Betsy CunaginCFP®, CRPC®

Betsy specializes in high-net-worth clients who spent years accumulating wealth and wish to preserve and grow their prosperity for their own retirement and for the benefit of future generations. She values the depths of her client relationships and works to develop and foster the trust of their families through transparent communication. By becoming a valued partner, Betsy helps to take some of the worry off her clients’ minds so that they can focus on their careers, their next steps, and the people who matter most to them.

What do you value most in your client relationships?

Developing deep client relationships built on trust is what I value most. We are hired to manage clients’ financial lives and my role is to build trust by being approachable and transparent. It’s very satisfying to help ease client financial concerns. Building trust allows clients to transfer any financial angst to us, enabling them to spend more time with family, build their career or enjoy all the stages in retirement.

What sparked your interest in financial planning?

I majored in Art History and after graduation, I joined an art consulting firm, which laid the foundation for my career as an advisor. This led to a training program with a large national bank, where I was exposed to many departments and worked with a variety of clients. After a short time with the bank, I knew I wanted to pursue something more challenging. This was in the mid-90s only a decade or so after the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. was established. After completing the Certified Financial Planner™ program, I knew I had found my professional purpose. Financial planning encompasses an immense body of knowledge from income tax planning to retirement readiness, risk management, estate planning and investment management. Understanding how all the areas within financial planning relate to one other can be overwhelming. My goal is to help take this burden off clients and simplify it for them so that they can refocus on what’s most important to them – personally thriving and spending quality time with their loved ones.

When you retire, you’re going to?

Well, I’m not planning to retire any time soon, so that’s a hard question. I like to stay active, so will continue to run, bike and swim. I also love to travel with my family and friends. Whether trail running in Colorado or Montana or hitting museums in larger cities, I enjoy it all. I hope to take my children on more multi-day backpacking trips. There’s nothing better than unplugging and enjoying nature, especially with a good book.

Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?

I grew up in Columbia, S.C. Both of my parents valued travel, which was instilled in me throughout my childhood and resulted in me living in four different cities/countries over the past 20 years. Living in different areas and making friends across the world has shaped who I am. My oldest son was born in New York City where we lived for seven years. We moved from New York to Nashville in 2004 where my daughter and youngest son were born. In 2013 we relocated to Cape Town, South Africa, for three years. While in Cape Town, my children attended the American International school, which was a melting pot of families from across the world. Exposure to many different cultures and communication styles helped deepen my family’s respect for diverse thought and beliefs. In 2016, I joined Parsec Financial and moved our family to Asheville, N.C. where we live today, and I am now proudly a part of Modera Wealth Management.