By: Elaine Day
February 27, 2023

If you had all the money you needed for the rest of your life, what would you do with that money? Would you change anything?

If you had five to 10 years to live, what would you do with the remaining time?

If you had only 24 hours left, what dreams would be left unfulfilled? What did you not get to do, and who did you not get to be?

If you’re looking for advice in answering these questions, developed by George Kinder, the father of Life Planning, or others like them, perhaps First Carolina Wealth is a good fit for you.


THE TEAM

First Carolina Wealth, a trust division of First Carolina Bank, was established in 2019, and its core team of Managing Director John Slayton, Trust Officer Drew Ginsberg, and Wealth Administrator Bishop Golden are uniquely qualified and ready to serve clients in a wide variety of wealth management needs.

Slayton, a 40-plus year veteran of the trust, securities, and financial planning industries with a self-proclaimed passion for tax work, has been a part of First Carolina Wealth since its inception and has developed its life planning emphasis.

Before joining the First Carolina Wealth team in 2022, Ginsberg had held an operational position at a wealth management firm before transitioning into the front-office space. Golden had previously worked in wealth-adjacent roles but felt drawn to the creativity and potential for greater client impact within the wealth management arena.


THE SERVICES

While most planning offerings focus on one outlet, such as investments, First Carolina Wealth’s life planning lens allows for a more well-rounded approach. Life planning involves every stage of a family’s financial journey, and our team is prepared to provide advice and guidance in the areas of investment management; personal and business planning; asset protection; business buying and selling or succession planning; tax management and estate tax minimization; and retirement planning. In other words, Slayton says, First Carolina Wealth serves as the equivalent of a Chief Financial Officer for their clients’ financial ventures.

“We’re the glue that brings everything together,” Slayton continued. “We will be the consistency between the lawyer, the CPA, and the client. We serve them on the needs that they have and provide them the best alternatives that we’re aware of.”

And in doing so, Golden emphasized, First Carolina Wealth’s fiduciary charter means that the team is legally obligated to make the best decisions possible for clients.

“It’s more than just financial planning and simulations for whether you’re going to outlive your money,” Ginsberg added. “It’s achieving a level of comfort in your life outside of finances so that you don’t have to worry about it. What we do is take a lot of that off of our clients’ plates—as much as possible—so that we can act as their whole financial side.”


THE PROCESS

Working with First Carolina Wealth is goals-based and an ongoing conversation. To get started, give your local branch a call or send an email to wealth@firstcarolinabank.com with some basic introductory information about yourself and those goals—and availability for an intake phone call or meeting, because, as Ginsberg noted, “we’re face-to-face, one-on-one people.”

The level of relationship-building and service is what the team feels sets First Carolina Wealth apart. Clients have the team’s direct contact information and attention.

Additionally, being under the same roof of First Carolina Bank allows for what the team has coined as ‘partner banking,’ described by Slayton as “an internal partnership [with First Carolina Bank] that allows us to be a better partner, in turn, to our clients.” Golden added that travel and connection with the Bank’s employee base is a focus for the team, so clients can always expect to be working with familiar faces.

Experience a better approach with First Carolina Wealth today!