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Let us help architect your financial plan.


Financial Planning and Investment Advice

We have a team of dedicated financial advisors that offer fee-based financial planning for our clients. We work with our clients in a lot of different ways based on their needs and are often not the first advisor or the only advisor they work with. Our goal is to be a guiding-hand resource, assisting our clients with understanding the tradeoffs of their financial decisions.

Meet Our Financial Planning Team

Benjamin UySmith

Benjamin UySmith, CFP®

Financial Planner

Nicole Guernsey

Nicole Guernsey, CDFA®

Financial Advisor

(919) 341-1679

Seth Ellington

Seth Ellington

Financial Advisor

Lauren Barricklow

Lauren Barricklow

Financial Advisor

People we help most often


  • Investors: You enjoy managing your portfolio, but want guidance on efficient tax strategies, provide investor market insights, and more. 
  • Women: You have unique challenges and perspectives that require a special focus & we are dedicated to helping women achieve financial freedom.
  • Working Professionals: From company funding and benefits to income and commissions, our personalized approach can help you succeed financially and holistically.
  • Divorced or Widowed: We are prepared to help evaluate your current situation to help your lifestyle remain the same through these difficult times.
  • Business Owners: Our team can help you with retirement savings plans, business continuation & protection strategies, and strategic tax planning strategies.
  • Newly Married: Get help planning for financial goals together and protecting your household as you embark on this big change.
  • Growing Family: We assess life insurance, college funding plans, special needs considerations to build a goal-oriented plan to protect your future.
  • Pension Planning & Retirees: Let us plan how to maximize your benefits, continue your current lifestyle, and minimize taxes to extend your nest egg.


Our Process

Years of experience have prepared us to guide you through your life transitions with proven strategies.

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Our Values

Trust. Honesty. Integrity. We believe values matter, and we live by ours every day.

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Design Your Future

We are ready to help you with a comprehensive overview of your financial and personal goals, including:

Cash Flow Analysis
Retirement Planning
Education Funding

Tax-Efficient Investing
Investment Guidance
Estate Planning  Strategies

Business Succession
Insurance Needs Analysis
Risk Management

Let's discuss your goals

Equitable Advisors and its affiliates and associates do not provide tax or legal advice or services. Please consult with your tax and/ or legal advisors with regard to your particular circumstances.

CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ are certification marks owned by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.  These marks are awarded to individuals who successfully complete the CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.