Chad Smith is a Partner and Certified Financial Planner™ with more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry.  Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, he enjoys serving clients that are close to retirement as a fiduciary, to find the unique tax savings strategies available to them. He also specializes in helping employees and executives of technology companies in the triangle like SAS, Red Hat, Lenovo and Cisco make the best decisions with their corporate benefit programs.

He is the co-host of the Financial Symmetry podcast and a member of NAPFA. He’s been a contributor to Money Magazine and has been quoted and appeared in the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Bloomberg, Financial Planning Magazine, Triangle Business Journal and the News and Observer.

Chad was born and raised in Hudson, North Carolina. He moved to Raleigh to attend North Carolina State University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance and business management. Chad joined Financial Symmetry in 1999 as the company’s first intern. After graduating in 2000, he joined the firm full-time as a Financial Planning Associate and later earned his Certified Financial Planner designation and has been helping clients make smart financial decisions ever since.

Chad’s in-depth knowledge of financial planning and his strong family values allow him to connect with clients on a personal level while providing valued advice. He enjoys working with families and professionals who prefer to delegate their financial management to an expert because they don’t have the time or patience to do it on their own. In addition to tax and retirement planning, Chad specializes in helping busy professionals take advantage of their corporate benefit payments. He helps retired and former employees better understand their benefit packages and focuses on the best choices to make for stock options, RSUs and ESPPs. Read some of Chad’s most popular writing here:

• ‘Am I Saving Enough?’ Here’s How to Tell
• Five Things to Know Before Exercising Your Stock Options
• Is Can I Retire Early the Right Question?
• What I Was Reminded of by Taking My Daughter on a Date

Chad cherishes spending time with his wife, Andriena and their two daughters, Presley and Emmie. Chad and his oldest daughter participate in the YMCA YGuides program where parents and their children participate in outdoor activities together. As a North Carolina State alumnus, Chad is a supporter of the Wolfpack and likes watching NC State athletics and is long-time football season ticket holder. He also volunteers and teaches on various financial stewardship topics for Hope Community Church in Apex, NC.