Frequently Asked Questions
Working with Anthem Wealth Advisors
Where is Anthem Wealth Advisors located, and do you work with clients outside Alabama?
Anthem Wealth Advisors is headquartered at 110 Lily Flagg Rd SW in Huntsville, just south of downtown off Memorial Parkway. We serve families and business owners across North Alabama, including Madison, Hampton Cove, and Owens Cross Roads, and we often work with clients across the U.S. by video (Zoom). This way, you can receive your fiduciary guidance in person, from home, or both; we aren’t limited by geography! Many clients prefer video for its convenience without sacrificing the benefits of an in-person relationship. Generally, our office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 256.288.0192 or visit Talk With Us to start a conversation.
Who does Anthem Wealth Advisors typically work with?
Anthem Wealth Advisors typically works with households that have $500,000 or more in investable assets and are approaching a major financial transition, such as retirement, the exit/sale of a business, the loss of a spouse, or an inheritance. Most clients want a financial plan that honors both their goals and their values. They value a long-term relationship with a trusted advisor and are pursuing contentment and generosity along with growth. Anthem Wealth Advisors also works with business owners preparing to exit their business in the next two to five years.
How is Anthem Wealth Advisors different from other financial advisors in Alabama?
At Anthem Wealth Advisors, we believe your investments should reflect your values as well as your financial goals. That’s why we offer exclusively faith-based investment portfolios.
Our CEO, Cavett Cooper, holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® (CFP®), Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA®), and Certified Exit Planning Advisor® (CEPA®) designations, as well as an MBA. His background brings together financial planning, biblical stewardship, and business transition planning.
We walk alongside individuals and families through significant financial transitions, including retirement, selling a business, losing a spouse, or receiving an inheritance. During these seasons, we help you make thoughtful financial decisions guided by your goals and what matters most to you.
Because stewardship involves more than accumulating wealth, our financial planning process also considers tax-efficient generosity alongside saving, investing, and retirement planning.
Our multidisciplinary, five-step planning process brings these pieces together, with ongoing Stewardship Reviews as your life and priorities change.
What happens when I first contact Anthem Wealth Advisors?
Your first step is a short call with an Anthem Wealth Advisors team member to talk about your needs and whether Anthem is a good fit for you. Following the call and prior to your initial meeting, you may then be asked to complete a brief online questionnaire, so the team better understands your situation before you meet. If it looks like a fit, we’ll schedule a discovery meeting of about 60 to 90 minutes, in person or by Zoom. In that meeting, our team more fully learns about your goals, your family, and your values, and explains how Anthem’s services could help.
How does Anthem Wealth Advisors charge for its services?
Anthem Wealth Advisors charges an advisory fee (percentage), based on the value of assets we manage for you. Anthem’s management fees are paid through this advisory fee; we do not charge for trades and we do not sell commission-based investment products. Insurance works differently: when a client buys a policy through Anthem, Anthem receives a commission from the insurance company. Anthem’s Form CRS and Form ADV Part 2A describe fees and compensation in full.
Is Anthem Wealth Advisors a fiduciary?
Yes. When Anthem Wealth Advisors provides advice and counsel, it acts as a fiduciary, which means it is always required to act in your best interest and to disclose conflicts of interest. Cavett Cooper is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, and CFP Board’s standards require him to act as a fiduciary when providing financial advice.
What does Anthem Wealth Advisors not do?
Anthem Wealth Advisors focuses on comprehensive financial planning and long-term portfolio management for households in or approaching a major transition. Anthem does not offer budgeting coaching, debt management or consolidation, or help with credit scores. It is also usually not the right fit for someone just starting to invest with small monthly contributions, or for someone who wants an advisor to buy specific stocks at their direction. Anthem manages portfolios on a discretionary basis, which means the team makes day-to-day investment decisions within the strategy you agree on together, without calling you for approval before each trade.
Financial Planning Basics
Do I need a financial advisor, and when should I hire one?
A good time to hire a financial advisor is before, sometimes long before, a major change in your financial life. For most Anthem Wealth Advisors clients, that change is retirement, the sale of a business, or a “financial windfall” like an inheritance. These seasons bring decisions about taxes, income, investments, and giving. An advisor can help you see how those decisions affect one another and help you walk into the next season with clarity, a plan, and a trustworthy guide. If you are asking whether you will have enough, or how your financial decisions may affect your family, it may be a good time to talk with someone.
What is a CFP® professional, and does Anthem Wealth Advisors have one?
A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional has completed education, examination, experience, and ethical requirements related to comprehensive financial planning. Anthem Wealth Advisors’ CEO and senior lead advisor, Cavett Cooper, holds the CFP® designation.
For clients, that means financial decisions can be considered as part of a broader plan that includes retirement, investments, taxes, generosity, and other long-term priorities. Learn more on Anthem’s CFP® page.
Does Anthem Wealth Advisors help with insurance, including long-term care?
Yes. Insurance is part of Anthem Wealth Advisors’ comprehensive financial services. Anthem reviews your life, disability, and long-term care coverage, evaluates existing policies, and may recommend changes based on your broader financial plan. When a new policy makes sense, Cavett Cooper places it as a licensed insurance agent, working with a large insurance brokerage that handles underwriting and compares insurers to find a good fit. Long-term care deserves attention before retirement, because care costs can affect income and savings for years. Learn more about insurance planning.
Faith And Values
What is a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA®)?
A Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA®) is a financial professional who has completed specialized training in applying biblical principles to financial planning and stewardship.
Cavett Cooper holds the CKA® designation, which supports Anthem Wealth Advisors’ faith-based approach to investing, generosity, and long-term financial decisions. For clients who want their financial plan to reflect their faith, that perspective helps bring their values into the conversation alongside retirement, investments, taxes, and giving. Learn more on Anthem’s CKA® page.
What does it mean to work with a Christian financial advisor?
A Christian financial advisor brings biblical principles such as stewardship, generosity, and contentment into financial planning and investment advice. At Anthem Wealth Advisors, we view business as a ministry, and our mission is to honor God by equipping investors on their stewardship journey.
In practice, conversations about retirement, investing, and taxes also make room for questions about contentment, giving, family, and how you want to use your entrusted resources. Each client decides how much faith-based guidance to include in their planning.
Do I have to be a Christian to work with Anthem Wealth Advisors?
No. Anthem Wealth Advisors works with clients of any background. The firm’s faith shapes how it works, with integrity, transparency, and care for each household it serves. Each client decides how much faith-based guidance plays a role in their own plan. Anthem’s investment accounts are managed with faith-based investing models, so it is worth asking how those screens work during your first conversation.
What is faith-based investing, and how does it relate to biblically responsible and values-based investing?
Faith-based investing, also called biblically responsible investing (BRI), is a form of values-based investing that seeks to align a portfolio with Christian convictions. Anthem Wealth Advisors’ investment models use two types of screens: one (exclusionary) seeks to avoid companies involved in abortion, pornography, gambling, tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, predatory lending, human rights violations, or severe ethical controversies. The other (inclusionary) favors companies whose products or practices support flourishing families, the sanctity of life, quality healthcare, access to education, fair labor, and thriving communities. Read more in What Is Values-Based Investing?
Will faith-based investing hurt or help my returns?
Faith-based investing doesn’t necessarily mean sacrificing investment performance. Faith-based portfolios can perform comparably to traditional portfolios, although returns may be higher or lower depending on market conditions and the investments held.
At Anthem Wealth Advisors, we build diversified faith-based portfolios with your financial goals and values in mind. We also discuss potential tradeoffs and regularly review your portfolio as part of our ongoing investment management process.
Retirement
Can Anthem Wealth Advisors help with my 401(k), TSP, 403(b), 457, or other workplace retirement plan?
Yes. Anthem Wealth Advisors helps professionals with 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans, as well as the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) used by military service members, NASA employees, and other federal employees. That includes investment choices, contribution levels, and how the plan fits within the rest of your finances and your overarching retirement plan. Learn more about retirement planning.
How does Anthem Wealth Advisors help with ESOP shares?
An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) gives employees ownership shares in the company they work for. Anthem Wealth Advisors works with individuals who hold ESOP shares; it does not set up ESOPs for companies. For someone who joined a successful company early in their career, ESOP shares can grow into a large part of their net worth, often held in private stock with significant tax consequences when it is paid out. Before you retire, Anthem helps you review your plan’s distribution options, compare strategies such as an IRA rollover or net unrealized appreciation (NUA) treatment for company stock, and decide how much to diversify. Read more in What Happens to Your ESOP When You Retire? NUA vs. IRA Rollover.
What should I do with my 401(k) when I retire?
When you retire, you can leave the money in your employer’s plan, roll it into an IRA, take withdrawals, or use a combination. The better choice depends on your particular scenario, investment options, fees, taxes, and income needs. A rollover can simplify how your accounts are managed, but it is not always the right move. Anthem Wealth Advisors helps clients compare the options before making a decision that can be hard to reverse.
How much do I need to retire, and can I retire at 62?
The amount you need depends on the lifestyle you want, when you plan to retire, and the income you expect from Social Security, pensions, and other sources. Retiring at 62 or earlier is possible for some people. It usually means a longer retirement to fund, a reduced Social Security benefit if you claim early, and health insurance to cover until Medicare begins at 65. Anthem Wealth Advisors builds retirement income plans around each client’s own numbers, including spending, health care, taxes, and giving, to show where they stand and what could be adjusted.
Life Transitions
What financial steps should I take after losing a spouse?
After losing a spouse, it often helps to hold off on major financial decisions for a while unless they are urgent. Early steps usually include gathering important documents, ordering death certificates, contacting Social Security and employers about survivor benefits, and reviewing insurance policies, beneficiaries, and account titles. Over the following months, Anthem Wealth Advisors helps surviving spouses update their budget, investments, and estate plan at a pace that works for them.
What should I do with an inheritance?
Before making changes, it often helps to pause, understand what you received, and learn the tax rules that apply. Inherited retirement accounts, real estate, and investment accounts each follow different rules, and most non-spouse beneficiaries of an inherited IRA must fully withdraw the account balance within 10 years. From there, the question is how the inheritance fits your own plan, whether that means paying down debt, investing, giving, or setting money aside. Anthem Wealth Advisors helps clients work through those decisions in light of their goals and values.
Business Exit Planning
How does Anthem Wealth Advisors help business owners plan an exit?
Anthem Wealth Advisors helps business owners prepare for a sale, succession, or other transition through the Anthem ExitPath℠, a five-phase process. Discovery is a complimentary look at your exit readiness. Assessment evaluates your value, wealth, and profit gaps and produces a prioritized action plan. Preparation puts that plan to work with ongoing accountability. Transition helps you navigate the sale or succession in coordination with CPAs, attorneys, bankers, valuation specialists, and other professionals as needed. Stewardship helps you manage the wealth from your exit toward retirement, family, and generosity. Learn more about business exit planning.
Who is Anthem’s exit planning for, and when should I start?
Anthem Wealth Advisors’ exit planning is designed for Christian business owners who expect to exit successfully within the next two to five years. It typically fits businesses with $1 million to $20 million in annual revenue, adjusted EBITDA of $500,000 or more, or seller’s discretionary earnings of $250,000 or more. Starting several years ahead gives you time to strengthen the business and more options when you are ready to leave. According to the Exit Planning Institute (EPI), about 70% of businesses brought to market never sell, and 49% of owners have no written exit plan. You may not control when you exit, but preparing in advance can give you more time to consider your options.
What is my business worth, and does Anthem Wealth Advisors provide a valuation?
Yes. In the complimentary Discovery phase, Anthem Wealth Advisors provides an estimated valuation range for your business along with an exit readiness score. The Assessment phase goes deeper, looking at what drives value in your business, such as recurring revenue, profitability, your leadership team, and how well the business runs without you. Anthem also helps you determine the second number that matters: how much you need from the sale, after taxes and fees, to support retirement, family, and giving. When a formal valuation is needed for a transaction, Anthem can recommend vetted valuation specialists. Business valuations are estimates, and the final price depends on buyers and market conditions.
Is there a complimentary first step for exit planning?
Yes. The Anthem ExitPath℠ begins with a complimentary Discovery meeting, with no cost and no commitment. Discovery starts with a short survey about your business and your goals, followed by a review of select documents and financial data. The Discovery process provides a high-level view of where you stand today, including an estimated valuation range and a readiness score, and can help you consider whether a deeper assessment makes sense.
What is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor® (CEPA®)?
A Certified Exit Planning Advisor® has earned the CEPA® designation from the Exit Planning Institute by completing its training program and exam, which focus on helping business owners build value and prepare for a transition. Cavett Cooper, Anthem Wealth Advisors’ CEO, holds the CEPA® designation along with the CFP® and CKA® designations. That combination brings exit planning, comprehensive financial planning, and a faith-informed perspective together for Christian business owners. Learn more on Anthem’s CEPA® page.
Giving, Taxes, And Legacy
What are some tax-efficient ways to give to my church or favorite charities?
Every Anthem Wealth Advisors financial plan includes a tax-efficient generosity strategy. Three common approaches can reduce the tax cost of giving. A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) lets people age 70½ or older give directly from an IRA, and the gift can count toward a required minimum distribution (RMD) without being added to taxable income. As of 2026, RMDs begin at age 73 for most retirees and at 75 for those born in 1960 or later. A donor-advised fund lets you make a larger gift in one year, take a deduction if you qualify, and recommend grants to charities over time. Giving appreciated stock instead of cash can avoid capital gains tax on the growth. Learn more about charitable giving strategies.
Does Anthem Wealth Advisors help with tax planning, such as Roth conversions?
Yes. Anthem Wealth Advisors uses tax planning software and reviews each client’s tax returns as part of financial planning. That work can include deciding which accounts to draw from first, timing income in retirement, and evaluating Roth conversions. A Roth conversion moves money from a traditional IRA or 401(k) into a Roth IRA. You pay income tax on the converted amount now, and qualified withdrawals later are tax-free. Conversions can make sense in lower-income years, and they are not right for everyone. When requested, Anthem coordinates with your CPA or tax professional. Learn more about tax planning.
What is the difference between estate planning and legacy planning?
Estate planning covers the legal and financial steps for passing on assets, such as wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, and powers of attorney. Legacy planning is broader. It includes the values, stories, and generosity you want to pass on, and how you prepare children and grandchildren to steward what they receive. Anthem Wealth Advisors helps with both and coordinates with your estate attorney, who prepares the legal documents. Learn more about estate planning and family legacy planning.
Let's Talk
It’s time for financial advice that honors your story. Let’s talk about how we can bring together your stewardship needs, investment opportunities, and planning potential to create a strategy that works for you.