Fountain Financial Group Joins Pinnacle Asset Management in Memphis

Fountain Financial Group Joins Pinnacle Asset Management in Memphis

Team brings nine veteran financial planning and investment professionals to the firm

January 04, 2023


Fountain Financial Group has joined Pinnacle Asset Management, which is Pinnacle’s unit for comprehensive financial planning, investment management and securities trading and execution. Eric Fountain is leading the team made up of eight of the Memphis area’s best known financial and wealth professionals:           

  • Ben Nicol, Financial Consultant
  • Todd Ruston, Financial Consultant
  • Zach Wiggs, Financial Consultant
  • Kaleb Simington, Investment Representative
  • Wendy VanCleve, Investment Representative
  • Jennifer Brown, Sales Assistant
  • Paige Williams, Sales Assistant
  • Hailey Williams, Sales Assistant

They bring more than a century of combined financial services experience to the firm in business and financial planning, education and retirement planning, investment and portfolio management, as well as sustainable investing strategies. They are based at Pinnacle’s main office in Memphis at 949 S. Shady Grove Road.

“This group brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our firm and will significantly add to our capacity to meet clients’ complex needs in Memphis,” said Gary Collier, executive director for Pinnacle Asset Management. “They have a hard-earned track record of exceptional client service that is a perfect fit for the way Pinnacle does business. The breadth of their work and the reach they have in this community will serve our firm and our clients very well.”

Fountain is the team leader and a financial consultant with Pinnacle Asset Management. He has more than 25 years of financial services experience and continues to serve a select group of clients in addition to his leadership role. He most recently served at First Horizon Advisors, where he was an investment officer. Fountain also served in the U.S. Navy, including six years as a finance officer, two years with the Navy Seabees and time on a fast-attack submarine. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Memphis State University, his master’s from the University of Memphis and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional (CFP®).

“I was drawn to Pinnacle because of its reputation as a place where experienced professionals are given the independence they need to make full use of their talents,” Fountain said. “Everyone in this group has a heart to serve, and Pinnacle empowers us to deliver the high level of care our clients are used to. Nothing is more important than our clients, and the culture and decentralized organization here are exactly what we need to put them first.”

Nicol brings 16 years of experience to his role as financial consultant with Pinnacle Asset Management. He joins the firm from FTB Advisors at First Horizon, where he spent 12 years. He began his career in financial services in 2006 at SunTrust Investment Services. Nicol is dedicated to creating long-term, meaningful relationships with a select group of clients and providing them with personalized financial planning advice. He earned his bachelor’s in business from the University of Memphis, his MBA from Christian Brothers University and is a Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®).

Ruston brings 26 years of experience to his role as a financial consultant with Pinnacle Asset Management. He most recently served as a financial advisor at First Horizon Advisors and prior to that worked as a private banker at First Horizon and other roles across the industry. He earned his bachelor’s in business from the University of Memphis. Ruston is also a Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®).

Wiggs has 18 years of financial services experience and comes to Pinnacle Asset Management as a financial consultant. He also comes from FTB Advisors at First Horizon and prior to that served as vice president at SunTrust Bank, branch assistant manager at Regions Bank and various roles at AmSouth and Wells Fargo. Wiggs earned a bachelor’s degree from Union University.

VanCleve is an investment representative with Pinnacle Asset Management with four years of financial services experience and 10 years’ experience as an attorney. She joins Pinnacle from First Horizon Advisors, where she served as a planning advisor. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and her Juris Doctor from Marquette University Law School. Prior to beginning her career in financial services, Wendy focused her legal practice in estate planning and business law, including four years as a partner at Alliance Law & Counseling, PLLC. She is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional (CFP®),

Brown brings 19 years of financial services experience to her role as a sales assistant. She most recently served  as a wealth management client specialist at First Horizon. Prior roles include administrative assistant at Regions and then at SunTrust, as well as time spent as a sales assistant at Morgan Keegan & Company. She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Memphis.

Simington joins Pinnacle with three years of financial experience and joins Pinnacle Asset Management as an investment representative. He comes from First Horizon Bank, where he was a client specialist in wealth managements. Simington earned a bachelor’s in finance and accounting from the University of Memphis.

Paige Williams is a CPA with four years of tax and accounting experience and joins Pinnacle as a sales assistant. She most recently served as a wealth management coordinator at First Horizon Advisors. Prior roles include tax senior and tax consultant at Deloitte. Williams earned her bachelor’s in accounting and master of accountancy from the University of Tennessee.

Hailey Williams joins Pinnacle as a sales assistant with three years of financial services experience from First Horizon Advisors, where she served as a wealth management client specialist, as a broker’s assistant at Nesvick Trading Group. Hailey earned her bachelor’s in finance from the University of Memphis.

           Pinnacle Asset Management is a division of Pinnacle Financial Partners. The financial advisors there work through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. to provide advice and services to businesses and individuals with significant investment needs. They have access to the full suite of investment products offered by Raymond James and serve clients from offices across Pinnacle’s footprint. 

About Pinnacle Financial Partners

            The team at Pinnacle Financial Partners provides a full range of banking, investment, trust, mortgage and insurance products and services designed for businesses and their owners and individuals interested in a comprehensive relationship with their financial institution. The company earned a spot on FORTUNE’s 2022 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For® in the U.S.*, its sixth consecutive appearance. American Banker recognized Pinnacle as one of America’s Best Banks to Work For nine years in a row and No. 1 among banks with more than $11 billion in assets in 2021.

The firm began operations in a single location in downtown Nashville, TN, in October 2000 and has since grown to approximately $40.1 billion in assets as of June 30, 2022. As the second-largest bank holding company headquartered in Tennessee, Pinnacle operates in 15 primarily urban markets across the Southeast.

            Additional information concerning Pinnacle, which is included in the Nasdaq Financial-100 Index, can be accessed at www.pnfp.com.

 

About Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.

            Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., is a financial services firm supporting more than 7,500 independent financial advisors nationwide. Since 1974, Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, has provided a wide range of investment and wealth planning related services through its affiliate, Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC. Both broker/dealers are wholly owned subsidiaries of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE-RJF), a leading diversified financial services company with approximately 8,700 financial advisors in 3,000 locations throughout the United States, Canada and overseas. Total client assets are approximately $1.26 trillion.

 

About the Financial Institutions Division of RJFS

            The Financial Institutions Division was established by Raymond James in 1987 to provide banks and credit unions with an alternative to traditional third-party investment providers. Raymond James provides full-service securities brokerage and advisory services to financial institutions seeking to compete with the largest banks and securities firms in the country. In addition to a full complement of investment products and services, Raymond James has the ability to deliver investment banking, public finance, research, self-clearing capabilities and wealth management services to both individuals and institutions.

            Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Investment products are: not deposits, not FDIC insured, not insured by any government agency, not bank guaranteed, subject to risk and may lose value. Investment advisory services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Pinnacle Financial Partners, Pinnacle Asset Management and Pinnacle Bank are not registered broker/dealers and are independent of Raymond James Financial Services. Located at 150 3rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37201, (615) 690-1417.

 

CFP Board owns the marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM, and CFP® in the U.S.

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