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Austin Ballenger

Advisor at Blue Ridge Wealth Planners

Updated today

Location

Raleigh, NC

Credentials

Series 65

Industry experience

2 years

About

Austin Ballenger is a financial advisor at Blue Ridge Wealth Planners in Raleigh, NC, holding a Series 65 designation with one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Blue Ridge Wealth Planners, he worked in various roles at Sysco Food Services, Pepsi Co., Cook's, UT Medical Center, and Breakout. He is also a licensed insurance agent offering insurance products to clients. Blue Ridge Wealth Planners is an SEC-registered advisory firm providing discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients. The seven-advisor team manages approximately $276 million, tailoring investment strategies using fundamental, technical, and value-oriented approaches while also offering educational materials and events.

Client services

Based on Blue Ridge Wealth Planners

Financial planning Portfolio management Educational seminars or workshops

Expertise

Based on Blue Ridge Wealth Planners

Retirement income strategy Tax-loss harvesting Concentrated stock management Private / alternative investments Active portfolio management

Fee options

Percentage

Up to 2% annually (negotiable)

Commissions

Financial professionals earn commissions for selling insurance products such as fixed index annuities.

Other

Account minimum: $250,000

Location

Raleigh, NC

Most active in

North Carolina

Work history

Blue Ridge Wealth Planners

2024 - Present (2 years)

Sysco Food Services

2022 - 2024 (2 years)

Pepsi Co.

2021 - 2022 (1 year)

Cook's

2021 - 2021 (1 year)

Sysco Food Services

2016 - 2020 (4 years)

UT Medical Center

2016 - 2016 (1 year)

Breakout

2014 - 2016 (2 years)

Disclosures

Exclamation point means they have disclosures of this type. Check mark means no disclosures of this type were found.

Business activities & affiliations

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Derek K

CFP®, Series 63

Knoxville, TN

Kennedy Wealth Management

Derek Kennedy is a CFP® with 24 years of experience and the principal advisor at Kennedy Wealth Management in Knoxville, TN, where he has worked since 2000. He holds a Series 63 license and leads the firm as its sole advisor. Kennedy Wealth Management serves individual investors, trusts, charitable organizations, businesses, and retirement plan sponsors with financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan advisory services. The firm operates as a fee-only fiduciary, uses diversified asset allocation based on fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory, and provides pension consulting and employee education services uncommon among similar independent advisors.

General retirement planning Income planning Passive / index investing Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Retired
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David B

Series 63, Series 65

Knoxville, TN

Shepherd's Financial LLC

David Burnett is a financial advisor at Shepherd's Financial LLC in Knoxville, TN, with four years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked with Eagle Strategies LLC and NYLIFE Securities LLC. Outside of finance, Burnett serves as clergy at Old North Abbey and is an author of academic books on religious texts. Shepherd’s Financial serves individuals, clergy, churches, businesses, and charitable organizations, providing discretionary and non-discretionary asset management along with financial planning and consulting. The firm employs fundamental analysis, tax-aware techniques, and third-party model managers, with a focus on customized strategies for each client’s objectives and risk tolerance.

Retirement income strategy General retirement planning Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting ESG / Sustainable investing Founder/Business Owner Religious/faith focused
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Grayson N

CFA®, Series 63

Oak Ridge, TN

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Grayson Niehaus is a CFA® charterholder and Series 63 licensee currently serving as the sole advisor at OneThirty Capital. He has five years of industry experience, including roles at Invesco and other financial firms. Niehaus is also the founder and managing member of OneThirty Equity Fund L/S, LP, a privately offered pooled investment vehicle. OneThirty Capital provides discretionary portfolio management primarily through pooled investment vehicles and private fund management, offering tailored advisory programs for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm combines fundamental and quantitative analysis with modern portfolio theory and employs a range of trading strategies including long and short positions and options transactions.

Options & derivatives strategies Active portfolio management Real estate investing

Skee O

CFP®

Knoxville, TN

Kinetic Wealth

With high regard to our fiduciary duty, we exist to faithfully serve individuals and organizations who are eager to understand and take control of their finances. Deep, authentic relationships allow us to help our clients clarify and define what is most important and utilize that knowledge when making important decisions. Our comprehensive approach facilitates a proactive partnership rooted in accountability putting clients in position to Ignite Financial Momentum and create meaningful outcomes. Life is full of Momentum Moments, those times when decisions are most impactful. We proactively prepare our clients for those moments through: Life Planning, Financial Wellness, and Wealth Planning services. Skee began his finance career in early 2012 and has since served many individuals and organizations as their trusted advisor. Having a long family lineage of educators, he naturally has a passion for teaching and helping others. An interest in finance early in life led him to attain his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree focused in Financial Planning and Economics from Western Carolina University in 2010. After college, Skee served as Senior Financial Services Officer at a prominent credit union in his home state of North Carolina. He moved to East Tennessee in 2016 and has built strong relationships with individuals, families, and organizations, managing over $100,000,000 for many of them. One Knoxville non-profit organization he advised was recognized as one of four Plan Sponsor of the Year nominees in a well-known national publication in 2024. He holds designations of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Accredited Investment Fiduciary®, and Accredited Tax Preparer. Skee enjoys serving his community through several organizations in the Greater Knoxville Area. Mission: To empower family stewards, people pursuing independence, and employee-centric organizations to achieve their full potential financially and personally, positively impacting their own circumstances and the lives of those around them. Vision: To grow organically through a commitment to our culture of providing high quality client experiences and by fostering community relationships. Our desire is to build and maintain a Destination Firm for both clients and employees. Along the way, we will make a positive impact on the communities where we live and serve through volunteering and giving back. Core Values: Influence, Competency, Trustworthiness, Boldness, Authenticity

General tax planning Retirement income strategy Social Security optimization Engineering Professional Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964)
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Ramin O

Series 65

Knoxville, TN

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Ramin Olson is a financial advisor at Nomad Financial with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at UBS Investment Bank and UBS Wealth Management, as well as the US International Development Finance Corporation. Olson also has a legal and regulatory background, including experience in regulatory and in-house counsel roles. Nomad Financial Advisors LLC provides investment management and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm emphasizes asset allocation with a preference for passive investment management, incorporating active strategies as appropriate, and offers various engagement options including ongoing wealth management, project-based planning, tax return preparation, and an Outsourced CIO service.

Cash flow / budgeting College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Business ownership considerations General estate planning guidance Retirement income strategy
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Steven K

Series 63

Powell, TN

ICON Capital Management, LLC

Steven King is a financial advisor at ICON Capital Management, LLC in Powell, Tennessee, with 21 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 designation and has been with ICON Capital Management since 1996. ICON Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management, limited financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, trusts, estates, and retirement plans. The firm is noted for its work with pension and profit-sharing plan clients, including retirement plan consulting and ERISA fiduciary roles.

General retirement planning Cash flow / budgeting
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