Kenneth Chavis IV, CFP®

Senior Wealth Advisor

As a Senior Wealth Counselor, the most important outcome I provide business owners, executives, and families navigating life transitions is peace of mind.

I achieve this by translating our clients’ goals into a strategic, tax-optimized plan encompassing solutions for investment management, wealth planning, tax mitigation, and wealth transfer.

Having served families in the wealth management industry since 2014, I am passionate about providing strategic wealth solutions and overseeing the implementation of these solutions within Versant’s wealth management team. This, combined with coordinating with our clients’ tax, legal and professional advisors, enables them to spend more time, energy, and presence of mind on what matters most: their family, their business, and their life’s passions.

Before joining Versant, I served high-profile business owners and entertainers as a Senior Wealth Manager at a boutique wealth management firm founded in Beverly Hills, California. There I became intimately familiar with the complexities that come from significant success and wealth. Before that, I served as a Financial Advisor to executives, business owners, and wealthy families at a boutique multi-family office in Portland, Oregon.

My areas of expertise include advanced wealth planning, tax minimization strategies, retirement planning, and investment management for business owners, equity-compensated executives, and employees that receive stock compensation.

I am humbled to have received industry recognition, as I was named to the InvestmentNews 40 under 40 in 2023, the Investopedia Top 100 Financial Advisor in 2022, and was named a 50 Under 50 honoree by the Association of African-American Financial Advisors in 2021, and 2020, which recognizes the most outstanding and influential Black and African American financial professionals in the country.

I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, hold a Certificate in Financial Planning from Boston University, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics from Hawaii Pacific University, where I graduated summa cum laude.

As a 2024 Forbes Advisor Investing and Retirement Advisory Board member, I am on a panel of experienced, vetted financial professionals who review articles, advise on content, and support Forbes Advisor’s mission to help consumers make smarter and less stressful decisions about investing and retirement. I am also an advisory member of the Association of African American Financial Advisors and a member of the Financial Planning Association of Greater Phoenix.

I grew up a military brat and was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. My father served 26 years in the Navy, spending most of his years of service at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. My family was fortunate enough to live in Hawaii during my entire childhood.

While my father served in the Navy, my mother was a small business owner. This is where my passion for serving business owners and entrepreneurs comes from.

I moved to Arizona in 2020 to be closer to family after spending five years in Oregon. Every day I kick myself that I didn’t move sooner. I am proud to call the Valley home.

As a parent of two young children – Arabella and Jordan – most of my free time consists of family outings, attending classes, practices, and exploring the natural beauty that Arizona has to offer.