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Intentional, tailored wealth planning that triggers clarity and inspires confidence.


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Your Private CFO

CogentBlue provides integrated wealth advisory solutions to families and individuals who desire more than traditional investment management. Our process considers a broad range of variables across multiple areas in order to systematically address and manage your personal and financial goals and aspirations.

Unconflicted Advice

The most important characteristic of what we do is a core commitment to the fiduciary standard. That means we put your interests first - always. We don’t earn investment commissions. We don’t charge hidden fees. And, we represent no one but you. Period.

One of a Kind Experience

At the foundation of every client relationship is the development of a comprehensive and dynamic financial plan that is as unique as you are, designed to cover all the important details of your financial life, enabling clarity and confidence for the future.

Pairing world-class service with down-to-earth conversations.

Wes Brown, CFP®, EA Photo

Wes Brown, CFP®, EA

Principal
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Wes founded CogentBlue. to provide objective, multidimensional financial advice to clients looking for help with their wealth management needs.

Wes spent nearly six years in personal tax before pursuing comprehensive wealth management in 2007. Wes holds a Bachelors degree in Business and Psychology with a Minor in Music, and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Enrolled Agent with the IRS. Wes has been featured numerous times in various local and national media outlets, and has written extensively on topics centered around the intersection of money and life.

Wes' personal interests include spending time with his wife and three kids in the mountains of Tennessee or on the coast of Maine.

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Alex Richards

Associate
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Alex Richards joined CogentBlue in 2021.  Originally from South Carolina, Alex graduated with a Bachelors degree in History and English from Anderson University. Before joining the CogentBlue team, Alex spent four years helping financial advisors across East Tennessee provide solutions for their clients' risk management needs.

When not serving clients, Alex enjoys reading a good book, spending time with his wife and dog out on the water, and duck hunting. Alex is also an active member of his church and serves as a leader in their young adults ministry.


Robert V. Bolen Photo

Robert V. Bolen

Senior Regional Director
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Bob has more than 33 years of experience in securities analysis, portfolio management, financial planning and financial life transitions planning. Over the last 17+ years, he has helped clients achieve their financial and life goals by integrating their money with their lives. His passion is that clients would live inspired lives, with peace of mind about their money matters.

Having started his career as an investment/securities analyst in 1986, Bob has held positions with various firms, including The Prudential Insurance Company, Equitable Securities, and J. C. Bradford & Co., until ultimately establishing his own firm in August 2003. In 2018, Bob merged his practice with the fee-only investment advisory firm, United Income. Upon completion of a two-year consulting agreement, Bob joined CogentBlue as a Senior Advisor to continue bringing financial clarity and confidence to Middle Tennessee.

Bob graduated Magna Cum Laude from Western Kentucky University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Indiana University in 1986 with an MBA in Finance and Management. He earned his Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1988 and his Certified Financial PlannerTM designation in 2002. A lifelong learner, Bob has had extensive training in life coaching through the Coaches Training Institute and in Financial Transition Planning through the Sudden Money Institute.

Community service is of paramount importance to Bob, having been or being currently involved in the following ways:

  • Past Chairman, President and Board member, and current member, of the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Financial Planning Association
  • Past President and Board member, and current member, of the CFA Society of Nashville
  • Past Treasurer and Board member of the 21st Drug Court
  • Past Vice Chairman of Christian Executive Officers (CEO) Fellowship
  • Member of the Estate Planning Council of Middle TN
  • Member of Grace Chapel Church in Leiper’s Fork, TN

Bob lives in Franklin, TN with his wife Pam and their two children, Marissa and Zachary.

Jeff Levine, CFP®, CPA, PFS, CWS, AIF, RICP, ChFC®, BFA™ Photo

Jeff Levine, CFP®, CPA, PFS, CWS, AIF, RICP, ChFC®, BFA™

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Jeffrey serves as a technical resource for the CogentBlue team and is the firm’s primary thought leader regarding evidence-based planning concepts and strategies. He excels at distilling complex financial laws and policy into understandable resources.

Matt Pranschke CFP®, QPA, ERPA Photo

Matt Pranschke CFP®, QPA, ERPA

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Matt has worked in the retirement plan industry for over thirteen years. He has experience in third-party administration and recordkeeping, acting as a relationship manager and consultant. He brings extensive experience in consulting, retirement plan design, and compliance to the team.

Kevin Grogan, CFA, CFP® Photo

Kevin Grogan, CFA, CFP®

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Kevin supports CogentBlue by helping our clients understand the complicated concepts that will have a tangible effect on their financial lives. He is a member of the firm’s Investment Policy Committee and helps lead the firm’s investment strategy, portfolio management and fixed income teams.

Blerina Hysi Photo

Blerina Hysi

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Blerina supports CogentBlue and our clients by constructing and maintaining customized client bond portfolios, all with an eye toward finding the best way to implement the client’s comprehensive financial plan. Her duties include fixed income analysis, bond trading and building tailored, client-focused portfolio solutions.

Mike Ozburn, CFP® Photo

Mike Ozburn, CFP®

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Mike is a valuable resource to CogentBlue and our clients by sharing current wealth management insights and providing client education. Mike has earned the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) certification, which is the standard of excellence in financial planning.

Bill Morgan, CPA, PFS Photo

Bill Morgan, CPA, PFS

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Bill consults with the CogentBlue team on specific client wealth management strategies specifically related to individual taxation and tax planning suggestions. Bill has earned his CPA and PFS designations.

You and CogentBlue

CogentBlue employs a values-based approach to planning and investing. That involves developing and implementing a unique plan that meets each new client's expectations and goals. Each plan includes monthly reporting, regular reviews, and ongoing, disciplined cross-checks to ensure that we are holding true to clients' interests and preferences, and meeting their goals and needs.

CogentBlue is committed to providing a client experience that is nothing short of exceptional. We fulfill that commitment by communicating proactively, delivering thought leadership, and providing access to coordinated resources and personnel whenever it's needed.

Developing an understanding of what matters most to our clients begins with a discussion that covers topics such as the following:

  • Family members and important relationships
  • Family and individual goals, personally, professionally, and financially
  • Level of understanding and education on financial concepts
  • Family financial history
  • Summary of financial landscape
  • Family values

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Our Investment Philosophy

  • Invest in things you understand; know what you own and why it fits in your portfolio. Don’t fall for fancy sales pitches, media hype or market hysteria.
  • Invest while keeping costs low (e.g. transaction costs, taxes, etc.). Costs will only drag down returns over time.
  • Invest broadly and globally. There is no singular “market.”  Invest across asset classes, market capitalizations and styles.  Proper diversification is key.
  • Invest for the long-term. The long-term is more than a 1- or 3-year outlook.  Daily or weekly market fluctuations should not affect your decisions, behavior, or outlook.
  • Invest where the risk you are taking is compensated by the return you are receiving.
  • Invest with your total portfolio in mind. Focus on the success of the overall portfolio, not on specific investments.
  • Invest for the future. Don’t base today’s investment decision on past performance.
  • Invest with a plan. Hope is not an investment strategy.

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Our Clients

We serve individuals and families who have more than enough to meet their needs, and are looking for a Private CFO to help them carefully and successfully manage their financial affairs. Our clients have often worked in the following professional fields:

  • current and retired corporate executives
  • medical professionals
  • academics
  • entrepreneurs

Regardless of career field, we met nearly all of our clients during some kind of life transition, such as divorce, the loss of their spouse, an inheritance, a job change, or retirement. We understand that transitions are emotional, involve complexity, and require coordination on numerous fronts to navigate successfully. As such, our solutions have been crafted to specifically to meet those needs.

Our clients typically have the following goals:

  • Continue growing their wealth
  • Minimize income and estate taxes
  • Protect their assets from being unjustly taken from them
  • Maximize the impact of their wealth on their family and/or the causes they care about
  • Ensure they’re making the right decisions in all aspects of their finances

Our clients grew their wealth through a lifetime of hard work, delayed gratification, and prudently taking risk. As such, they generally value responsible stewardship of their assets over excessive consumption or speculation. Above all, they want to ensure the fruits of their life's work go toward meaningful ends.

Since your goals are closely tied to your values, it’s important for us to get to know you on a deep level so we can best serve you. Before we enter into a new relationship, we take the time to ensure there is a mutual fit in terms of approach, process and philosophy. This allows us to ensure we work only with those for whom we can provide significant value. If we discover we aren’t a good match, we’ll kindly take the time to help you locate a better fit.

We invite you to learn more about our background to determine if we might be the right advisors for you.  

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