Phillips M. Bragg, CFP®, AEP®

  • Published May 9, 2019

VP,
Director of Estate & Charitable Planning

Phillips is the Director of Estate & Charitable Planning for Bragg Financial Advisors as well as a member of the Leadership Team. In his role, Phillips provides expertise in retirement cash flow planning as well as estate and gift planning. In helping clients meet their charitable objectives, Phillips advises on the myriad alternatives available, including donor advised funds, charitable trusts, private foundations, and Qualified Charitable Distributions. In addition, Phillips regularly provides strategic planning for individuals considering conservation easement planning for land they would like to preserve.

A 1993 cum laude graduate of Wake Forest University, Phillips worked as a trust officer and estate planner in the Wachovia Trust Department (now Wells Fargo) before joining Bragg Financial Advisors in May of 1996. Phillips served as the President of the Charlotte Estate Planning Council and was a board member of the Financial Planning Association.

Phillips is married to Leslie and has three sons and lives on a small family farm near Davidson, North Carolina. He enjoys trout fishing in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, playing golf, and working with his children on the farm. Phillips is a big fan of “how-to” videos on YouTube and has repaired numerous appliances around the house including replacing the circuit board in his refrigerator, the pump in his dishwasher, and the motor in his washing machine.

Phillips co-founded and is very active in a non-profit organization called Raising South Sudan. His interest in Sudan began when he met and "adopted" Lubo, one of the "Lost Boys," who was orphaned during the wars in Sudan. Lubo was settled in Charlotte along with a number of other Sundanese refugees in the late 1990s. Inspired by Lubo's story, Phillips worked to raise funds to build a school in Lubo’s village of Naarwang. The school was completed in 2013 and now has over 500 students attending. Phillips visited South Sudan in 2014 to see the school and community. He is committed to the ongoing success of the project and continues to raise funds in support.

Responsibilities

  • Director of Estate & Charitable Planning
  • Member of Leadership Team
  • Client Advisor

Education & Professional Experience

  • BA English, Wake Forest University
  • CFP® – Certified Financial Planner
  • AEP® – Accredited Estate Planner

Experience

  • 31 years industry experience
  • 28 years on Bragg team
  • Wachovia Trust Department (now Wells Fargo) – Trust Officer

Outside Interests

  • Trout fishing in the NC mountains, golf, woodworking
  • Outdoor projects on the farm with my children
  • Figuring out how to take broken appliances apart and fix them

Community Involvement

  • Honored as the Outstanding Emerging Philanthropist at the Charlotte Association of Fundraising Professionals 2011 luncheon
  • Raising South Sudan: Project Catalyst and co-founder of Raising South Sudan, conceived by Lost Boys of Sudan and supported by 501c3 non-profit Mothering Across Continents
  • Catawba Lands Conservancy: Former Member of Land Acquisition Committee; Former board member
  • Charlotte Estate Planning Council: Member and former President
  • Financial Planning Association, Charlotte chapter: Former Board member
  • Right Moves for Youth: Former Board Chairman, former board member, former group leader and former student mentor
  • Leave a Legacy: Former Chairman of the Development Committee
  • John’s Baptist Church: Active member and Chair of Deacons 2024-25
  • Foundation for the Carolinas: Former member of the Professional Advisors Cabinet
  • Recipient of the J. Frank Bragg Award from Right Moves for Youth in 2004