PATHFINDER WEALTH CONSULTING - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Financial Planning Associate
Alex is a financial planning associate at Pathfinder Wealth Consulting. In this role, he assists the firm's advisory team by running financial plans, performing client review meetings, and ensuring client needs are met.
Chad Slate joined the Pathfinder team in November 2022 as an Associate Wealth Advisor. In this role, Chad helps clients plan for their future while helping them live their best life today. His favorite part of being an advisor is helping people retire with confidence knowing they are on solid financial footing because, together, they have created and executed a life plan they can rely on. Chad joined Pathfinder from a previous firm where he was also a financial advisor and planner for several years.
Chad is a proud Seahawk, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree from UNCW before later earning his MBA from UNCW's Cameron School of Business. It was in this May 2003 MBA class that Chad was first introduced to fellow classmate, and eventual Pathfinder CEO, Jason Wheeler.
Chad has been a Wilmington resident for most of his life, moving to the area in 1989. From a military family, he grew up in Hope Mills, NC where his father was last stationed at nearby Fort Bragg as a member of the US Army Special Forces. Chad joined the Army National Guard after high school and was trained as a tanker while a student at UNCW.
Chad enjoys the outdoors and wonderful scenery the Wilmington area provides. He also has a passion for traveling, having explored dozens of countries from the Americas to Europe, Asia, and Australia. He is a certified Dive Master and loves being on or in the ocean any time he can. Chad also enjoys writing about sports, music, travel, culture, and entertainment, and has been featured in numerous local and national magazines.
Job Titles:
- Partner & Wealth Advisor
- Wealth Advisor
As a wealth advisor at Pathfinder Wealth Consulting, Chris helps successful individuals make better decisions with their money. He is passionate about financial planning and truly enjoys guiding clients through complex financial matters to fuel their life passions. Chris started his financial planning career in 2006 and became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional in 2012.
As part of Pathfinder's merger with Keystone Financial Partners, Chris became a partner of the combined firm in January 2023. After nearly 13 years of commitment to Keystone, this was the natural next step in Chris's career, and he looks forward to leading the focus of continued excellence in client service for the growing firm.
Born and raised in the Hudson Valley region of New York just north of New York City, Chris moved to Raleigh in 2010 with his wife, Lauren, where they are raising two beautiful daughters: Aubrey and Ella. When he's not keeping up on financial news or meeting with clients, you can find Chris checking out local breweries with friends, hitting the golf course, taking trips to the beach, or spending time with his family.
Job Titles:
- Financial Planning Associate
Davis joined the Pathfinder team as a financial planning associate in May 2021 after an extensive, year-long internship with the firm. As a financial planning associate, Davis facilitates communication between our clients and their CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional and works closely with our team of Wealth Advisors on investments, reports, and client service tasks.
Davis, along with his two sisters, grew up in Raleigh, NC, living in the same house for eighteen years before leaving for college. Davis accredits his parents and grandparents for teaching him the importance of responsible money management from a young age, and he is excited to share that understanding with others as he begins his career in financial planning. Davis graduated summa cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a BS in Finance in 2021.
In his free time, Davis enjoys spending time in the sun at the beach, playing the guitar, listening to music, and watching football with friends.
Jason is CEO, wealth advisor and founding partner of Pathfinder Wealth Consulting. He has been in the financial services industry since 1999.
Jason was born in Dayton, Ohio but grew up in Eastern North Carolina. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 1999 with a BS in finance and an MBA in 2003. Rob Penn, Jason's business partner, hired him in 1999 and the two began a successful business relationship, highlighted by the formation of Pathfinder Wealth Consulting in 2005.
Jason's passion for the business begins with helping clients, working with select families to accomplish their personal and business goals. Jason's role as CEO includes providing strategic direction for the firm, managing the team, leading growth initiatives, and enhancing operations.
Jason resides in Wilmington with his wife, Ashley, and their daughter, Merritt. Their family also includes a Labrador, Jedi. Ashley is a Speech Language Pathologist and owns Therapy Connections, Inc., a pediatric speech therapy company. Jason spends his free time with his family and their endless activities. He plays average golf as often as possible, coaches youth sports teams to minimal success, waits patiently for his invitation to Jedi training and hopes that maybe this year he will have more time for surfing, boating, fishing and all the water activities that the family loves. Jason considers himself a lifelong learner and is always ready to try a new activity, travel to a new spot or delve into a new subject.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Keystone Financial Partners
Job Titles:
- Member of the Pathfinder Team since 2009, Became a Partner in the Firm in January 2022
- Partner and Wealth Advisor
As a wealth advisor at Pathfinder, John works closely with clients who are planning for their future, helping them stay on their financial path. He specializes in developing financial plans and implementing planning and investment strategies for the next generation, successful professionals, and small business owners. John also leads our qualified plans department, which assists business owners in managing their company retirement plans, including 401(k)s, Simple IRAs, etc. John has been a part of the Pathfinder team since 2009, serving various roles in both planning and investment services for our clients. He became a partner of the firm in 2022.
John graduated from UNCW's Cameron School of Business in May 2009 with a BS in finance and business administration. Upon joining Pathfinder, he went on to obtain his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER TM (CFP®) Professional designation in 2012, followed by his Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®) designation in 2020. John has been involved in various community organizations throughout the years, and currently serves as Treasurer on the board of Education Without Walls, a Wilmington-based nonprofit which, through meaningful outdoor activities, mentors high-school-age children, helping them overcome barriers by setting academic and personal goals.
John is one of the rare Wilmington residents who was born and has lived here his entire life-he loves all the things that this area has to offer. John is very close to his family, all who still live in Wilmington, including his parents and 4 siblings (he's also a twin!). John and his wife, Allie, have a seven-year-old daughter Piper, and a four-year-old son, Banks. In their free time, John and Allie enjoy spending time outdoors with their kids, their 15-year-old chocolate lab, Mya, and their new yellow lab puppy, Stanley. John focuses on the importance of living an active lifestyle… surfing, running, hiking, and traveling whenever he can.
John Zachary, a member of the Pathfinder team since 2009, became a partner in the firm in January 2022.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Financial Planning Associate
Karen is a financial planning associate at Pathfinder Wealth Consulting. She works closely with the advisory team to help guide clients and prospective clients through the financial planning process and ongoing monitoring of client plans and investments.
Job Titles:
- Administrative & Marketing Assistant
- Administrative & Marketing Assistant / Financial Planning
Lauren joined Pathfinder in 2023 as our Administrative & Marketing Assistant. In this role she oversees a variety of tasks to ensure efficient day-to-day operations and superior client experiences.
Lauren graduated from San Jose State University in 2021 with a BS in Sociology, concentration in Social Interaction, and a double minor in Spanish and Deaf Education. Shortly after graduating, she worked at her church as the Marketing Coordinator, where she discovered her passion for marketing. She then went on to work at a civil engineering firm in the Bay Area as the Administrative Marketing Coordinator. Throughout her career, she has found value in a people-first approach and passion in building relationships with those around her.
Lauren grew up in San Diego, CA and moved to North Carolina in 2022 shortly after her niece and nephew were born. In her free time, Lauren enjoys spending time with her family (especially her niece and nephew), reading, learning how to play piano, and serving at her church.
Maggie is the client services manager for Pathfinder Wealth Consulting. She facilitates financial transactions for new and existing clients, including processing account documentation, transfer of assets, rollovers, and general account maintenance.
Maggie started her career in financial services in 2007 in Chicago, Illinois as an executive administrative assistant for Global Forex Trading and client liaison for ODL Securities, Inc. Later, she became the new accounts administrator for Daniels Trading, an independent futures brokerage firm. After relocating to Wilmington in 2012, Maggie transitioned to a specialty in wealth management as a senior client solutions specialist at PNC Bank before joining Pathfinder in October 2016. Maggie has always enjoyed assisting clients, working in a team environment, word puns, organization, and meeting new people.
Maggie received her BS in politics and government with an emphasis in legal studies from Illinois State University. She, along with her husband, Phil, spend much of their time chasing their two young sons, Thomas and Matthew. The Ernst family enjoys the coastal lifestyle by spending time at Topsail beach with their kids and dog, Luke. In her "free" time, Maggie enjoys a good slice of pizza, standup comedy, anything Chicago, physical fitness, as well as art and design.
Pantelis Miliotis is an Associate Wealth Advisor at Pathfinder Wealth Consulting. In this role, he supports clients and prospective clients through the financial planning process and the ongoing management of their plans and investments.
Pantelis graduated from the University of North Carolina Charlotte in 2017 with degrees in Finance and Supply Chain Management. His interest in the financial industry led him to Vanguard, where he began his professional career. As he gained industry experience, his interest developed into a passion and prior to joining Pathfinder, Pantelis served as a High-Net-Worth Financial Advisor. In this role, he helped clients meet their unique goals and planning needs by delivering customized financial advice and portfolio management guidance.
Pantelis and his wife, Anastasia, live in Wilmington with their dog, Banks, and their cat, Bo. Outside of the office, Pantelis enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family. He and Anastasia also build life experiences together through traveling and making time to savor the local flavor of Wilmington, including relaxing on the beach, taking in a concert downtown, and dining at their favorite restaurants.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- President, Wealth Advisor
Rob is president, wealth advisor, and founding partner of Pathfinder Wealth Consulting. He has been working with retirees and pre-retirees since he began his career in the financial services industry more than two decades ago at Morgan Stanley and Investors Financial Group. He is passionate about helping pre-retirees transition into retirement while guiding their families forward.
Born in Long Branch, NJ, Rob grew up in Manassas, Virginia, joining the U.S. Army in 1983. After graduating with honors from Avionics School as an avionics technician, Rob spent the next six years in the aviation branch - achieving the rank of staff sergeant with positions as an avionics maintenance supervisor, air assault instructor, and a reenlistment NCO.
After graduating from Officer Candidate School, he attended the Ordnance Maintenance Basic Course where he was the Distinguished Honor Graduate. He got his first duty choice to serve with the 82nd Airborne as a platoon leader and maintenance officer with the 782nd Maintenance Battalion. His nine years of service included two tours in Korea and nine months in Operation Desert Storm. He received the Bronze Star Medal for his accomplishments in Desert Storm.
Today, Rob resides in Carolina Beach, NC with his wife, Susan. They have two grown sons, Kyle and Kevin. Rob is an avid rebreather diver and spends most of his free time searching for shipwrecks and adding to his megalodon tooth collection.