Brian Johnson

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

InvestmentNews recognized Thomas as one of the best wealth advisors under 40 in the USA. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and an Enrolled Agent for the IRS. He is also an adjunct lecturer in the Finance department at the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee—Knoxville. He is the director of pro bono financial planning on the Board of the Financial Planning Association of East Tennessee and a volunteer tax preparer through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. He served a Christian mission for two years in Colombia, South America, and is fluent in Spanish. He currently volunteers in his church's youth program. In his free time, he enjoys an active lifestyle with his wife and two sons, playing strategy games and pickleball. He is a proud sponsor of the Tellico Village Pickleball Club.

Hi, I’m Caroline (Murphy) Friedrich CPA, CFP®, a financial planner and founder of Hillvale Wealth Management. Growing up I was always brainstorming business ideas and loved organizing, which led to my first venture, “Caroline’s Closets.” My father, an accounting professor, suggested I become an accountant to organize numbers instead. Today, I organize much more than just closets and numbers – I help people achieve peace of mind through financial planning. A Knoxville native, I earned my accounting degree and master’s in taxation from the University of Tennessee. After graduation, I moved to New York City and spent a decade in public accounting at PwC and EY, reviewing thousands of personal tax returns as a CPA.  I then transitioned into wealth management, working at firms in Chicago and Knoxville, before launching Hillvale Wealth Management. Our Mission Many people leave meetings with financial advisors feeling overwhelmed by investment jargon and economic updates. When I transitioned into wealth management, I noticed a strong emphasis on investments, often at the expense of tax planning and client education. Leveraging my unique expertise in financial planning, investments, and tax strategies, I founded Hillvale Wealth Management to offer personalized recommendations tailored to your goals. My mission is to provide clients with clarity, understanding, and confidence in their financial decisions.