Bragg Financial sponsors Ken Burns’s documentary on Vietnam War
August 31, 2017 – The PBS documentary will air on WTVI, channel 42, over 10 nights beginning on September 17th at 8:00pm. Click here to see the TV schedule and learn more about a special preview honoring Vietnam War Veterans sponsored by Bragg Financial at Halton Theatre on September 7th.
Queens Road Funds celebrates 15th anniversary
August 8, 2017 – Family, friends, board members and associates gathered at the Packhouse restaurant on August 8th to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the launch of the Queens Road Funds. This is a noteworthy accomplishment as nearly 2/3 of the mutual funds started over 15 years ago have been closed or merged out of existence. Steve Scruggs, CFA, Director of Research for Bragg Financial, serves as the portfolio manager for the funds with analyst support from Matt DeVries, CFA, Ben Rose, and Benton Bragg, CFA. Visit queensroadfunds.com or download a prospectus.
Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares may be worth more or less than their original cost when redeemed. Disclosures
Ben Rose, CFP® passes Level II of CFA® exam
July 31, 2017 – Ben continues on the path toward becoming a CFA® charterholder. The Chartered Financial Analyst® designation is designed for portfolio managers and requires three exams given over a three-year period. Ben has successfully completed the Level I and II exams and is now preparing for the CFA® Level III exam that will be offered in June 2018. Learn more about Ben here and read about the CFA designation here.
Bragg-sponsored Girl Scout Troop Completes First Year
May 24, 2017 – Girl Scout Troop 487, sponsored by Bragg Financial Advisors, celebrated completion of their first year at Druid Hills Academy with a Daisy Petal Ceremony. Read more
Charlotte Business Journal names Bragg to list of largest local financial planning firms
Charlotte Business Journal
by Amy Shapiro
May 5, 2017 – Bragg Financial Advisors comes in at number six on the list. Ranking is based on the number of CFP® professionals.
Bragg Financial a proud sponsor of 2017 WDAV Young Chamber Musicians Competition
April 23, 2017 – The competition featured young musicians ages 14-25 from around the country and was streamed live by WDAV. Winners received a share of $12,000 in prize money and will perform in the upcoming 2017-18 Davidson College Concert Series. Learn more about the event, meet the competitors, and watch a rebroadcast of the event here.
Financial Advisor—Value Investing In An Age Of Accelerating Change
April 17, 2017 – Portfolio Manager Steve Scruggs and Bill Hortz discuss how Benjamin Graham principles apply to today’s innovative companies as Queens Road Funds looks for investment opportunities. Visit queensroadfunds.com or download a prospectus.
Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares may be worth more or less than their original cost when redeemed. Disclosures
Morningstar magazine features Queens Road Funds
April 5, 2017 – Tom Lauricella sat down with the investment team at Queens Road Funds for an in-depth interview to learn more about our people, process and results over time. Morningstar named the Queens Road Small Cap Value fund to the Morningstar Prospects list in 2016 and chose to feature the fund in the April 2017 issue of the magazine. Visit queensroadfunds.com or download a prospectus. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares may be worth more or less than their original cost when redeemed. Disclosures
Bragg Financial is growing! Welcome Lynn Araujo.
February 1, 2017 – Bragg Financial Advisors welcomes Lynn Araujo to the firm as a Senior Financial Planner.
Lynn is a Senior Financial Planner at Bragg Financial Advisors. She prepares retirement and cash flow projections for clients and advises on tax and estate planning issues. Prior to joining Bragg, Lynn worked for four years with BB&T as a Wealth Planning Analyst. She spent ten years prior to that advising clients in the Financial Planning Group with Wells Fargo and predecessor banks, Wachovia and First Union. As a financial planner, she provided comprehensive financial planning to her clients, which included retirement, cash flow, tax, risk, and estate planning. She primarily advised corporate executives and specialized in helping them understand and best utilize their company benefit plans, including employee stock options, deferred compensation and retirement savings plans. She began her financial career in 1994 with First Union as an assistant branch manager in Raleigh and later served as a team manager in Charlotte.
Lynn graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1994 with BS degree in Mathematics and has earned the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) designation.
Lynn grew up moving around quite a bit between Virginia Beach, New Jersey, Florida, and Illinois, until her family moved to Charlotte for her last year and a half of high school. She has now lived in Charlotte for over 20 years. She is married and has two children. Lynn enjoys being involved and active in her church and her children’s school. Lynn is a “First Connections” and ambassador volunteer with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Barron’s discusses value investing with Queens Road Funds Managers
October 4, 2016 – Visit Queens Road Funds, download a prospectus, or view disclosures.
Forbes contributor Wally Forbes interviews Portfolio Manager Steve Scruggs
September 22, 2016 – Visit Queens Road Funds, download a prospectus, or view disclosures.
Schwab Mutual Fund OneSource Select List
August 31, 2016 – Press release announces Queens Road Small Cap Value named to Schwab Mutual Fund OneSource Select List for Q3 2016. Visit Queens Road Funds, download a prospectus, orview disclosures.
Bloomberg Radio hosts Steve Scruggs
August 16, 2016 – Queens Road Funds Portfolio Manager Steve Scruggs talks small cap stocks on The Bloomberg Advantage with Carol Massar and Cory Johnson. Visit Queens Road Funds, download a prospectus, or view disclosures.
Financial Advisor Magazine includes Bragg Financial Advisors as one the top 200 largest RIA firms in the country
Financial Advisor Magazine
by Evan Simonoff and Eric Rasmussen
July 1, 2016
The Wall Street Journal Category Kings for Q2 2016
The Wall Street Journal
July 1, 2016 – The Wall Street Journal included the Queens Road Small Cap Value fund in its Category Kings listing of the ten best-performing funds in the small value category for the previous twelve-month period ending 07/31/16. Visit Queens Road Funds, download a prospectus, or view disclosures.
Raising South Sudan
June 1, 2016 – In 2008, Bragg Financial Advisors made a commitment to Raising South Sudan. Now, in 2016, the project has come a long way, and has miles yet to go.
Some thirty thousand young boys in South Sudan were orphaned by civil war in the late ’80s. They grew up in a refugee camp in Kenya.
Their reality was suffering and uncertainty. More than half perished from disease, starvation, animal attacks, and from soldiers from the North.
But in 2001, 3,000 were resettled to the US and Canada. Forty “Lost Boys” ranging in age from 18 to 22 came to Charlotte.
One young man, James Lubo Mijak, became friends with the Phillips Bragg Family through St. John’s Baptist Church.
Lubo worked at Presbyterian Hospital and at Bragg Financial.
He graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2008 and returned to his home village in South Sudan in 2008.
It was his first time being “home” since he fled at age 8, twenty years prior.
Lubo found a desperate situation in his village of Nyarweng – hunger, disease, and a literacy rate of less than 15%. His people longed for schooling for the children.
Lubo stayed in his village for months, teaching under the shade trees.
He returned to Charlotte with a mission in mind and driven by his conviction that “From Education Comes Wisdom, and From Wisdom, Peace.”
Lubo presented his idea to Phillips and together they committed to make his dream a reality.
They soon found an excellent 501c3 partner in Mothering Across Continents, developed a plan to build a school, and began telling the story.
Lubo shared his story with schools, churches, civic clubs, and individual donors all over Charlotte and the surrounding communities.
People who heard the story were inspired by the story of “The Lost Boys,” a story of hope and perserverance, a story that continues to this day
With the help of the in-country partner, World Relief, construction on a four-classroom building, teachers’ quarters, latrines, an office and storage began in 2012.
As South Sudan is the newest country in the world, the going was very slow. Patricia Shafer, Chief Catalyst of Mothering Across Continents, often equates it to “trying to build on the moon.”
One village elder described the building as “the first permanent structure in Nyarweng since the beginning of man.”
The school contstruction was completed in 2013, but much work is still needed to make the school effective and sustainable.
The school has improved markedly each year but when Lubo became the full time Country Director for Raising South Sudan in 2015, attendance and expectations took a major step forward.
At the end of the 2015 school year, the enrollment was 157 students. At the beginning of the 2016 school year in March, the number had swelled to 350 students!
The community, with its own labor and expense, is adding a pre-school to the campus.
The Nyarweng Primary School has become a model community school. Raising South Sudan supports two schools and children from three villages in Parieng County, Ruweng State, South Sudan.
Lubo is grateful for his friends in Charlotte.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about this project. To learn more or to help make the school truly GREAT, please visit Raising South Sudan at www.motheringacrosscontinents.org/RaisingSouthSudan.
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance columnist James K. Glassman includes Queens Road Small Cap Value in discussion of seven small-cap funds
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
by James K. Glassman
June 1, 2016 – Visit Queens Road Funds, download a prospectus, or view disclosures.
Queens Road Funds on theStreet.com
May 19, 2016 – Steve Scruggs, Portfolio Manager for the Queens Road Small Cap Value Fund, discussed value stocks with Gregg Greenberg of theStreet.com. Visit Queens Road Funds, download a prospectus, or view disclosures.
Right Moves for Youth
Wing Haven Gardens
Bragg Financial Teaches School
- Junior Achievement Finance Park – During a half-day seminar, twenty three Myers Park students explored the lessons of earning money, spending money wisely through budgeting, saving and investing money, using credit cautiously, and protecting one’s personal finances.
- Personal Finance Professional Development – Presented by the North Carolina Council on Economic Education, this program gave local teachers tools and lesson plans to help them teach financial literacy concepts to their students. As an added benefit, each teacher was given the opportunity to meet with a financial advisor to review their personal finances and get financial advice.
- Reading the Berenstain Bears to students at Druid Hills – On April 28, Bragg Financial celebrated Money Smart Week by reading the Berenstain Bears book, Trouble with Money, to four second-grade classes at Druid Hills Academy, just northeast of uptown Charlotte. The book incorporates lessons about sensible saving and spending with a cute story about the Bear family.The Bragg readers—Marta Brzozka, Mary Lou Daly, Ben Rose and Suzanne Wittebort—found their audiences were attentive and enthusiastic. When asked what they had learned from the reading, students had excellent answers, including, “You should save your money”; “Money is important. You use it to buy food and clothes”; “You can use money to help people” and even “Money isn’t everything.”After the readings, each child received a copy of the book, courtesy of Money Smart Week, generating wild excitement. Students were urged to bring the books home and read them with siblings and parents, “and pets,” added one eager student. Additional books were donated to the school for its annual pre-summer-break book give-away.
This information is believed to be accurate but should not be used as specific investment or tax advice. You should always consult your tax professional or other advisors before acting on the ideas presented here.
The Wall Street Journal Category Kings for Q1 2016
The Wall Street Journal
April 1, 2016 – The Wall Street Journal included the Queens Road Small Cap Value fund in its Category Kings listing of the ten best-performing funds in the small value category for the previous twelve-month period ending 03/31/16. Visit Queens Road Funds, download a prospectus, or view disclosures.
Charlotte Business Journal: Bragg Financial Advisors enjoys national spotlight
Charlotte Business Journal
by Hilary Burns
March 21, 2016
Charlotte Observer: Frank Bragg, Co-Founder of Right Moves for Youth, issues challenge grant that will dramatically increase students served.
The Charlotte Observer
by Mark Price
February 1, 2016
US News & World Report included the Queens Road Small Cap Value fund in a list of Best Fit Small Value mutual fund as of 01/31/2016.
US News & World Report
January 31, 2016 – Learn more about the methodology used. Visit Queens Road Funds or download a prospectus.
Zacks includes QRSVX as one of 4 strong-buy small-cap value mutual funds
by Zacks Equity Research
December 3, 2015 – Visit Queens Road Funds or download a prospectus.
Bragg Financial Advisors Sponsors Live WDAV Broadcast of Charlotte Lessons and Carols
November 24, 2015 – Bragg Financial Advisors is pleased to be the presenting sponsor for the eighth consecutive year of WDAV’s live broadcast of Charlotte Lessons & Carols. As our gift to the community, we hope you will join us for this perfect way to celebrate this joyful holiday season.
Bragg Financial Advisors is pleased to be the presenting sponsor for the eighth consecutive year of Charlotte Lessons & Carols. As our gift to the community, we hope you will join us for this perfect way to celebrate this joyful holiday season.
Charlotte Lessons & Carols is a live Christmas broadcast from St. John’s Baptist Church, 300 Hawthorne Lane at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8th. WDAV’s live holiday broadcast returns with another program of beloved carols and holiday music illuminated by scripture readings. David Tang once again directs the program with his chorus VOX joined by the Charlotte Contemporary Ensemble. Other performers include harpist Christine van Arsdale, pianist Joshua Barber, brass players from the Charlotte Symphony, and Catherine Hicks playing the magnificent Letourneau pipe organ in the St. John’s sanctuary.
If you plan to attend, please arrive and be seated by 6:45 p.m. for WDAV’s announcements and instructions on participating in a live broadcast. If you cannot attend this free event, you can listen live on WDAV (89.9 FM) or tune in for a re-broadcast Saturday, December 12th at 5:00 p.m., Christmas Eve at 7:00 p.m. or Christmas Day at 4:00 p.m. Please consult WDAV’s websitefor more information.
Bragg Financial is growing! Welcome Matt Devries
October 1, 2015 – Bragg Financial Advisors is pleased to announce that Matt Devries, CFA®, has joined the firm as a Portfolio Manager.
Matt is a portfolio manager and a member of the Investment Committee at Bragg Financial Advisors. Matt serves as an analyst for the Queens Road Small Cap Value fund which is managed by Bragg Financial. Prior to joining the Bragg team, Matt led the investment team at a large independent wealth management firm in Charlotte. He was responsible for investment research, asset allocation, and selection of client investments. Prior to that, Matt worked with an online brokerage firm, advising high net-worth clients on complex option trades.
Matt graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a double major, earning a BS in Business Administration and a BA in Political Science. He earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation in 2010.
Matt is married to Sara and has two young children. Matt was born in Iowa but spent his childhood growing up in Charlotte where his parents still live. Matt spends most of his free time with his children and cheering on his Tarheels. He is an active member of St. Matthew Catholic church and recruits a team every year for the Hopebuilders 5K to support the Levine Children’s Hospital. Matt also encourages everyone to join him in saving lives by donating blood with the Red Cross every two months.
Bragg Financial Welcomes Emily Rose Sheffield to Client Services Team
October 1, 2015 – Bragg Financial Advisors welcomes Emily Rose Sheffield to the firm as a Client Service Associate.
Emily Rose is a Client Service Associate for Bragg Financial Advisors. She comes to us from Wells Fargo Advisors where she served as a Registered Client Associate for nine years in the Private Client Group.
Emily Rose is a native of North Carolina and earned a BS from East Carolina University.
Emily Rose is married to Wes and both are enjoying being new parents to their son, Harris. She is a native Charlottean and enjoys spending time with her parents and two sisters who also live in Charlotte. In their free time, she and Wes enjoy traveling with friends and family, being outdoors, and are dedicated Carolina Panthers fans. Emily Rose is a member of Christ Episcopal Church, an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, the Heart Walk and the Ronald McDonald House, and a member of Good Friends of Charlotte.
Frank and Kathy Bragg host concert to benefit Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
September 19, 2015 – The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art opens its 2015-2016 Music and Museum season with a Living Room concert performed by cellist Amit Peled and pianist Stefan Petrov on Saturday, September 19. Click here to learn more and purchase tickets.
Charlotte Observer: Popular Charlotte artist, David French, credits Frank Bragg for giving him his first big break
Charlotte Observer
by Page Leggett
August 16, 2015
Charlotte Business Journal lists Bragg Financial Advisors as one of the top 20 largest financial asset managers in Charlotte
Charlotte Business Journal
by Amy Shapiro
July 17, 2015
Bragg Financial Welcomes New Team Member Stephanie Higgins
July 10, 2015 – Bragg Financial Advisors is pleased to announce that Stephanie Higgins has joined the firm as Assistant Office Manager.
Stephanie Higgins serves as Office Manager at Bragg Financial Advisors and is responsible for daily office operations. She is also a member of the Client Service Team.
Stephanie previously worked at an engineering firm and has over fifteen years of experience working in office management and client service roles.
Stephanie is married to Robert and has two children. Stephanie volunteers with the Autism and Alzheimer’s Association and is an active member of St. Matthews Catholic Church. She also serves as a tutor in the “Read a Book / Earn a Book” program at Druid Hills Academy. For fun, Stephanie loves mountain biking at the US National Whitewater Center, walking and swimming.
Financial Advisor Magazine includes Bragg Financial Advisors as one the top 200 largest RIA firms in the country
Financial Advisor Magazine
by Jeff Schlegel
July 1, 2015
Benton Bragg receives Scouting’s Silver Beaver Award
April 23, 2015 – The Silver Beaver Award is the highest recognition awarded to adult Scout volunteers within a local council. The award is given in recognition of volunteers of exceptional character who have provided distinguished service to youth through scouting.
Benton S. Bragg, CFA®, CFP® received the Silver Beaver Award from the Mecklenburg County Council of the Boy Scouts of America. The Silver Beaver Award is the highest recognition awarded to adult Scout volunteers within a local council. The award is given in recognition of volunteers of exceptional character who have provided distinguished service to youth through scouting. The Honorable Justice Paul Newby of the North Carolina Supreme Court gave the keynote address for the ceremony at Myers Park United Methodist Church.
Benton has served scouting in numerous positions on the Mecklenburg County Council Scout Executive Board. From 2011-2013, Benton served as President of the Mecklenburg County Scout Council, which serves nearly 12,000 youth and over 350 troops, crews, packs and posts in the scouting program. Over the last eight years, he has also served on the scout council’s audit committee, endowment committee, and has served as Vice President for Administration and Vice President of Finance.
The lessons learned in Scouting have been a very important part of the Bragg family since firm founder Frank Bragg earned his Eagle Scout rank in 1955. Frank served for many years as Scoutmaster of Troop 116 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte where sons Benton and John earned their Eagle Scout rank. Frank was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 2004, a national scouting recognition of his many years of service to scouting and the larger Charlotte community.
Today, the second and third generations of Bragg boys and girls are active in scouting with Troop 58 and Crew 58 in Davidson. John Bragg has served as the Scoutmaster of Troop 58 since 2009 and Benton and Phillips Bragg are active parents with their sons. Currently, there are seven Bragg children active in the scouting program. Carlton and Claude Bragg are in 7th grade and have both reached the rank of Star Scout and have recently been elected Patrol Leaders. Ben, Kirby and James Bragg are in 9th grade and are Life Scouts and working towards Eagle rank. Frank Bragg is the oldest of the family in 11th grade and is an Eagle Scout and is serving as Vice-President of Program for the co-ed Venture Crew for high school scouts. Finally, 8th-grader Martha Kate Bragg has just joined the Venture Crew and is excited to join her brothers and cousins on some high-adventure trips in the outdoors.
“Scouting and Troop 116 had a huge influence on my life growing up,” says Benton . “A lot of folks think that scouting is about a bunch of dads taking their sons camping.” To the contrary, scout troops are led by the boys. The boys elect their leaders and get to plan, organize and run the troop with guidance and advice from the adults. Boys are given lots of opportunities to try and fail and learn from their mistakes along the way. “Troop 116 gave me the opportunity to have some big adventures and a great time camping with my friends while learning how to be responsible for myself and my gear, how to plan and organize, and how to lead and serve others,” says Benton.
“The Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared” is ingrained in everything that we do at our company as we serve our clients and beyond,” says Benton. “I recall when I forgot my rain poncho on a backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail near Hot Springs, North Carolina. After hiking out six miles in the pouring rain, you can bet that I never, ever forgot my rain jacket again!”
“The Scout slogan of “do a good turn daily” has stuck with me as well as I look for ways to serve others through my work and in my community. I am thankful for all of the incredible scout volunteers that give their time to help shape, guide and mentor our youth of today so that they can grow up to be responsible men and women that serve their communities with these same strong scouting values.”
The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
The Boy Scout Oath
On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
The Boy Scout Law
A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent.
Charlotte Business Journal lists Bragg Financial Advisors as one of the top 10 largest financial planning firms in Charlotte
Charlotte Business Journal
by Amy Shapiro
April 17, 2015
Bragg Financial Goes to School
April 13, 2015 – When Bragg Financial portfolio manager Ben Rose arrives at work on Monday mornings after tutoring at Druid Hills Academy, he says he feels “refreshed. It puts a smile on my face for the rest of the day.”
When Bragg Financial portfolio manager Ben Rose arrives at work on Monday mornings after tutoring at Druid Hills Academy, he says he feels “refreshed. It puts a smile on my face for the rest of the day.”
Bragg Financial client service associate Marta Brzozka, portfolio managers Suzanne Wittebort and Ben Rose all tutor second-graders at Druid Hills, a high-needs K-8 public school located northeast of downtown Charlotte. “We fully support and encourage our Bragg team to go out and do good work in the community,” says Bragg Financial Advisors President Benton Bragg, CFA®, CFP®. “We are fortunate to live in a great civic-minded city like Charlotte and it is important that we do our part to serve others in our community. We support our folks taking time away from the office to serve on charity boards as well as serve others directly in programs like this valuable school partnership.”
The program, called “Read/Write/Serve,” aims to help students develop reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary and writing skills. The program is administered under a four-year-old partnership between Druid Hills and St. Peter’s Catholic Church, where Suzanne is a parishioner and serves on the urban education committee. Under the partnership, parishioners and friends support the students, families and teachers at Druid Hills through a range of initiatives. The Druid Hills “Read, Write, Serve” tutors from the partnership, including Ben, Marta and Suzanne, were nominated for the Charlotte Mayor’s Mentoring Alliance “Group Mentors of the Year” award in 2015. Another Bragg associate, client relationship manager George Climer, serves as a Learning Buddy to a student at Selwyn Elementary School.
The tutors agree that they feel they have benefitted from their experience as much or more than their pupils. Says Ben, “All the students are wonderful children, and the teachers and administration have been very welcoming.”
Marta says she particularly enjoys the immediacy of the one-on-one tutoring. “Working face-to-face with a child, you can feel how effective it is,” she says. Metrics evaluating tutoring programs at the school bear this out. Jean Miller, chairman of the St. Peter’s urban education committee, says, “Our partnership is grateful for the steadfast contribution and dedication of these volunteers. Bragg Financial has been generous in their support, and in creating a flexible work environment that allows volunteers time to invest in our students.”
The Sound of Everything Unveiled
January 9, 2015 – Commissioned by company founder Frank Bragg, the work is the largest in a series of Shaun Cassidy’s sculptures that attempt to create physical equivalents of musical sound and its emotional and associative resonances.
Bragg Financial Advisors, a family-owned wealth advisory firm, recently unveiled a new addition to Charlotte’s growing collection of public art. Shaun Cassidy’s latest large-scale sculpture entitled The Sound of Everything was installed in front of the Bragg Financial Advisors building at 1031 South Caldwell Street, located one block off Morehead Street near the Dowd YMCA.
Commissioned by company founder Frank Bragg, the work is the largest in a series of Cassidy’s new sculptures that attempt to create physical equivalents of musical sound and its emotional and associative resonances. The eighteen-foot-tall sculpture is constructed from steel and has a powder-coated surface. The soft silver-blue color was specifically chosen to make reference to the changing characteristics of the sky. On a gray day the sculpture looks blue, and on a blue sky day it appears to be more silver.
“The work is designed to take full advantage of the site which allows for views from all around the sculpture,” says artist Shaun Cassidy. “As you move around the sculpture, the form changes dramatically and new vertical negative spaces are created between the three vertical columns.” Cassidy described the project as “a brilliant experience because the client’s only request was that I make my best work. That openness of the project allowed me to build what I consider to be one of my most significant works, a work that is intended to be beautiful, challenging and spiritually uplifting.”
Bragg Financial Advisors has served Charlotte and the surrounding community for over 50 years, and currently manages over $1 billion for families and institutional clients. “We feel very fortunate to live in a great civic-minded city like Charlotte,” says Frank Bragg. “The wonderful growth of our firm over the years has gone hand-in-hand with the growth of Charlotte. Our family has long supported the visual and performing arts in Charlotte, and we are pleased to share this new piece of sculpture as our gift to the Charlotte community.”
Sculptor Shaun Cassidy is well known on the Charlotte public art scene. His sculptures can be seen in Charlotte at Fourth Ward Park, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, The Epicentre, Matthews Sportsplex, CATS Blue Line fencing and at Betty Rae Thomas Recreation Center. His work spans a diverse range of materials, processes and ideas. Shaun was named an Affiliate Artist at the McColl Center for Visual Arts from 2001-2002, and a CATS (Charlotte Area Transit System) sponsored artist-in-residence in 2006. He has completed numerous public art projects throughout the region and is currently working on new public art commissions for CATS and the Arts and Science Council in Charlotte.
Although Shaun has been living and creating art in the United States since 1991, he grew up and studied sculpture in England and in Canada, and worked as a studio assistant for Sir Anthony Caro in London. His work has been shown extensively, including exhibitions at Socrates Sculpture Park, New York, Grounds for Sculpture, New Jersey, and at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Marseille, France. His work has been featured in Sculpture Magazine, Art in America and the Wall Street Journal.
Shaun has been awarded artist residencies at over ten venues including the McDowell Colony, New Hampshire, Sculpture Space, New York, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Nebraska, and the Djerassi Resident Artist Program, California. He is a Professor of Fine Art at Winthrop University and is currently on the National Board of Directors of the McColl Center for Art and Innovation in Charlotte.
Frank Bragg honored as co-founder of Right Moves for Youth
November 14, 2014 – Twenty-five years. More than 30,000 children served. Hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours. Education. Community. Commitment. Change.
Twenty-five years. More than 30,000 children served. Hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours. Education. Community. Commitment. Change.
Right Moves for Youth held a special breakfast on November 14th to celebrate 25 years of serving at-risk youth in Charlotte. Community volunteer Frank Bragg, and Sgt. Dave Scheppegrell of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, were honored as co-founders of Right Moves for Youth.
The event was held at Myers Park Methodist Church and was attended by 200 friends, volunteers and supporters of the program. Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe was the keynote speaker and praised RMFY as the best crime prevention program in Charlotte. Dennis Nowicki was the Charlotte Police Chief in the early 1990’s and was an integral RMFY partner. He flew in from Chicago to surprise Frank and Dave by presenting them with plaques to recognize their hard work, dedication and commitment to serving under-privileged youth in Charlotte. Shaun Miller, President of Allon Development Group in Washington, D.C., was part of the Right Moves program at Lincoln Heights Elementary. He thanked Dave and Frank for everything they did through RMFY to keep him in school and on track to graduate and go to college.
History: In the late 1980’s Dave Scheppegrell was a school resource officer at Marie G. Davis Elementary School where he started the first boy’s club. Frank Bragg was board chair and a founder of Kids’ Repay, a juvenile restitution program. Working together Dave and Frank pooled their experience and knowledge and founded Right Moves for Youth in 1993. The idea quickly spread to dozens of schools and soon was serving over 1,000 students. The heart of the program was the strong partnership with Charlotte Mecklenburg School system, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, YMCA, Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, Charlotte Housing Authority and the community at large. The organization has been led by an able board of community leaders and a highly effective professional staff. Over the last 25 years, RMFY has served over 30,000 youth in our community.
Today: Right Moves for Youth serves over 1,500 kids at 26 school sites. With 10 schools on the waiting list for clubs, there is a great need for more financial and volunteer support. The mission is simple: provide the resources and guidance to help students graduate from high school with a plan for future success. RMFY works with the students to help them learn and practice new skills, give and receive peer support, develop positive relationships with adult mentors, and find new meaning in succeeding in school and graduating. The organization is led by board chair, Roger Cobb, and Tayuanee Dewberry, is celebrating 10 years with RMFY as the Executive Director.
If you would like to volunteer or offer financial support to Right Moves, contact Tayuanee at tdewberry@rightmovesforyouth.org.
Charlotte Business Journal quotes Benton Bragg regarding rebounding economy
Charlotte Business Journal
by CBJ Staff
September 13, 2013 – With a rebounding economy, what are financial advisers telling clients?
Charlotte Business Journal quotes Phillips Bragg regarding fiscal cliff
Charlotte Business Journal
by Laura Williams-Tracy
February 1, 2013 – The view from the cliff: Political brinksmanship brings little harm to realm of financial planning
Bloomberg News interviewed Steve Scruggs regarding recent spin-off of Ingeroll Rand security unit
Bloomberg News
by Brooke Sutherland & Lindsey Rupp
December 12, 2012 – Bloomberg News interviewed Steve Scruggs regarding recent spin-off of Ingeroll Rand security unit.
Charlotte Business Journal quotes Benton Bragg on Federal Reserve Chair Bernanke QE3 action
Charlotte Business Journal
by Adam O’Daniel, Finance Editor
September 13, 2012
Bragg Financial Welcomes Ben Rose!
September 5, 2012
Thomas Benjamin Rose, CFP® has joined Bragg Financial Advisors as a portfolio manager and a member of our investment committee. Ben brings 17 years of experience to our investment team in the area of research, securities analysis and investment strategy. Before joining Bragg Financial, Ben was a founding partner of Cygnus Asset Management, an affiliate of the Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network. At Cygnus, Ben chaired the investment committee and was lead portfolio manager. Prior to Cygnus, he spent eight years with Morgan Keegan as First Vice President. His areas of specialty included investment selection and research on mutual funds. Ben was a research analyst from 1998 to 2001 with IJL Wachovia, where his responsibilities included due diligence of institutional money managers that comprised the firm’s recommended list. He started in the securities business in 1995 with Smith Barney.
Ben graduated from Wake Forest University in 1992 with a BS in Business. He has earned the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) designations. Ben lives in Charlotte and is a volunteer at the Humane Society. We have known Ben for over 20 years as our time at Wake Forest overlapped and we think he will be a great addition to our Bragg Financial family. We look forward to introducing him to you the next time you are in the office for a review.
Bragg Financial has experienced steady and deliberate growth over the years. We feel very fortunate to live and work in the vibrant Charlotte community and especially to work closely with the wonderful people we call clients and friends. Our investment in technology and highly-qualified people has enabled us to build a firm that offers comprehensive investment planning and advice combined with the highest level of personal service. Click here for a brief reintroduction to our entire Bragg Financial family. We thank you for the opportunity to serve you in your financial planning and investment management needs. Please let us know whenever we can be of help to you and your family.
Benton Bragg comments on commodities as investment strategy
Charlotte Business Journal
by CBJ Staff
August 30, 2012
Adviser Finds Niche Conserving Land, Trimming Taxes
Dow Jones Newswires
by Daisy Maxey
July 30, 2012 – Market’s uncertainty and dreadful results test client skills of money-management firms.
The Ultimate Land Investors
Lake Norman Citizen
by John Deem
June 1, 2012
Benton Bragg quoted on the downfall of bank stocks
Charlotte Business Journal
by Laura Williams-Tracy , Contributing writer
February 3, 2012
Small Value Funds Sail Along
The Street
by Stan Luxenberg
October 21, 2010
Sudanese Refugee Works to Build School
Charlotte Observer
by Greg Lacour
July 25, 2010
Video Interview With Steve Scruggs: Look for Cash Flow in Small-Cap Stocks
Morningstar
by John Coumarianos
July 19, 2010 – Queens Road Funds manager Steve Scruggs looks for small-cap names that generate copious amounts of cash. Visit Queens Road Funds or download a prospectus.
A Lesson in Crisis Management
Charlotte Business Journal
by Laura Williams-Tracy
July 25, 2009 – Market’s uncertainty and dreadful results test client skills of money-management firms.
Cigar Butts and Moats: How to Implement a Buffett-Inspired Fund Strategy
Morningstar
by John Coumarianos
June 25, 2009 – Morningstar analyst recommends Bragg Financial Advisors’ Small Cap Value
Life is Good and Getting Better
Greater Charlotte Biz
by Janet Kropinak
April 30, 2009
Local Fund is Top Performer
Charlotte Observer
by Jen Aronoff
November 15, 2008 – Smaller loss for the year means big attention for Queens Road financial firm.
Managers, advisers divided about weighting insurance
Investment News
by Darla Mercado
August 25, 2008 – Some are buying, expecting a run-up; others stay far away. Quoting Steve Scruggs