Benjamin Thomas

I spent twenty years in business operations and consulting before making the shift to financial planning. Not because I needed a career change, but because I kept having conversations that felt more valuable than anything else I was doing. Driven, successful people who had built real things and were completely overwhelmed by the job of managing what they'd created. I had a natural instinct for this stuff. Turns out not everyone does. Once I realized I could actually help, it was hard to do anything else. I founded High Rock Wealth Management on a pretty simple belief: the hard work it takes to build wealth shouldn't be followed by a lifetime of managing it. That's my job now. The way I work is pretty straightforward. I'm a finance nerd, genuinely. Tax-loss harvesting, asset location, the mechanics of a well-built plan: I love this stuff and I obsess over the details. But I've also learned that the numbers only tell part of the story. Your relationship with money started long before you had any, and a plan that ignores that context is just math on paper. So I work on both sides equally and I always tell you the truth, even when it's not what you were hoping to hear. I hold the CFP® and Enrolled Agent designations. The EA means tax strategy is built directly into your plan, not referred out to someone else. One relationship. Full picture. On the personal side: I'm a family guy through and through. My wife Natalya and our two kids are my world. We traded the New York Metro area for just outside Charlotte in 2021 and haven't looked back. When clients tell me they're building something for their family's future I feel that personally, not just professionally. It's the same reason I do this work. I work with individuals and families who are ready to stop improvising and start directing their wealth with real intention. If that sounds like you, I'd love to talk.

Ian McCann is a financial advisor at Raymond James & Associates in Charlotte, NC. Raymond James & Associates provides financial planning and investment consulting to a wide range of clients, including individuals, employer-sponsored retirement plans, corporate and charitable entities, and government clients. The firm offers tailored financial plans and asset-allocation analyses primarily through non-discretionary advisory relationships, and it maintains notable public finance and municipal services alongside its retail advisory offerings.

David Hoshour is a financial advisor with Cornerstone Investment Services, Inc. in Indian Trail, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and 15 years of industry experience. He has been with Cornerstone Investment Services since 1995. Cornerstone Investment Services provides ongoing investment supervisory services and basic financial planning to individuals, trusts, and nonqualified retirement accounts, as well as advising retirement plan sponsors and institutional clients. The firm offers discretionary, fee-only portfolio management with a focus on medium- to long-term holdings and emphasizes fiduciary services and customized solutions for retirement plans.

Francis Claire is a financial advisor at Double Eagle Partners, LLC in Matthews, NC, with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and previously worked at LPL Financial LLC and Mizuho Securities USA Inc. since 2016, he has been with Double Eagle Partners, an independent firm he leads. Double Eagle Partners provides customized investment management and financial-planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, small businesses, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a discretionary, asset-allocation investment approach guided by economic analysis and offers services such as goal setting, tax and estate planning, and educational workshops.

Kirk Block is a CFP® and PFS™ credentialed financial advisor with 22 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Block Wealth Management, Inc., an independent firm he has led since 2008. In addition to his advisory role, he is licensed to offer insurance products as an agent with various insurance companies. Block Wealth Management serves individuals, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporate clients, including retirement plan sponsors. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based approach using Dimensional Fund Advisors funds, integrating financial planning with tax guidance and insurance recommendations, and offers a range of fiduciary, consulting, and portfolio management services.

Robert Donovan is a financial advisor with WoodGreen Advisory, LLC in Matthews, NC. He holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations and has 18 years of industry experience. Prior to founding WoodGreen Advisory in 2021, he worked at Alphastar Capital Management LLC and has been managing Compensation Consultants, LLC since 2012, where he is also a licensed insurance agent selling life insurance and fixed annuity products. WoodGreen Advisory offers portfolio management and investment advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, and business entities. The firm uses a long-term investment approach based on modern portfolio theory and provides customized Investment Policy Statements, with regular portfolio monitoring and referrals to third-party managers when appropriate.