C. W. O'Conner Wealth Advisors

C. W. O'Conner Wealth Advisors

Clifford O'Conner founded the Duluth-based firm in 1995, drawing on a career that included a CFO role at McWhirter Realty Corp., partnership in real estate developments, and deep roots in public accounting. The practice was built to serve entrepreneurial business owners and their families, with O'Conner's son, Kevin, later joining as a financial advisor and the second generation of the family in the business. The firm deploys capital across a deliberately wide aperture: private equity (spanning venture capital, growth, and buyout stages), distressed debt and special situations, private credit, hedge funds, and direct real estate. Geographic focus is concentrated in North America. Investment access combines fund-of-funds commitments, direct co-investments, and hedge fund allocations. Confirmed holdings include a mixed-use real estate portfolio in Georgia and undisclosed private debt and equity positions across the US. Operating from a single office in Duluth with a three-person team, the firm maintains professional designations including CIMA, CPWA, and ChFC credentials, and has held NAPFA membership since 2005. Philanthropic activity centers on Atlanta-area organizations: the firm supports Developmental Disabilities Ministries and MUST Ministries. In 2025, the firm added Kassia Jezak as a client services associate, bringing institutional operations experience from Fidelity Investments. Succession architecture is the structural differentiator. The firm operates as a family-controlled RIA where the founder still leads strategy, his son manages client relationships, and the service model is built explicitly for private business owners navigating entity structure, ownership transitions, and retirement plans — a continuity bet that embeds multi-generational stewardship into its own governance.