Top 10 Financial Advisors in North Carolina

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CAPTRUST is a fee-based advisor with a minimum investment of just $50,000, making it fairly affordable for most potential investors. The firm’s advisroy team holds multiple certifications, including designations as chartered financial analysts (CFAs), accredited retirement plan specialists (ARPSs) and certified public accountants (CPAs), among others.

As a fee-based firm, advisors may earn commissions for buying and selling financial products. But they are still fiduciaries and must therefore act in the best interest of the client. Advising fees are based on a percentage of assets under management (AUM).

The firm serves both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as banking institutions, investment companies, retirement plans, charities, government entities, insurance companies and businesses.

CAPTRUST Background

CAPTRUST was founded in 2003. It is nearly 100% owned by a limited liability corporation called The CapFinancial Group. That parent company is owned by CapFinancial Holdings, Inc. and Halftime Holdings LLC. And, according to the firm's brochure, GTCR Fund XII B owns more than 25% of CAPTRUST indirectly through its ownership of Halftime Holdings, LLC. Services offered at the firm include investment advisory services, financial planning services and estate planning services.

CAPTRUST Investment Strategy

Advisors at CAPTRUST use both risk-based and outcome-based analysis when deciding on asset allocation for a client. Asset allocation for portfolios is based on equities, fixed income, strategic opportunities, commodities and real estate with a risk profile that’s appropriate to the client. For security analysis, the firm uses fundamental, technical, quantitative and qualitative analysis.

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Alphastar Capital Management is a fee-based firm that works with both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as retirement plans and businesses.

Advisory fees are generally based on a percentage of assets under management, but advisors may also earn commissions for selling securities or insurance. This can be a conflict of interest, but advisors are still bound by fiduciary duty when acting as an advisors. The minimum investment at Alphastar is $10,000.

Alphastar Capital Management Background

Alphastar Capital Management was founded in 2011. The managing partner is Brian K. Williams, but no single individual or entity owns more than 25% of the firm.

Alphastar’s services include investment management, model portfolios, sub-advisory services, financial planning, budgeting, cash flow analysis, tax analysis, retirement planning, insurance planning and estate planning.

Alphastar Capital Management Investment Strategy

Alphastar Capital Management takes a strategic approach, setting asset allocations and periodically rebalancing portfolios. Active and passive investments may be used.

The firm also takes a tactical approach that is mathematically based and aims to identify both market and asset class trends. A portfolio's composition could reflect both of these approaches.

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Delegate Advisors is a Chapel Hill advisory firm that operates on a fee-only basis.

The firm does not provide a fee schedule as it expects all clients will be qualified purchasers.

Delegate Advisors works with high-net-worth, pooled investment vehicles, charities, insurance companies and corporations.

The minimum net worth of clients generally ranges from $25 to $50 million.

Delegate Advisors Background

Delegate Advisors was founded in 2012. No single investor owns more than 25% of the firm. The CEO is Andy Hart.

Services offered include investment services, tax strategy, estate planning, pension advisors, insurance planning and asset protection planning.

Delegate Advisors Investment Strategy

Advisors at Delegate use a number of analytical tools to make investment choices for clients, including fundamental, technical and cyclical analyses. Diversification is key, including diversification across class, style, sector and industry. Mutual funds are the most used investment, along with stocks, bonds, hedge funds and cash holdings.

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Bragg Financial Advisors is a fee-based firm located in Charlotte. Clients of the firm include bothe non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as investment companies, retirement plans, charities and businesses. 

The firm’s team holds multiple certifications, including designations as Certified Financial Planners™ (CFPs®), chartered financial analysts (CFAs) and certified public accountants (CPAs), among others.

A minimum of $3 million of assets under management is required for the Managed Account Program and a minimum of $1 million of assets is required for the Small Cap Value Managed Account Program. These minimums may be negotiable. 

Bragg Financial Advisors Background

Bragg Financial Advisors was created in 1997. It was founded and is owned by the Bragg family. It is now principally owned by Benton Bragg, Phillips Bragg, John Bragg III and Steve H. Scruggs.

Services offered at the firm include individual portfolio management, portfolio construction, financial planning, retirement planning, education planning, investments, insurance and estate planning.

Bragg Financial Advisors Investment Strategy

The following model portfolios are available as options at Bragg Financial Advisors:

• Aggressive Allocation with Emphasis on Capital Appreciation
• Moderately Aggressive Allocation with Primary Emphasis on Capital Appreciation and Secondary Emphasis on Income.
• Moderate Allocation with Emphasis on Capital Appreciation and Income.
• Moderately Conservative Allocation with Emphasis on Capital Appreciation, Capital Preservation and Income
• Moderately Conservative Allocation with Emphasis on Capital Preservation, Income and Moderate Capital Appreciation.
• Conservative Allocation with Emphasis on Capital Preservation and Income; Capital Appreciation is Secondary.

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Biltmore Family Office is a fee-only firm based in Charlotte that works with both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as charities. 

The firm’s team holds multiple certifications, including Certified Financial Planners™ (CFPs®) and chartered financial analysts (CFAs), among other designations. Bilmore generally serves families with investible assets of at least $10 million, or a net worth more than $25 million.

Biltmore Family Office Background

Biltmore Family Office was founded in 2008. The firm is primarily owned by founder Chris Cecil and operating partners Rael Gorelick, Nicole Gokey and Michael Farrell.

According to the firm's brochure, Chris Cecil’s ownership is held through CHAC, Inc., Rael Gorelick’s ownership is held through RG Biltmore Holdings, Inc., Nicole Gokey’s ownership is held through Gokey Consulting, Inc., and Mike Farrell’s ownership is held through Farrell 4 Consulting, LLC.

Services offered at the firm focus on multi-generational wealth management, including family balance sheet management, investment planning and selection, tax management and wealth planning. 

Biltmore Family Office Investment Strategy

Assets at the Biltmore Family Office are typically managed on a discretionary basis, although the firm does offer non-discretionary management as well. Since the firm focuses on wealth management for high-net-worth individuals, its investment recommendations are highly customized for each client's objectives and needs.

Advisors at the firm base target allocations on a client's financial priorities, such as lifestyle, generational and legacy objectives. The following strategies are used to tailor client portfolios: 

• Active security selection
• Passive ETF allocation
• Implementing bond and debt-related strategies
• Distressed bond and debt-related strategies
• Trading strategies
• Macro-economic strategies
• Commercial Real Estate 
• Private Equity 

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Veratis Advisors is a fee-only firm that works almost exclusively with high-net-worth individuals. The firm also manages assets for non-high-net-worth clients, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans, and state or municipal government entities. 

You will need a minimum of $1 million in investable assets to open an account with this firm. The advisory team holds multiple certifications, including two Certified Financial Planners™ (CFPs®), among others.

Veratis Advisors Background

Veratis Advisors was founded in 2001 and it provides services to corporate retirement plans and personal clients. Services for personal clients included portfolio management, financial planning and rollover recommendations.

Veratis Advisors Investment Strategy

Veratis Advisors uses fundamental analysis to select securities for clients. Portfolios may include mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and cash-equivalent instruments. 

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New Republic Partners offers investment management, advisory, consulting and other services to affiliated pooled investment vehicles, separately managed accounts of various advisory clients and other persons and entities.

The firm, which handles client assets on both a discretionary and non-discretionary basis, also provides cash management, estate planning, financial planning, philanthropy and charitable giving services to high-net-worth clients.

Professional designations represented on the advisory staff include chartered financial analyst (CFA), Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA) and the C(k)P certified 401(k) professional designation.

New Republic Partners Background

Thomas Hoops, an attorney who founded New Republic Partners, is the firm's CEO and chief operating officer. The firm's website lists the John M. Belk Endowment, the M.C. Belk Pilon family interests and the Springs-Close-Bowles family as "founding families."New Republic Partners is owned by NRP, LLC. 

New Republic Partners Investment Strategy

New Republic Partners aims to generate superior long-term investment returns and achieve client objectives with globally diversified portfolios that contain exposures to private markets, complement public market investments and include sources of return that are less correlated to traditional asset classes.

The firm, which utilizes both passive and active strategies, generally favors active management within asset classes with the greatest level of inefficiency. Those inefficient asset classes are often characterized by high levels of manager performance dispersion. New Republic Partners also invests directly in private companies and such ventures typically involve a partnership with a strong management team that needs capital to grow. 

The uses existing manager and company relationships of the firm across a wide range of asset types and sectors in order to gain access to best-in-class fund managers that have historically been oversubscribed and hard to access, find attractive co-invest opportunities and source proprietary deals. 

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Salem Investment Counselors, Inc. is a Winston-Salem-based advisory shop offering services on a fee-only basis. Clients at Salem include both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as charitable organizations.

Fees at this firm are based on a percentage of your overall assets under management. The core members of its advisory team hold multiple certifications, including chartered financial analysts (CFAs) and certified public accountants (CPAs).

Salem Investment Counselors Background

Founded in 1979, Salem Investment Counselors is wholly owned by its partners in equal shares. These include Dale M. Brown, David B. Rea, Kenneth S. Jones, Mark Thompson and Joseph McCaffrey. Clients at Salem can engage in financial planning and asset management services.

Salem Investment Counselors Investment Strategy

Salem Investment Counselors look for companies with at least one of the following characteristics:

• Established companies with above-average prospects for growth.
• Small and medium-sized companies currently selling at prices that don’t reflect their long-term potential
• Companies in industries currently undergoing consolidation

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Smith, Salley & Associates (SSA), which also does business as Smith Salley Wealth Management, offers financial planning and ongoing portfolio management services to both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as banking or thrift institutions, charities and businesses. 

This fee-based firm generally has a minimum initial investment of $500,000 to engage in investment advisory services and $1 million to manage individual bond portfolios. However, these minimums 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%. 

Smith, Salley & Associates Background

SSA was formed by G. Mackay Salley and G. Gregory Smith, Jr. in 2003. Both are also the firm’s main principal owners. The firm’s advisory team holds multiple designations as Certified Financial Planners™ (CFPs®) and chartered financial analysts (CFAs).  

Smith, Salley & Associates Investment Strategy 

SSA crafts financial advisory services based on client needs. So the firm can build investment portfolios based on risk tolerance and financial objectives. For those with simpler needs, they get stand-alone financial planning assistance with budgeting, cash flow control, retirement savings, estate planning and more.  

When it comes to investing, the firm focuses on diversification and fundamental analysis, which means it evaluates securities such as stocks based on the company's underlying financials. SSA says that it will mostly invest client assets in stocks and fixed-income securities, and in certain cases also invest in equity and fixed-income exchange-traded funds (ETFs). 

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Cornerstone Wealth operates on a fee-based structure and caters to a diverse clientele including individuals and high net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, retirement plans, other advisers and various business entities such as corporations and limited liability companies. Cornerstone Wealth does not impose a minimum asset requirement for account openings or maintenance. 

As a fee-based firm, there is a potential conflict of interest as the firm or its advisors could earn commissions for the sale of certain securities. However, they are held to a fiduciary duty that requires them to put their clients' needs first. 

Cornerstone Wealth Background

Cornerstone Wealth was founded in 2001. The firm is predominantly owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, LLC (CD&R), which holds the majority of the ownership indirectly and collectively. The firm works with more than 1,900 clients and manages more than $1.2 billion in assets under management across its 50 advisors. 

Cornerstone Wealth Investment Strategy

The firm adopts a strategic approach to investing that emphasizes value investing and international diversification. The firm tailors its investment strategies to align with each client's unique financial goals, investment objectives, risk tolerance, current financial situation, available resources, time horizon and any relevant financial or personal circumstances.