Coordinated Financial Confidence
AdaptFirst – Tax and Investments is a holistic financial services company providing financial solutions for individuals and businesses. AdaptFirst focuses on tax preparation and planning, bookkeeping, financial planning, and investment management. These areas intertwine with one another, so it is important to consider them collectively.
With our tax department working together with our financial planning department, clients can have peace of mind their investment and tax plans are coordinated and aligned with their goals.
As a firm, we are committed to always following the law, always learning and improving, and always adapting to the financial landscape as it changes.
Our families rely on us to take care of them, and we are committed to take care of ALL of our clients as best we can.
Meet Our Team
Executive Team
Charles Freeman, CFA, EA
Charles bio here
Joe Wright, CPA, CGMA
Joe graduated with honors from Elon University with a degree in accounting and a minor in business administration. One of the top graduates of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, he passed the CPA exam on his first attempt. Joe possesses over 30 years of successful experience including public accounting and corporate management within the transportation, sales and service sectors and is a member of the AICPA.
Whether your company is a start-up, a continuing business or a well-established company looking at exit strategies, Joe has the experience to guide you through all the necessary steps. Joe manages and supervises the preparation of all individual and business income tax returns or forms and oversees all financial documents or statements before they are released to the client(s). Joe enjoys working with individuals to navigate the complicated tax law to ensure the best application for their particular circumstances.
Joe has been married for over 30 years to Debbie and enjoys time with their children and grandchildren. He is active in his church and is an avid Nascar and sports enthusiast.
Human Resources / Risk Management Consultant/ Financial Coach
Debbie Wright, RN RWCS
Debbie is a Registered Nurse by trade and worked in multiple fields of nursing for over 25 years. One of the areas she worked in was Worker’s Compensation where she interacted daily with employers, employees, insurance companies and attorneys on both sides of the table for 13 years. This sparked her interest in proactively assisting business owners to take care of the biggest assets they have, their people. In 2015, Debbie joined her husband to open Joe Wright CPA PLLC. Debbie interacts with small business owners assisting with Human Resource questions, providing Risk Management consulting and is one of the Ramsey Preferred Financial Coaches in the office.
Debbie has a passion for learning and assisting others in doing so. She has made the transition from nursing and caring for people to nursing and caring for businesses. The same processes used in nursing are used in identifying needs that her clients have and assisting in developing a plan to meet those needs. As a nurse she was a teacher, at Joe Wright CPA she serves as a teacher to staff and to clients of the knowledge she continues to develop in the business world.
Debbie is active alongside her husband, Joe in the business as well as their church. They have two grown sons whom they are proud of and five grandchildren that have stolen her heart. She enjoys reading and crafting.
Jennifer
Jennifer Bio
Tax & Accounting Team
Sr. Accountant
Sandra Kiger, CPA
Sandra M Kiger, CPA has worked in public accounting since she graduated with honors from Winsalm Business College with an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science with a concentration in accounting in 1979. She passed the CPA exam on her first attempt in 1982. Sandra is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accounts and an honored member of Who’s Who in American Accounting.
Sandra’s years of experience in all aspects of public accounting has given her the opportunity to provide business and tax advice to many long-standing clients who value her input. In addition to individual and business tax services, she has vast experience in training bookkeepers and business owners with the necessary skills to run their business on a day-to-day basis. She is dedicated and wholeheartedly finds fulfillment in serving the client’s needs.
Sandra obtained her 1st Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do in 2014. She enjoys church, spending time with her family, is a familiar face at the YMCA at 5:30 in the morning, and loves outdoor activities.
Operations Manager / Financial Coach
Tim Thomas
Accountant
Janavi Soni
Janavi Bio
Enrolled Agent
Tyler Rodriguez
William
William Bio
Dana
Dana Bio
Enrolled Agent
Luke Ash
George B
George B Bio
Sr. Accountant
Kristen Trask, CPA
Kristen is a 2003 graduate of North Carolina State University with a degree in Accounting. In 2005, Kristen earned her Master’s degree in Accounting Taxation from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Kristen’s career thus far has included roles in public accounting, controllership, internal audit and teaching. She enjoys working with small businesses to organize financial documents, understand what drives their business and then create their financial statements.
Kristen currently lives in the Charleston, SC area with her husband and three small children. In her limited free time, she enjoys running and going to the beach.
Human Resources Consultant
Karen Caines, MBA, SHRM-CP, PHR
Karen attended UNC-Chapel Hill and received a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Relations, where she found her passion for the field of human resources (HR). She shared her love of HR with others as she taught courses at the community college level and has worked as an HR leader in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors for over 25 years. Throughout her career, Karen has helped to advance the HR profession through national membership in the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and served as President of a local SHRM chapter where she was also named the chapter’s 2013 HR Professional of the Year.
Ms. Caines was bestowed one of 10 national, full-ride scholarships to the University of Phoenix in 2014 and attended grad school while working full-time. She graduated in 2016 with her Master’s of Business Administration degree.
In the community, Karen serves on local Executive Boards of a local high school’s PTSA and Choral Boosters Club. In her church, she actively serves on the Personnel Committee and sings on the Praise Team each week.
Consulting with small-to-medium sized business owners and helping them realize how the “people” side of the business impacts the financial success of the company is her specialty. Even though she stays busy, Karen finds time to devote to her loving husband who is a 5th grade science teacher and their beautiful, teenage daughter.
Financial Planning Team
George K
Investment Advisor Representative
Jared Gibbs
Jared Gibbs attended the University of North Carolina Greensboro, where he earned a BS in Finance. During college, he interned at multiple financial institutions, including Adaptfirst Investments, where he had hands-on training with the current Founder & President, Charles Freeman. After graduation, he continued his passion for helping others reach their financial goals by becoming a Mortgage Loan Officer and assisting clients in completing their dream of home ownership and financial freedom.
Whether you're on the brink of retirement or embarking on the journey of buying your first home while nurturing a growing family, he possesses the expertise to assist you in optimizing your objectives through tailored investment strategies, regardless of scale. Jared is dedicated to helping his clients lay the groundwork for their future by implementing meticulous financial planning strategies. He begins this process by conducting comprehensive assessments encompassing Financial Planning, Investments, Tax strategies, Protection strategies, and Estate Planning.
Accredited Asset management specialist
Ryan Gehsmann
Ryan began his career in the Financial Services Industry right out of college as an Advisor by diligently completing his licensing requirements. Ryan’s passion for helping others through wealth management and financial planning strategies led him to become an Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) through the College for Financial Planning in 2016.
Ryan’s objective is to help his clients save for their future in the most effective way possible through comprehensive financial planning strategies. He begins this process by discussing his client’s long and short-term goals and objectives, as well as their previous investment and financial experience. Through these comprehensive steps, Ryan can then form recommendations based upon the personal goals and values most important to his clients.
Investment Advisor Representative
Tristen Gadberry
One of the things that inspires Tristen is his never-ending desire to improve and constantly be better in life. Whether it’s being a better communicator, father, son, or competitor, there is no end to pursuing greatness. It’s with this passion that he coaches his clients to work towards their own personal definition of financial independence. Whether he is working with clients approaching retirement or others managing student loan and credit card debt, he approaches them with the same degree of specialized focus to find a plan that works towards their own success.
Tristen is passionate about golf, a game that has taught him integrity, sportsmanship, competitiveness and a work ethic that carried over into the everyday aspect of his professional career. When he’s not assisting clients, you can find him on the golf course, playing basketball, or spending time with his family at the beach.
Born and raised in Orange County, California, Tristen graduated from Cal State Fullerton University with a degree in business. He is an Investment Advisor Representative and holds his Series 65 registration. He also holds his Life and Health Insurance License and his Real Estate License.
Chartered Financial Consultant & Chartered Life Underwriter
Gregg Schlaudecker
Gregg Schlaudecker was born in Cleveland, Ohio on St Patrick's Day. After graduation, he served all over the globe as an US Army Air Defense Artillery officer. When active duty ended in 1990, he and his wife Susanne settled in Tacoma, Washington where Gregg began his financial planning career with John Hancock.
Conferred the Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Life Underwriter professional designations in 1993, he led the financial services department of a large property casualty brokerage in Cleveland. He went on to found his own financial consulting firm in 1996. He moved to Greensboro in 1998, where he continued his practice. Since 2005, his company, Emerald College Planning has focused on helping high school parents fund college expenses in the most efficient way possible; upper and middle-income families, whether eligible for financial aid or not, can employ a wealth of strategies to reduce their out-of-pocket costs. As past president and board member of the Greensboro Society of Financial Service Professionals, Gregg, his co-chairs and committee have grown a community network of hundreds who are dedicated to nurturing, recognizing and rewarding the highest ethical standards in central North Carolina.
Financial Services Certified Professional
James Byers
James Byers attended North Carolina A&T where he earned a BS in Accounting. Upon graduating, he started his career in financial services as a branch manager with Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo). However, Byers passion for helping people make well informed financial decisions lead him to pursue the financial specialist role in 2005.
Today Byers helps small businesses and families traverse the financially tumultuous road towards retirement. Byers has had the opportunity to learn from some of the sharpest minds in the financial services industry and takes the lifetime student approach to learning. His ability to connect with clients and their goals paired with his knack for making complex information digestible to any client is what people who work with him appreciate most about him.
Certified Financial Planner
Leslie Garner
Live Life in the Black® says Leslie Garner, CFP®, one of Piedmont’s assets when it comes to strategizing and managing one’s personal finances. A graduate of Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, Garner specialized in finance. Her clients include college professors, medical doctors, and even some struggling working students. Whether you’re about to retire or a first-time home buyer with a growing family, she can help you maximize your goals with a customized investment strategy, big and small.
Garner is a Certified Financial Planner™️ dedicated to helping individuals cultivate a wealthy mindset, that want to garner wealth and be benefactors within their own families and community. In 2017, Leslie Garner and James Byers officially formed an independent financial planning company. Together they are driven by one mission, to help families align sustainable habits with their financial goals.
Walt
Walt Bio
Administrative Team
Debra Gibson
Administrative Assistant
Madalyn Swaim
Administrative Assistant
