Hicks & Associates Wealth Management

Hicks & Associates Wealth Management

Theodore Hicks founded the firm in 2004 to deliver active, rules-based portfolio management for individuals, trusts, estates, IRAs, and 401(k) plans. The practice serves high-income achievers, families nearing retirement, and investors dissatisfied with passive strategies that do not react to market turmoil. Hicks deploys a multi-strategy framework across equities, bonds, and commodities, shifting allocations based on market regime. The firm first identifies whether conditions are risk-on, risk-off, or sideways, then monitors momentum across sectors to favor those exhibiting trend strength. Embedded in the process is a discipline of accepting small losses to avoid large drawdowns — positions that move against the portfolio are sold without hesitation. Operations run from the firm's single office in Cary. Theodore Hicks acts as both CEO and CIO, directly shaping investment strategy. The firm coordinates with clients' estate attorneys and tax accountants, positioning financial planning as the glue between asset management and broader wealth structuring. The RIA has publicly emphasized its long-standing fiduciary commitment, noting that it operated under the standard before the term gained industry-wide currency. Hicks & Associates operates as a boutique RIA where the founder-CIO retains direct control over the investment process, avoiding the committee-based timing common at larger wealth management platforms. This single-decision-maker structure is the firm's primary structural differentiator, concentrating accountability in one individual who writes and executes the investment policy statement.