Kenneth Michael Hughes

Counterweight Private Wealth is an independent, fee-only fiduciary wealth management firm based in Raleigh and Wilmington, NC, serving clients virtually nationwide. Founded in 2021 by Nick Murphy, CFP®, the firm specializes in tax-forward retirement and business-exit planning, helping executives, business owners, and professionals turn decades of accumulated wealth into a tax-efficient, purpose-driven retirement. Counterweight is one of the few advisory firms that prepares client tax returns in-house, allowing deep integrated tax planning strategies for lifetime tax optimization to be directly implemented with precision into the financial plan. Clients typically range from $2 million to $30 million or more in investable assets. Who We Serve Our clients are successful individuals and families in the later stages of their careers who desire a collaborative partner to help them transition through significant professional and personal milestones. We typically partner with clients who have $2 million or more in investment assets, a threshold that reflects the level of complexity where our deep, tax-integrated planning and wealth management approach delivers the most value. Most of the families we serve generally have between $2.5 million and $30 million or more in assets, and are often navigating retirement transitions, business sales, or other major financial milestones. Our Services Our team provides expertise in the areas of Retirement Planning, Investment Management, Tax Planning, Business Succession Planning, Sudden or Inherited Wealth, Legacy and Philanthropic Planning, Executive Compensation Strategies, and Social Security Income Strategies.

Lynn Matheron is a financial advisor at Masonboro Advisors in Wilmington, NC, with three years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has held positions at Capital Investment Advisory Services, Glasgow & Associates, and Coldwell Banker Sea Coast, among others. In addition to her advisory role, she is a licensed independent insurance agent. Masonboro Advisors is an SEC-registered firm managing approximately $206 million for individuals, trusts, corporations, and high-net-worth clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and sub-advisory services, using a tailored, asset-allocation approach that includes mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, and structured notes through its Yield Enhancement Strategy.

I’ve always been fascinated by money, but I never planned on working in finance. Fresh out of college I moved to Columbus, Ohio to live with my wife while she finished up grad school. I needed a job, and I stumbled my way into a role at Morgan Stanley by responding to a sketchy Craigslist ad. I was about 70% certain it was a scam. Luckily it wasn’t, and I got the job! It was a great learning experience, and I got my feet wet while learning the industry fundamentals there. After a few years though my dad recruited me to return to my hometown in Charlotte, NC to help run the family business in the natural gas industry. I loved working with family, but ultimately decided my heart wasn’t in it. Discussing thread counts on screws and the viscosity of silicone didn’t get my intellectual juices flowing. Meanwhile I was spending countless hours of my free time researching personal finance and finally had the realization “why don’t I make a career out of this?” So I made the difficult decision (sorry, dad) to transition back into finance with a job at Vanguard. I was right. This was finally scratching that intellectual itch. But I wanted to make a more personal impact on people’s lives, and I couldn’t accomplish that as a tiny cog in a giant machine. So I took jobs at a few smaller firms where I was able to develop personal relationships with clients, get their finances on track, and help them accomplish their goals. Now this was my jam! During my time there I worked with clients in tech and realized how much complexity there was in managing their finances. Managing their company equity was complicated! Managing their stock options was extra complicated! But I loved the complexity, I loved the people, and I loved the look on their face when it all finally came together. Soon though, I began to get the entrepreneurial itch (thanks, dad) to start my own firm. I knew exactly who I wanted to work with – tech professionals. I saw first hand the impact I could have in their lives. That was my inspiration for founding Tech Financial Planning. Now I get to put it all together: intellectual fulfillment, meaningful relationships, and personal impact, all while working with awesome folk in tech solving their complex problems. Now that’s what I call a dream job! As for a bit about my personal life, in 2022 I celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary with my amazing wife, Allie. We met in high school and survived a 4-year long distance relationship during college while she attended school in Ohio and I attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. We have two amazing kids, Elliot and Reya, and an adorable, yet clingy Australian Shepherd named Cassie. I value experiences over things, so my wife and I love traveling domestically and internationally to explore new places and cultures. I’m also a firm believer that you don’t need to spend money to have fun, so I’m always exploring my current hometown, Nashville, for fun, free activities. I love board games, I’m an avid podcast listener, and I’m always on the lookout for a great show to binge.

Eric Cerrone is a financial advisor at Harborside Capital with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Harborside Capital since 2019, following a prior tenure at Liberty Capital Inc from 2006 to 2022. Harborside Capital provides discretionary portfolio management and advisory services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as entities such as LLCs, corporations, and trusts. The firm combines medium- to long-term positions with selective short-term trading, employing a range of analytical methods and actively trading derivatives, futures, options, and digital assets within client accounts.

Douglas Isenberg is the sole advisor at Neuse River Capital, LLC, an independent firm based in Wilmington, NC. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 18 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Neuse River Capital in 2011, he developed a combined JD/MBA background. Outside of his advisory role, Isenberg maintains a separate practice in life coaching. Neuse River Capital provides discretionary portfolio management primarily for individual households, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations, with a focus on customizing asset allocations according to client-specific risk tolerance, income needs, and tax considerations. The firm employs both fundamental and technical analysis across various investment vehicles and offers paid analysis of held-away assets while relying on an institutional custodian for trade execution and operational support.

Michael Santana is the sole advisor at Pembroke Wealth Management, LLC in Wilmington, NC, holding a Series 66 designation and bringing 16 years of industry experience. He worked at Edward Jones from 2010 to 2015 before founding Pembroke Wealth Management in 2015. Outside of his advisory role, Santana serves as a business consultant for several farming operations and manages multiple non-investment real estate ventures as a managing member or owner. Pembroke Wealth Management provides tailored, non-discretionary portfolio management and wealth consulting services to individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and other entities. The firm emphasizes client approval for all transactions and employs a combination of technical and fundamental analysis along with modern portfolio theory in its investment recommendations.