Top Financial Advisors in Charlotte, NC

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Bragg Financial Advisors is the top-rated advisory firm in the Queen City. To open an account, you will need at least $1 million in investable assets, though some accounts require up to a $5 million minimum investment. The firm has Certified Financial Planners™ (CFPs®), chartered financial analysts (CFAs) and certified public accountants (CPAs) and other certifications on staff.

The firm’s client base primarily comprises individuals, nearly half of which have a high net worth, although it also serves some institutional clients. As a fee-only firm, Bragg Financial Advisors and its employees do not receive additional compensation for recommending or selling third-party products. 

Bragg Financial Advisors offers retirement planning, estate planning, higher education planning and individual charitable-giving services. Retirement-minded investors should note that Bragg’s advisors have specific experience working with pension and profit-sharing plans, 401(k) plans and 403(b)s.

Whether you want to maximize returns or minimize risks, Bragg Financial Advisors says it has a portfolio that will match your particular needs. The firm offers clients seven portfolio models to choose from, ranging from a portfolio titled “Aggressive Allocation With Emphasis on Capital Appreciation” to one called “Conservative Allocation With Emphasis on Capital Preservation and Income.” Bragg relies heavily on its own calculations and research to determine clients’ asset allocations. The firm is consistently focused on the long term and its advisors make investments with the mindset that they will not be sold for at least a year.

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New Republic Partners is a fee-only firm that often takes a hands-on approach to managing client portfolios. The firm also provides cash management, estate planning, financial planning, philanthropy and charitable giving services, focusing much of its attention on high-net-worth individuals. Professional designations represented on the advisory staff include chartered financial analyst (CFA), chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA) and more.

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, that complement public market investments and that include sources of return which are less correlated to traditional asset classes.

The firm, which utilizes both passive and active strategies, generally favors active management within assets classes with the greatest level of inefficiency. Those inefficient asset classes are often characterized by high levels of manager performance dispersion. New Republic Partneers 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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Biltmore Family Office is a fee-only firm that caters to wealthy families and invididuals. In addition to its Charlotte headquarters, Biltmore has an office in Orlando, Florida. The firm typically aims to serve clients who have $10 million to invest or a net worth of $25 million. While high-net-worth individuals make up the largest swath of Biltmore's client base, the firm does serve individuals below the high-net-worth mark.

The firm’s services include constructing detailed family balance sheets, developing customized investment policy statements, managing portfolios across diverse asset classes, selecting and monitoring third-party sub-advisors, as well as providing consolidated performance reporting. Additionally, Biltmore delivers wealth planning services like cash flow planning, estate and tax planning, fiduciary administration, insurance review, family governance and education.

Advisors on staff hold a variety of professional certifications, including the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), chartered financial analyst (CFA), certified trust and fiduciary advisor (CTFA), chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA) designations, among others. 

Biltmore Family Office uses a mix of quantitative and qualitative analysis to determine portfolio allocations for its clients. The firm may invest in broad mix of asset classes, including individual stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, direct company investments, commercial real estate, commodities and other alternative investments. Portfolios may combine active and passive strategies and often include allocations to third-party sub-advisors.

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Colony Family Offices is a fee-only advisory firm that provides comprehensive financial and investment management services to ultra-high-net-worth families. To work with the firm, a family generally needs a collective account balance of $10 million.

The home office team includes advisors who hold the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), chartered financial analyst (CFA), certified public accountant (CPA) and chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA) designations.

Colony Family Offices aims to build investment portfolios driven by passive and active passive strategies for long-term growth. But the firm also states, “We will likely recommend and implement tactical allocations in order to seek to capitalize on short-term investment opportunities or defend against market risks or dislocations.”

Based on your needs and goals, the firm may invest your assets in equity, fixed-income, mutual funds or private investments like hedge funds. In addition, the firm can provide the following services separately upon request: investment policy statement creation and maintenance, asset allocation strategies, ad hoc investment research and consolidated performance reporting.

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To be a client of Novare Capital Management, you’ll need at least $500,000 in investable assets. The firm serves individuals with and without a high net worth, as well institutional clients. The fee-only firm has a number of certified professionals on staff, including Certified Financial Planners™ (CFPs®) and chartered financial analysts (CFAs), as well as a certified public accountant (CPA) and a chartered financial consultant (ChFC).

The firm offers comprehensive wealth management serviecs, which typically include portfolion management and financial planning. Specifically, it can help clients with cash flow planning, retirement planning, trust and estate creation, education tuition planning and tax minimization services.

Advisors at Novare Capital Management go through a multi-step process to create your financial plan. The firm primarily invests in individual stocks and bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, master limited partnerships, preferred stocks, options and alternative investments. Core proprietary strategies include Core Equity, America’s Finest Companies®, Energy Infrastructure, ETF and U.S. Credit Strategy. The firm relies on fundamental analysis to select securities and constructs portfolios with a blend of long-term holdings and tactical short-term positions when appropriate.

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Carolinas Investment Consulting is a fee-based firm that does not have a specific account minimum to become a client. The firm's advisory team has advisors who hold the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), retirement income certified professional (RICP) and certified public accountant (CPA) designation.

The firm’s advisors may have the ability to earn commissions or other forms of compensation for the sale of insurance products to clients. This presents a potential conflict of interest. However, the firm’s fiduciary duty legally binds its advisors to always act in your best interest.

Carolinas Investment Consulting mainly works with individuals and high-net-worth indivduals, although it also offers services to certain institutional clients. The services available to each client vary depending on the clients’ needs. Some of the firm’s principal offerings are retirement planning, succession planning, trust and estate creation and investment management.

Carolinas Investment Consulting uses a combination of long- and short-term trading strategies and invests in a mix of individual stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, fixed-income securities and options. The firm also leverages third-party money managers and offers clients access to both proprietary and third-party managed account programs. The approach emphasizes diversification and risk management. 

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MBL Advisors is a fee-based advisory firm registered with the SEC. It provides investment advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates and institutional clients. To open an account with the firm, clients must have at least $5 million. This minimum may be negotiable based on the discretion of the firm. 

Professional designations across the firm's team include the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), chartered life underwriter (CLU), chartered financial consultant (ChFC), accredited estate planner (AEP), certified business exit planner (CEPA), registered health underwriter (RHU) and certified investment management analyst (CIMA) credentials. 

The firm offers wealth management services, a selection of other advisors, financial planning services and retirement plan consulting services. 

When it comes to investing clients assets, the firm puts together and executes strategies that are long-term-driven and based on clients' particular needs (such as objectives, risk profile, specific tax circumstances, liquidity needs, etc.). The firm strongly believes in using modern portfolio theory (MPT) to maximize expected returns for a given level of risk and/or minimize risk for a given level of expected return. It also makes sure to focus on asset class diversification when building portfolios.

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Laurel Wealth Advisors is a fee-based advisory practice whose client base primarily comprises individuals with less than a high net worth. However, the firm also works with high-net-worth individuals, as well as a smattering of institutional clients.

There is no minimum account size at Laurel, making it accessible to a wider range of clients. The firm's owners may receive compensation for the recommendation of clients using an affiliated accounting/tax preparation firm called Miller McNeish & Breedlove, P.A. This presents a potential conflict of interest, though the firm abides by fiduciary duty.

Laurel Wealth Advisors offers discretionary and non-discretionary asset management services, tailoring investment strategies to each client’s goals and needs. The firm chooses investments based on fundamental analysis, the mix of industries in the portfolio and the client’s changing financial goals. The firm adjusts portfolios over time to take advantage of new opportunities, manage risks and respond to shifts in the client’s situation.

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Insight Folios is a fee-based advisory practice that primarily works with individual clients below the high-net-worth threshold. However, the firm also serves high-net-worth clients and other investment advisors. Advisors on staff may earn additional compensation for selling securities and/or insurance products. While this is a conflict of interest because advisors have a financial incentive to recommend certain products and services over others,  the firm has a fiduciary duty to serve your best interests. 

As for its advisory services, Insight Folios offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, as well as financial planning. The latter may encompass retirement planning, insurance review, estate planning, death and disability planning, tax and cash flow planning, or address other areas of need. There is no account minimum, although certain mutual fund share classes may require a minimum investment. 

When it comes to investing client assets, the firm takes a long-term approach rooted in fundamental, technical and cyclical methods of analysis. Insight Folios typically invests in a blend of mutual funds, fixed-income securities, equities, ETFs (including sector-specific ETFs such as precious metals), annuities, real estate funds (including REITs), commodities, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) and private placements.

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Providence Capital Advisors rounds out our list of the top financial advisory firms in Charlotte. Providence is a fee-based practice that was founded to provide investment management and financial planning services. The firm works with individuals with and without a high net worth, as well as retirement plans. Providence's minimum is $1.5 million if you're looking for both investment management and financial planning, or $500,000 if you need just investment management.

As a fee-based firm, its advisors may receive a commission for the sale of certain insurance products. This could create a potential conflict of interest but the firm and its advisors are bound by a legal fiduciary duty to put the needs of the client first. 

The team of advisors hold a variety of professional designations, including the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), chartered financial analyst (CFA) and certified public accountant (CPA) credentials.

The firm will work with each individual client to understand their financial circumstances, investment goals and objectives and to determine their risk tolerance. While the firm on occassion may recommend alternative investments, Carolinas typically invests clients' assets in one or more of its five investment strategies, which are core equity portfolio, diversified income portfolio, covered call portfolio, fixed-income portfolio and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).