Frequently Asked Questions

  • We're a boutique, owner-led practice — which means you work directly with Mark and his support team, not a rotating cast of advisors coming and going. Mark has spent 27 years building a practice around one conviction: that clients deserve straightforward, conflict-free guidance from someone who has real skin in the game. We're small by design. That's a feature, not a limitation.

  • Yes — always. As a fee-only, independent advisory team, we are legally and ethically obligated to act in your best interest at all times. There is no product focus, sales contests or hidden incentives. You and your family’s outcome are our primary concern.

  • Our fees are straightforward and structured to align our interests with yours.

    For asset management, we charge an annual fee ranging from 0.5% to 1.5% depending on the size of the relationship — and the rate declines as your wealth grows. Industry averages for comparable advisory services run noticeably higher. We think that's backwards. Clients who have worked hard to build significant wealth should pay less, not more.

    Financial planning fees vary by engagement. We offer a one-time retirement planning engagement as well as ongoing planning and coaching relationships with monthly access, accountability, and structured guidance. Planning fees are reduced — and often eliminated entirely — for clients who also have assets under management with us.

    There are no hidden fees, no commissions driving our recommendations, and no surprises. What you see is what you get.

    If you'd like to understand exactly what your cost would look like, we're happy to walk through it in a no-obligation conversation.

  • Flat-fee planning means you’re paying for advice, not activity.

    The planning fee is set based on the level of guidance and service you need—not on transactions, products, or how often we make changes. That allows us to focus on what actually improves your financial life: better decisions, clear strategy, and consistent follow-through.

    Now, here’s where it matters:

    • No pressure to “do something” just to justify a fee

    • No incentive to move money unnecessarily or add complexity

    • Advice stands on its own—whether or not you invest with us

    At the same time, as your asset relationship grows, planning fees are reduced or even eliminated. That reflects the reality that we’re already being compensated for overseeing those assets.

  • We’re a small, focused team by design—but with broader depth behind the scenes.

    You’ll work directly with Mark Metzger, the firm’s owner, as your lead advisor. He is responsible for your strategy, major decisions, and overall direction.

    Alongside him is Ethan Edwards, a financial advisor on our team who supports planning, service and communication. He’s actively involved in client work, which gives you another set of eyes on your situation and helps us stay proactive.

    Ron, our Client Service Director, handles the operational side—account coordination, paperwork, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks. He’s often your first call for anything administrative.

    Beyond our internal team, we’re affiliated with Cambridge Investment Research, which provides the platform, compliance oversight, and resources behind everything we do.

    We’re also part of TAG Advisors, a community of over 400 advisors who collaborate in areas like tax strategy, retirement income planning, and specialized cases. Within TAG are specialists in areas like Asset Management, Business Retirement Plans, Insurance, etc. That gives us access to shared expertise without adding layers of bureaucracy. We believe it leads to better outcomes for our clients through this collaboration.

    So while your relationship stays personal and direct, the depth behind it is much broader.

  • The CFP designation is an important one. Over the last 20 years it has become an industry standard for ensuring a higher level of competency — and we respect what it represents.

    Mark Metzger began his career 27 years ago, well before the CFP became the industry benchmark it is today. Over those decades, Mark has hired, fired and worked alongside CFP-designated advisors and understands firsthand what the designation requires, its limitations and what it signals. He holds Series 7, 63, and 65 licenses — the foundational regulatory credentials for comprehensive investment advisory and financial planning work.

    The knowledge base the CFP covers — financial planning, tax strategy, retirement income, investment management, estate coordination, insurance — represents the core of what our team has practiced and refined daily for nearly three decades.

    What many people don't realize is that earning the CFP isn't simply a matter of sitting for an exam. It requires completing an accredited education program that typically demands a two-year commitment of coursework alongside an already-demanding career. Mark fully encourages — and expects — younger advisors early in their careers to invest that time and effort. It's absolutely worth it at that stage, and we actively support that path for our team. You may expect that every young advisor we bring onto our team is currently working toward or already has their CFP designation.

    For Mark personally, with two thriving businesses, a full family life, and 27 years of applied mastery across every discipline the CFP covers, that two-year classroom commitment isn't the highest and best use of the time he owes his clients.

    The competency the CFP is designed to ensure is something Mark brings to every client relationship — earned through decades of real-world practice. We'd rather spend that time serving you well.

Our Investment Philosophy

  • Often, you are placed in a model portfolio and they consider it a job well done. Many advisors can tell you how your portfolio performed last quarter. Fewer can tell you whether you're on track to provide well, give generously, and leave something meaningful behind.

    Investing is one piece of a larger picture. What we're really building — alongside you — is a financial life that's structured, intentional, and pointed toward outcomes that actually matter: the freedom to provide well for yourself and your spouse in retirement, the ability to bless your children and grandchildren, and the margin to be genuinely generous.

    That starts with the right foundations — a budget that reflects your priorities, systems and habits that build wealth quietly over time, the right accounts and legal structures, and a coordinated team of advisors working from the same playbook.

    Then comes what we call the "army of assets" — productive, income-generating holdings that work for you around the clock. Not just growth on paper, but real and growing income streams: dividends, rents, distributions. Assets that multiply your capacity to provide, give, and leave a legacy.

    Most advisors optimize a portfolio. We help you build a financial life worth having. You can find an expanded explanation of our core philosophy here.

  • It's one of the things that genuinely sets us apart. Most advisors don't touch either asset class. We do, and it's not theoretical.

    Mark has owned and self-managed income-producing properties for many years. Residential and commercial. That direct ownership experience shapes how we think about real estate as an investment — the cash flow, the financing, the management realities, the tax treatment. It has been a meaningful second income stream for his own family, and that hands-on perspective is something few advisors can bring to the table.

    For clients, we access real estate three ways: direct ownership of income property when it makes sense, private real estate investments, and publicly traded REITs. The approach depends on the client's capital, liquidity needs, and appetite for involvement.

    Energy infrastructure — pipelines, MLPs, transmission, and storage — rounds out the picture. These are durable, income-generating assets with characteristics that traditional stock-and-bond portfolios simply can't replicate. Further, the realities we see today lead to the inevitability that vastly more electricity production, better infrastructure and huge capital commitments will happen. We want our clients to benefit from these inevitable shifts in global energy needs.

    Together, these two asset classes can add real diversification and a growing income stream to a client's army of assets — which is exactly what long-term wealth building is about. Their durable income streams make us less likely to hold low yielding bonds for long term goals and allow us to pursue growth assets in other areas that compliment the core strategy.

  • Conservatively — but not passively. Risk management starts with understanding what you actually need your money to do and when. We build portfolios with a bias toward income and resilience, not speculation. The goal is never to chase the highest return — it's to build something that holds up, pays you, and grows steadily over time.

The Planning Process

  • It starts as a structured process—and becomes an ongoing system for better decisions.

    We begin with discovery: understanding your income, assets, tax situation, and goals—but also how you currently make financial decisions. That part matters more than most people realize.

    From there, we build your initial plan, covering cash flow, retirement income, investments, tax strategy, and estate considerations.

    But the real work starts after that.

    This isn’t just about producing a plan—it’s about changing outcomes over time. And outcomes are driven by behavior.

    So we focus on:

    • Decision-making frameworks — how you evaluate opportunities, risk, and tradeoffs

    • Habits and systems — how cash flow is managed, how capital gets deployed, how consistency is maintained

    • Behavior under pressure — staying disciplined when markets move or emotions take over

    • Clarity of purpose — aligning your financial decisions with what you actually want your life and legacy to reflect

    Over time, this becomes a rhythm:

    • Regular planning conversations

    • Adjustments as life changes

    • Ongoing coaching around real decisions—not hypotheticals

    Most people don’t struggle because they lack information—they struggle because they don’t have a system for making consistently good decisions.

    That’s what we build.

  • It depends on the type of relationship—but in both cases, there’s a clear structure and open access.

    For clients engaged in ongoing financial planning and coaching, we typically meet more frequently—often monthly or quarterly—especially when we’re actively building systems, refining strategy, or working through decisions in real time.

    For clients focused primarily on asset management, we schedule at least one annual review and strategy session, with additional check-ins as needed.

    In both cases, you’re not limited to a set number of meetings. When something important comes up—a decision, an opportunity, a change in circumstances—you reach out, and we engage.

    Behind the scenes, we’re monitoring and thinking about your situation continuously. The goal isn’t just scheduled meetings—it’s staying aligned and making good decisions as life unfolds.

  • Yes—and we view that as essential, not optional.

    When you have a CPA and attorney involved, our role is to help ensure everyone is working from the same strategy. That often means coordinating on things like tax planning, retirement income, entity structure, and estate decisions—so nothing important falls through the cracks.

    We’ll engage directly when needed—sharing information, aligning on strategy, and making sure recommendations actually fit together.

    That said, not all professionals are actively planning—they may be more focused on filing, compliance, or specific transactions. Ideally, your CPA and attorney are thinking proactively alongside you.

    If that’s not happening, we step in to fill those gaps as part of our Financial Planning Engagement. That may include identifying planning opportunities, raising questions your other advisors should be addressing, and helping drive those conversations forward.

    The goal is simple: one coordinated strategy, not disconnected advice.

  • We use a combination of secure, cloud-based tools—but more importantly, we use them to create a clear, organized system around your financial life.

    You’ll have access to a private planning portal where everything comes together:

    • Your accounts and net worth

    • Your plan and projections

    • Key documents, all stored securely in one place

    It’s collaborative, so we can both see what’s happening and make updates as things change.

    Beyond that, we build practical systems into your day-to-day life—things like cash flow tracking, budgeting where needed, and simple structures that help you consistently make good financial decisions.

    Some of the tools we use are industry platforms, others are processes we’ve developed over time. The goal isn’t the technology—it’s making your financial life more organized, more intentional, and easier to manage.

Values & Culture

  • It shapes everything. Our planning philosophy is rooted in biblical principles of stewardship — wisdom, diligence, contentment, and generosity. That doesn't mean we preach at clients. It means we approach money as a tool in service of a life well-lived, not as an end in itself.

  • It means we treat money as a servant, not a master. Our goal is to help you convert income into productive assets that generate growing income streams — building financial freedom that gives you more options, more margin, and more capacity to be generous. We're not trying to impress you with complexity. We're trying to help you build something that lasts.

  • Scripture never condemns wealth — it condemns the love of money. Abraham, Job, David, and Joseph of Arimathea were all men of means who walked faithfully with God.

    The church has long swung between two errors. The prosperity gospel says faith equals financial success and wealth proves God's favor. The poverty gospel says godly people should be poor and money corrupts faith. Both miss the mark.

    The biblical truth is simpler: wealth is a responsibility, not a reward. Money amplifies who you already are. God gives resources for kingdom purposes — and wealthy Christians are called to great faithfulness, not guilt.

    So stop feeling guilty about your success. Stop assuming poverty makes you more spiritual. Your wealth isn't about you — it's about what God wants to do through you.

    Be humble with your blessings. Be bold with your stewardship. Build wealth unafraid, deploy it wisely, and pass that legacy to the next generation. That's how finances get redeemed for the glory of God.

Getting Started

  • We work best with people who are serious about making good financial decisions over time.

    That often includes business owners, successful families, and busy professionals—typically those approaching or in retirement, where the stakes are higher and decisions matter more.

    But it’s less about a specific asset level and more about how someone approaches their finances.

    Our best clients tend to be:

    • Disciplined — they consistently live below their means during their working years, producing more than they consume and directing the difference toward building productive assets

    • Motivated — they’re not just trying to accumulate wealth for its own sake, but to create options for their family, support what matters to them, and leave a meaningful legacy

    • Teachable — they approach decisions with humility, are open to guidance, and are willing to adjust when a better path is clear

    They value simplicity over complexity, and a coordinated strategy over scattered advice.

    Many have already built meaningful assets. Others are still building—but they approach their finances with the same level of intention.

    We’re intentionally selective—not based on a single number, but because we want to work with people where the relationship leads to better decisions and better long-term outcomes.

  • We don’t anchor our relationships to a strict account minimum.

    Our primary criteria are discipline, motivation, and teachability.

    We do our best work with people who consistently live below their means and invest the difference, who are motivated by what their wealth can ultimately accomplish for their family and legacy, and who are open to guidance and willing to act on it.

    Many of our clients have built meaningful assets, and we do require a level of complexity where our work adds value. But fit matters more than a specific number.

    If there’s alignment there, we’ll have an honest conversation about whether it makes sense to move forward.

  • Yes—we work with clients across the country.

    While our roots are in Stanly County, North Carolina, and we have a deep commitment to serving families in our local community, our reach is national.

    We tend to work with families who are serious about stewarding their wealth well—people who are disciplined, motivated, and teachable, regardless of where they live.

    The relationship is designed to work seamlessly whether you’re local or not, with a combination of virtual meetings, secure planning tools, and ongoing communication.

  • Schedule a conversation. There's no cost, no obligation, and no sales pitch. We'll talk about where you are, where you want to go, and whether our approach makes sense for your situation. If we're not the right fit, we'll tell you that honestly.

  • Just yourself and a willingness to have an honest conversation. If you want to come prepared, a general sense of your income, assets, goals, and any financial concerns on your mind is plenty. We'll take it from there.

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Who We Are & How We Work