PlanVest Financial

Thomas Hugar, CEO and Chief Compliance Officer, and Edward Kohlhepp, Jr., President, sit on the investment committee and direct asset allocation and manager selection. Both co-founded the firm in 1999. They are supported by a team that includes multiple CFPs and CPAs, integrating tax and investment decisions.

PlanVest primarily accesses private markets — hedge funds, private equity, and other alternatives — through third-party fund structures. The firm does not market itself as a direct-investment or co-investment shop. Its core competency is manager selection and tax-aware portfolio construction rather than sourcing proprietary direct deals.

Tax planning is integral, not an overlay. Because the firm's principals came from an accounting and tax practice, portfolio rebalancing, manager selection, and withdrawal sequencing are all executed with an eye toward after-tax outcomes. This includes tax-loss harvesting, asset location across taxable and retirement accounts, and charitable giving integrated via donor-advised funds.

Client sourcing has historically come through accounting and legal professional referrals, with a growing secondary channel from family introductions. The firm's three offices in New York, New Jersey, and South Carolina reflect both deliberate geographic expansion and a pattern of serving families who have relocated from the Northeast to the Southeast.