Annual Letter · 2026 Fee-only · Fiduciary · Independent Charlotte, North CarolinaNC Est. 2009 · 214 households

Your financial life, drawn to scale.

Ashgrove is a fee-only, fiduciary planning firm in Charlotte. We write one plan for your household, invest it at low cost and charge a flat fee you see before you sign anything.

Book a 30-minute intro call or call (555) 016-2084

Fig. 1 — An illustrative household, age 38 to 92

2029 · Age 41First home$72,000 down payment
2038 · Age 50CollegeTwo children, four years each
2053 · Age 65Retirement$110,000 a year, rising with prices
2080 · Age 92LegacyAbout $1.1M to heirs and a giving fund

¹ Hypothetical household for illustration: two earners saving $2,500 a month (rising 3% a year) and a 5% average yearly return. Shading shows a range of outcomes if markets are kinder or harsher. Not a forecast and not a promise of returns.

Scroll to draw the plan

§ 00The year in figuresAs of 30 September 2026p. 02

Twelve months, reported plainly.

We publish the same six numbers every year, in the same place, whether they flatter us or not. They tell you more about an advisory firm than any brochure.

Households advised: 214
20172026
Assets under advice: $486M
20172026
Commissions accepted: 0
Since 2009. Our only income is the fee our clients pay us, and it is printed on this page.
Ten-year retention: 96%
Households who joined 2010–2016
Households per advisor: 54
0Cap: 60
Weighted fund cost: 0.05%
A year, in our balanced model portfolio. About $50 on every $100,000 invested.

§ 01Who we work with214 households, four stages of lifep. 04

Households at a turning point.

Most families find us within a year of a change: a promotion, a sale, a birth, a death, a last day at work. There is no asset minimum. If we are not the right firm, we will say so on the first call.

Fig. 2 — Our households, by stage of lifen = 214

01
Mid-career professionalsAges 35 to 50, usually two incomes and children at home

“We earn well. Why doesn’t it feel like it?”

Where we startA map of where the money goes, then a savings order: what to fund first, second and third.
31%
02
Business ownersFounders of companies with 5 to 120 employees

“What is the company actually worth to our retirement?”

Where we startAn owner’s plan that treats the business as one asset among several, and a sale-readiness review.
22%
03
Physicians and dentistsFrom the last year of residency to the first decade in practice

“Big income, late start, six-figure loans.”

Where we startA schedule for paying debt and investing side by side, disability cover, and a realistic start date.
19%
04
Within ten years of retiringAges 55 to 70, including the newly widowed

“When can we stop, and what will we live on?”

Where we startA paycheck plan: which accounts to draw from, when to claim Social Security, and Medicare from 65.
28%

Shares of active client households, 30 September 2026. Percentages are rounded.

No asset minimum. Planning starts at $4,200.

§ 02The approachPlan · Invest · Protectp. 06

One plan, three disciplines.

The same three habits, in the same order, for every household. None of them is exciting. All of them compound.

01Plan
02Invest
03Protect

Plan. Everything on one page.

We start with what you want your money to do, then work backwards: which goals are already paid for, which are not yet, and what would change that. The whole plan fits on one page, and we rewrite it every spring.

Fig. 3a — One household, one pageRevised March 2026

Goal	When	Cost	Funded
Six months of expenses in cash	Now	$48,000	100%
Kitchen renovation	2027	$65,000	100%
College, two children	2036–42	$184,000	71%
Retire at 62	2050	$2.1M	84%
A cabin near Boone	2055	$240,000	40%

Invest. Low cost, broadly spread, boring on purpose.

Most of a portfolio’s long-run result comes from two decisions: how much you hold in stocks versus bonds, and how much you pay. We set the first carefully and keep the second close to zero. No house funds, no stock tips, nothing sold on commission.

Fig. 3b — Balanced model portfolioRebalanced at ±5 pts

Holding	Weight	Yearly fund cost
US stocks, total market	42%	0.03%
International stocks	20%	0.07%
US investment-grade bonds	26%	0.04%
Inflation-protected bonds	7%	0.05%
Cash reserve	5%	0.09%
Weighted cost	100%	0.05%

Protect. The dull paperwork that saves families.

Wills that name guardians. Beneficiaries that match what you meant. Insurance sized to the real risk and bought wherever it is cheapest, with no commission to us. We check all of it once a year and keep copies, so nobody has to hunt for them.

Fig. 3c — Annual protection reviewHousehold 0147

Item	Detail	Status
Wills and guardianship	Updated after second child	Mar 2026
Powers of attorney	Financial and health care	Mar 2026
Beneficiary designations	Six accounts checked	Apr 2026
Term life insurance	20 years, $1.5M each	Jun 2026
Disability cover	60% of income to age 65	Due Nov
Umbrella liability	$2M, renews each May	May 2026

“A good plan is mostly a list of decisions you will not have to make in a panic.”

Graham Pettigrew, founding partner

§ 03Retirement estimateIllustrative, not a forecastp. 09

What could your savings become?

Move the sliders and the estimate redraws as you go. It is arithmetic, not a forecast: real markets do not move in straight lines, and your taxes and costs will differ. Use it to frame a question, then bring the question to us.

Estimate · for illustration only

Estimated savings at 65$1,071,000Today’s dollars

Monthly income it could support$3,570First year, by the 4% guideline

Savings last until aboutAge 95+At the assumed return

Fig. 4 — Estimated savings by ageHover or tap the chart to read any year

Estimate at your assumed return
Two points lower to two points higher
What you put in

If returns average 3% instead, about $700,000. At 7%, about $1,650,000.

The assumptions, in plain words

The return is a steady yearly average, added monthly. Real returns jump around, sometimes sharply, and the order they arrive in matters.
Your monthly saving stays the same until you retire. It does not rise with pay, and it stops the month you retire.
Income follows the 4% guideline: in your first year of retirement you take 4% of savings, then raise it with inflation each year.
Taxes, fund costs and advisory fees are not deducted. Social Security and pensions are not included, so your real income could be higher.

This is an educational estimate, not investment advice and not a promise of future results.

§ 04FeesFlat, published, billed monthlyp. 12

One flat fee, printed before we start.

Most advisors charge a percentage of what you invest, so their pay rises with your balance whether or not the work does. We charge for the work. The price below is the price.

One timeThe Foundation Plan

A written plan for the whole household, built over three meetings in six weeks. It is yours to keep whether or not you stay.
$4,200once
YearlyOngoing Planning

Your plan kept current: tax planning every spring, a review every quarter, and a call whenever life changes.
$6,000$500 a month
YearlyPlanning & Investment Management

Everything above, plus a low-cost portfolio built, managed and rebalanced for you. One price for portfolios up to $5 million.
$9,600$800 a month

Fig. 5 — Yearly cost: our flat fee against a 1% fee

Below about $960,000 invested, a 1% fee costs less than ours, and we will tell you so on the first call. Above it, the gap widens every year your savings grow.

No commissions, no asset-based fees, no minimums and no long contracts. Fees are billed monthly; leave in any month and you owe nothing more. Accounts are held in your name at an independent custodian.

“Fiduciary,” in plain words

It is a legal duty, and it is the reason we exist. Here is what it means for you on an ordinary Tuesday.

01We are paid by you, and only you.
No commissions, referral fees or revenue sharing from fund companies or insurers. Ever.
02Your interests come first, in writing.
We are legally bound to put you ahead of ourselves on every recommendation, and we sign a letter that says so.
03Your money stays in your name.
An independent custodian holds your accounts. We can trade and bill. We cannot move money to ourselves.
04Our paperwork is public.
Our Form ADV lists our fees, conflicts and disciplinary history (none). Read it before you meet us.

§ 05The advisorsFour people, one floorp. 15

Four advisors. Sixty households each, at most.

When an advisor reaches sixty households, they stop taking new ones. It is the only way we know to return every call the same day and remember your children’s names.

GP2009–2660 / 60

Graham PettigrewCFP®

Founding partner · business owners

Before Ashgrove
11 yrs, corporate finance
Households
60, full

Plans company sales two years ahead. Coaches under-10 soccer on Saturdays, without much success.
LB2012–2644 / 60

Lorna BattsCFA

Chief investment officer

Before Ashgrove
Pension fund analyst
Households
44

Chairs the investment committee and writes the quarterly letter. Reads the footnotes first.
RM2016–2658 / 60

Rhett MabryCFP®, EA

Tax and retirement income

Before Ashgrove
Tax practice, 8 yrs
Households
58

An enrolled agent, so he can stand in for you with the IRS. Runs Roth conversion math for fun.
CG2019–2652 / 60

Corinne GaitherCFP®

Physicians and young families

Before Ashgrove
Hospital administration
Households
52

Knows residency contracts and student-loan forgiveness rules better than most lenders do.

Fig. 7 — Each plate shows the households an advisor has served, year by year since joining. The dashed gold line is the cap of sixty.

§ 06Notes to the planWritten by the advisorsp. 18

Notes to the plan.

Short, plain essays from the four of us. One a month. No forecasts, no hot takes, no stock picks.

§ 07Book an intro callThirty minutes, free, no obligationp. 24

Thirty minutes. No slides, no sales.

01You tell us what changed, or what is about to.
02We tell you whether we are the right firm, and exactly what we would charge.
03If we are not, we suggest who might be. There is no follow-up sequence.

Office

1907 Laurelmont Avenue, Suite 300
Elizabeth, Charlotte, NC 28204

Hours

Mon–Thu 8:30–5:30
Fri 8:30–2:00

Contact

(555) 016-2084
[email protected]

Fig. 6 — Elizabeth, CharlotteFree parking behind the building · Streetcar stop one block north

Your financial life, drawn to scale.

Twelve months, reported plainly.

Households at a turning point.

Mid-career professionalsAges 35 to 50, usually two incomes and children at home

Business ownersFounders of companies with 5 to 120 employees

Physicians and dentistsFrom the last year of residency to the first decade in practice

Within ten years of retiringAges 55 to 70, including the newly widowed

One plan, three disciplines.

Plan. Everything on one page.

Invest. Low cost, broadly spread, boring on purpose.

Protect. The dull paperwork that saves families.

What could your savings become?

The assumptions, in plain words

One flat fee, printed before we start.

One timeThe Foundation Plan

YearlyOngoing Planning

YearlyPlanning & Investment Management

“Fiduciary,” in plain words

Four advisors. Sixty households each, at most.

Graham PettigrewCFP®

Lorna BattsCFA

Rhett MabryCFP®, EA

Corinne GaitherCFP®

Notes to the plan.

Thirty minutes. No slides, no sales.