Let us give you the confidence to enjoy the retirement you've always wanted.
Helping You Get the Most Out of Life’s Second Chapter.
Some transitions in life are expected, like retirement, and others can be unforeseen and devastating, like the loss of a spouse. Such drastic life events have significant effects on your income, net worth, and sense of stability, and it can be difficult to face the financial impacts of these changes while dealing with the emotional challenges.
At Adams Chetwood, we have decades of experience walking clients through times of transition and helping them establish a new financial path that brings back a sense of clarity and peace.
Our clients are pre-retirees and retirees who have $1 million or more in investable assets.
They value transparency, quality, and wisdom in our relationship.
We help established professionals maximize wealth building opportunities, manage cash flow needs (such as paying for college or helping aging parents), and protect their loved ones through careful planning.
Whether you are an executive in need of assistance with managing special compensation such as stock options or a small business owner focused on building personal wealth and preparing a succession plan, our team can help you navigate these opportunities with ease.
Making a major life change is challenging and intimidating. That’s why it’s important to have a strong team of professionals that have your back. We can help you as you transition careers or prepare for retirement. We have helped hundreds of people successfully navigate the change from building wealth to drawing on wealth, and our expertise will help make the process easier for you.
We can also help you as you face transitions not in your control such as a divorce or loss of a spouse. We have extensive experience in helping people reorganize their family finances, handle changing income streams, and structure their wealth to provide a stable foundation in their working and retirement years.
Five years before and after your retirement are critical for success - we like to refer to this time as the “retirement red zone.” We help people like you transition from accumulating assets to utilizing those assets in your retirement. We will assist you with tapping resources at the appropriate time so you never have to worry about running out of money.
We are also experienced with tax implications from various withdrawal strategies. In addition, we can incorporate a budgeting plan so you can continue to do the things you love such as charitable gifting, traveling, and spending time with family. You deserve a stress free retirement, and we are here to help you get there.
How can I do what I want in retirement, when I want, and not worry about money?
We specialize in helping people through major life transitions such as career change, retirement, and divorce - times when one central team is most needed to coordinate all the aspects of these complex times. We believe strongly in proactive wealth management and work to coordinate with your CPA’s, estate attorneys, and other professionals to ensure you benefit the most from the implementation of your plan.
RICK ADAMS began his career as a financial advisor with Wheat First Securities in 1989 remaining with the firm for twenty-five years. During his time there, the company carried six different brand names, the last being Wells Fargo Advisors. He spent much of his career as a Senior Vice-President, Investment Officer eventually leaving Wells as a Managing Partner.
Rick earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduation, he spent one year studying market economics at Grove City College in Pennsylvania. It was here while learning to apply the principles of macroeconomics to stock analysis that he developed his passion for finance. Throughout his career Rick has continued to hone his skills by taking classes in mathematics, statistics, finance, and accounting.
In May 2015, Rick along with business partner Eric Chetwood left Wells Fargo Advisors to form Adams Chetwood Wealth Management Group. Today, Rick focuses on delivering customized investment planning strategies for high-net-worth individuals, families and institutions.
In August 2017, Rick earned his Masters of Finance degree from Northeastern University where he further developed his analytical and financial management skills.
In 1987, Rick married Jane Woodson Adams. The couple have four adult children residing in North Carolina, Colorado, and Louisiana. Rick is committed to helping his community prosper. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Durham Technical Community College and chairs Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina. He is also an elder at Restoration Church here in Durham. Rick carries a passion for young people in this area, currently serving on the local board for Young Life. He has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Trinity School and the Agapé Corner School, which serves at-risk, inner city youth. For ten years he was on the Board of Directors of Pregnancy Support Services in Durham.
Eric Chetwood, CFP® graduated from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2003 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. His primary responsibilities consist of helping clients with comprehensive financial planning and portfolio construction.
In 2007, Eric completed coursework and successfully passed the Certified Financial Planner exam. This year-long curriculum and 10 hour final exam covered various aspects of financial planning.
Away from the office, Eric enjoys effecting change in the local community. He was chosen to participate in the 2007 Leadership Durham program and the 2009 Leadership Triangle program. Currently, Eric serves as a directional Elder at the Summit Church. He also serves on the board of directors for the Samaritan Health Center, an organization that provides medical care to uninsured and low income families in Durham. He and his wife, Allison, have one son and are passionate about adoption advocacy as well as leveraging their gifts and resources to alleviate physical and spiritual poverty through microfinance and social businesses. Eric and Allison’s hobbies include dancing, traveling, and cheesecake.
Michelle Disney graduated from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing. Michelle has obtained her Series 66 securities registration in addition to the North Carolina Life and Health Insurance license.
In 2010, Michelle went on to earn the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™certification by completing a rigorous course of study and series of exams covering topics such as insurance and estate planning, employee benefit and tax planning, as well as investment and retirement planning.
As the Chief Operations Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, Michelle’s responsibilities include crafting client financial plans, managing clients’ investment portfolios, directing firm operations, managing the firm’s compliance policies, supervising staff, and directing the business’ marketing initiatives.
Away from the office, Michelle is involved with animal welfare groups including the Coalition to Unchain Dogs and the Humane Society of the United States.
Originally from Charlotte, NC, Katherine graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2011 and then worked for two years as a Branch Service Associate at UBS Financial Services, handling client operations across two complexes. Katherine went on to earn her Series 7 and Series 66 investment licenses and then joined the Adams Chetwood Wealth Management group in March 2016 as a Registered Client Associate.
In July 2017, Katherine was authorized by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board) to use the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP® certification marks in accordance with CFP Board certification and renewal requirements.
The CFP® marks identify those individuals who have met the rigorous experience and ethical requirements of the CFP Board, have successfully completed financial planning coursework and have passed the CFP® Certification Examination covering the following areas: professional conduct and regulation, general financial planning principles, education planning, risk management and insurance planning, investment planning, tax planning, retirement savings and income planning, and estate planning.
As a Financial Planning Associate, Katherine handles operational requests and also helps clients plan for retirement, budget for college savings, review their investments, and analyze their estate planning strategies.
Outside of work, Katherine enjoys running, traveling, reading, serving at her church in the children’s ministry, and learning how to cook new dishes.
Rebecca Gatlin joined the Adams Chetwood Wealth Management Group in October 2016 as a Client Associate. In September 2017, Rebecca earned her NC Life and Health insurance license, and her duties include helping clients obtain life insurance policies as needed, handling client operational requests, and implementing marketing initiatives.
Rebecca joined us from Jenny Craig where she worked as a Weight Loss Consultant counseling clients working towards health and fitness goals. In her previous role, Rebecca developed impeccable client service skills, and after working through the Dave Ramsey “Financial Peace” course in her spare time, she developed an interest in combining her love of helping people with her passion for personal financial management.
A graduate of NC State University, Rebecca earned her degree in Nutrition Science in December 2014. She and her husband Michael were married in May 2016, and so Rebecca is enjoying life as a newlywed and also as a mother to their black lab puppy, Olive. In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys traveling, reading, and updating their meticulous budget spreadsheet!
Dianne Waggoner has counseled hundreds of people through life’s tough chapters with empathy and wisdom. We are excited and grateful that she is a part of our team.
Dream Big, But Plan Accordingly.
WHAT WE DO
Simplify and Organize
Simplifying and organizing your financial life is essential to gaining control over your finances. Together, we will evaluate every aspect of your current financial plan so that you can begin to recognize the financial future of your dreams.
Financial Planning
After an in depth discussion with you regarding your financial situation, we will dive into developing a financial plan for you.
We will build a plan that provides the specific, actionable steps needed to improve your financial standing. Your plan may include some of the following topics and more:
Retirement Planning
Retirement is inevitable. We cannot control the passing of time. That's why we want to help you take control of your retirement planning today. During the financial planning process, we can discuss where you want to be financially during retirement and map out a strategy to get you there.
Estate Investment Planning
Estate planning is a critical step in planning for your family’s future. Having a well thought out plan in case you become incapacitated or predecease your children will make such challenging times easier to navigate for loved ones left behind. We will coordinate with your estate attorney to make sure your wishes are properly documented and implemented.
Education
The cost of college education is constantly growing, and the key to preparing for your child’s future is saving as soon as possible and utilizing the proper investment vehicle. We will help you effectively plan for your child’s education needs.
Insurance Analysis
Preparing for the unknown can be stressful. We will review your current insurance plan and search for any inefficiencies in your coverage. From there, we can help make the necessary adjustments to protect you and your family from unforeseen risks.
Investment Management
The investment plan is a byproduct of the overall financial plan. Everyone is different, and so we create a customized investment plan based on your individual needs and circumstances. Your goals and your tolerance for risk are the two main ingredients that go into making your plan uniquely yours.
Investing is a long-term endeavor. Most of us aim to build wealth over time, but it can be challenging. We believe it is necessary to have a clear sense of your goals and objectives (why you are investing in the first place), and then stick with a disciplined investment strategy.
Typical Client Review
Transparent Pricing
At Adams Chetwood Wealth Management, we deliver financial planning and investment management services that are both comprehensive to cover all aspects of your financial life but also specialized to the needs of our pre-retiree and retiree clients.
It's important to us that our pricing be transparent and clear, and our clients value knowing they pay us a single fee.
Our fee for this service is a flat percentage charged on the assets that we manage:
Client Household
Fee
Households with assets of $1 million to $2.5 million
1% of assets under management
Households with assets over $2.5 million
0.8% of assets under management
What is your financial finish line? We can help you get there.
Our goal is to guide you to a position, financially, so that you can do what you want, when you want, without worrying about money.
We will not be right all of the time, but we will be wise all of the time. And we know that being wise all of the time will lead to being right enough of the time.
- Rick Adams, Managing Partner
NEWSLETTER
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Adams Chetwood Wealth Management is based in the Raleigh-Durham area, but we are available for meetings by whichever means you prefer (phone, webX, or in-person).
Please click below to schedule a meeting. You can also email or call us to set up your first consultation. We look forward to helping you simplify and organize your financial life.
As we continue to help more families each year, our team is also growing so that we can continue to deliver exceptional service. If you're interested in joining the Adams Chetwood Wealth Management team, we are currently accepting applications for:
Our Coordinator of First Impressions directly impacts the client experience and is vital to the success of our organization. In this role, you will be a member of a dynamic team in a collaborative, client-focused environment utilizing your exceptional organizational, communication and problem-solving skills. The Coordinator of First Impressions oversees the high net worth client experience and ensures that clients feel like family in every interaction with our firm. The ideal candidate enjoys attention to detail, serving others, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and has a hunger to learn.
Job Description:
Serve as the “front line” in answering calls and greeting guests
Coordinate hospitality initiatives to ensure clients feel like family in every interaction with us
Coordinate client onboarding, including the processing of all account opening and transfer paperwork
Process clients’ account maintenance requests and fund transfers
Process incoming mail and check deposits
Schedule all client and prospect appointments
Provide compliance support as assigned by Chief Operations Officer
Proactively take operational tasks off of COO and Advisors’ plates
Maintain and update internal systems including contact management and portfolio reporting software
Manage and own all client requests received, ensuring timely resolution of issues
Verify accuracy of information provided by internal and external back office before implementation
Assist with marketing efforts such as preparation and mailing of newsletters, mailing personalized cards to clients and colleagues, and updating online marketing content as needed
Oversee the “client milestone recognition” program
Qualifications:
Minimum of Bachelor’s degree (preferably in Business Management, Economics, or Finance)
Proficient in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, etc.)
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Excellent self-starter able to “own” client problems and manage the solution from start to finish
Outstanding attention to detail with ability to prioritize and manage several tasks at once
Professional presentation skills with prior client facing work experience
Ability to work independently as well as collaborate with team members
Ability to learn quickly, document new information, and apply new skills immediately
Compensation:
Commensurate with experience
Benefits include health insurance, 401k with match and discretionary profit sharing, paid vacation, and paid FPA membership