require a minimum of $2 million. All minimums, though, may be waived or lowered at the firm's discretion.

Financial designations earned by advisors at Timonier include certified financial planner (CFP), certified public accountant (CPA), chartered financial analyst (CFA), accredited asset management specialist (AAMS), certified investment management analyst (CIMA) and global financial steward (GFS).

Wealth management fees are charged based on a percentage of assets under management. Investment consulting fees are charged either hourly or on a flat basis. No one at the firm earns commissions for selling securities, but some advisors are also real estate agents.

Timonier Background

Timonier was founded in 1997 as Baker Capital Advisors and reorganized in 2009 as Timonier. The firm’s principal owners are Nicholas Baker (who serves as president) and Janice French (who serves as VP and chief compliance officer).

Services offered include wealth management, investment consulting, retirement planning, estate planning, college funding plans, cash flow analysis and retirement plan consulting.

Timonier Investment Strategy

Advisors at Timonier use a holistic approach to wealth management. Asset allocation is considered the primary determinant of long-term portfolio success. The firm invests in a variety of securities, including but not limited to mutual funds, variable annuities, real estate, stocks, bonds and cash and cash equivalent holdings.

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Blue Rock Wealth Management, LLC is a fee-based firm. Professional certifications on the team include certified financial planner (CFP), chartered life underwriter (CLU), chartered financial consultant (ChFC) and certification for long-term care (CLTC). The minimum account size at Blue Rock is $100,000. 

Clients at Blue Rock are mostly high-net-worth individuals, with some non-high-net-worth individual clients as well. Institutional clients include pension plans, charitable organizations and corporations.

Asset management services are charged as an asset-based fee. Consulting fees are charged at an hourly rate. Some advisors may earn commissions for selling securities. This is a potential conflict of interest, but advisors are bound by their fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the client.

Blue Rock Wealth Management Background

The firm was founded in 2009, succeeding a previous firm called Hunt Collins & Associates, which was founded in 2001. John K. Hunt and Jennifer W. Johnson are the primary owners of the firm.

Services include portfolio management, financial planning, estate planning, risk management, retirement planning, education funding and investment portfolio design.

Blue Rock Wealth Management Investing Strategy

The primary investments at Blue Rock are mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), annuities, real estate investment trusts (REITs), stocks and bonds. 

A variety of factors go into choosing funds for each client's specific plan, including past performance, fees, portfolio manager and overall ratings. Fundamental analysis is used to pick stocks for investment, but the firm does sometimes use technical and/or cyclical analysis as well. 

Horizon Financial Services, LLC is a fee-based firm. Professional certifications on the team include certified public accountant (CPA) and certification for long-term care (CLTC). The minimum account size at Horizons Financial Services is $50,000. 

Clients at the firm are generally individuals (including high-net-worth individuals) as well as pension and profit-sharing plans.

Asset management services are charged as an asset-based fee. Consulting fees are charged at an hourly rate. Some advisors may earn commissions for selling insurance, as they are licensed insurance agents. This is a potential conflict of interest, but advisors are bound by their fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the client.

Horizon Financial Services Background

Horizon Financial Services has been in business since July 2011. The principal owner is John Joseph Brais.

The firm offers both discretionary and non-discretionary direct asset management services.

Horizon Financial Services Investing Strategy

The firm's methods of analysis include charting analysis, fundamental analysis and technical analysis. In developing guidance for a client, Horizon Financial Services’ analysis may include cash flow analysis, investment planning, risk management, tax planning and estate planning. The firm also uses both long-term and short-term investment strategies. Based on the information gathered, advisors tailor a detailed strategy specific to the client’s specific situation.

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Though Accruent Wealth Advisors has been in business since 1999, it registered with the SEC in 2020. The fee-only firm has three advisors but more than 100 clients, many of whom do not have high net worths.

Most of Accruent assets are primarily managed on a non-discretionary basis. The firm, though, says that this is due some legacy clients. It currently offers investment management on a discretionary basis too, however, and it has no minimum account size requirement. The practice offers wealth management (which includes investment management and financial planning), stand-alone financial planning and stand-alone investment management.

Accruent Wealth Advisors Background

Barry Swaim started the firm and serves as president. He is the principal owner, while while VP David Klepeisz has a small stake. Both they and the third advisor on the team are certified financial planners (CFPs).

Accruent emphasizes on its website that it is fee-only. This means that advisors' only compensation is from client fees, which are based on income, net worth and the complexity of the client's finances. Advisors do not receive transaction-based fees, which can present conflicts of interest. 

Accruent Wealth Advisors Investing Strategy

Generally, Accruent Wealth Advisors recommends mostly no-load mutual funds (meaning that shares are sold without a commission or sales charge), exchange-traded funds (ETFs), U.S. government, municipal and corporate bonds, money market accounts and certificates of deposit. It may also provide guidance regarding other investments clients already own.

Cassia Capital Partners LLC is a fee-only advisory firm, which means that it receives compensation solely from clients. Clients of the firm include individuals and high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, endowments, foundations and business entities. The minimum account size is $250,000, but it can be waived or lowered at the firm's discretion.

Wealth management fees are charged based on a percentage of assets under management. Consulting fees are charged on a fixed or hourly rate. 

Cassia Capital Partners Background

Cassia Capital Partners was founded in October 2011. The firm is owned and operated by James R. Helvey III (who serves as managing partner) and Charles D. Barham III (who serves as managing partner and chief compliance officer). 

Services offered include portfolio management services and consulting services. More specifically, they cover establishing an investment strategy pursuant to client goals, asset allocation, portfolio construction as well as investment management and supervision.

Cassia Capital Partners Investment Strategy

Clients of Cassia Capital Partners enter into an agreement with advisors before engaging the firm's services. The agreement defines terms, conditions, authority and responsibilities of each party, based on the services offered listed above. 

The firm maily uses a fundamental analysis method in developing investment strategies for clients. However, it may also employ cyclical analysis and other risk-based methods when formulating investment decisions.

The firm uses various sources for research, including financial media companies, third-party research materials, online sources and review of company activities (including annual reports, external research and press releases).