Nick Murphy, CFP®
Tax-forward retirement & business-exit planning | Fee-only fiduciary
Wealthtender Community Connect helps people discover the best financial advisors for their individual needs through their favorite blogs and podcasts.
Click Here to Learn More
Serving Clients Nationwide
Tax-forward retirement & business-exit planning | Fee-only fiduciary
Areas of Focus
- Business Transitions
- Financial Life Planning
- High Net Worth
- Investment Management
- Medicare / IRMAA Planning
- Retirement Income Planning
- Roth Conversion Strategies
- Social Security Optimization
- Tax-Aware Retirement Income Coordination
- Tax-Efficient Planning
- Tax-Smart Distribution Planning
- Withdrawal Sequencing
About Nick Murphy, CFP®
Here's something I've learned in more than twenty years of doing this work: the people sitting across from me are rarely worried about a number. They've done the hard part; they built the wealth. The real questions are quieter, and they usually surface when no one else is around. Did I do enough? Will it last? Am I about to make a mistake I can't undo?I've come to believe that accumulating wealth was never the point. Wealth is a tool, meant to serve whatever purpose your life is actually about. Until you understand that purpose, no portfolio can be managed well, because you don't yet know what it's for. Helping people find that answer, and then build everything around it, is the most meaningful work I do.
That belief shaped Counterweight Private Wealth, the fee-only, fiduciary firm I founded in 2021 to help executives, business owners, and professionals navigate the tax and income decisions of the retirement transition. I've been a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional since 2006, and I built our firm to be an independent fiduciary from day one. To me it's not a business model so much as an obligation, the only honest way I know to sit on the same side of the table as the people who trust us.
What I love most is what comes after: the deep, years-long relationships we build with entrepreneurs, executives, medical and dental professionals, business owners, retirees, and widows. Different lives, one common thread, a desire to use their wealth to take care of the people and communities they love.
First and foremost, though, I'm a husband and a father. My wife Dru and I met as college sweethearts at Campbell University and have been married over 24 years. Our three kids, Carter, Landon, and Ansley, challenge me, humble me, and love me unconditionally. If I accomplish nothing else in this life, I hope to leave a legacy through them of humility, kindness, and perseverance, with a servant's heart (and maybe a healthy dose of humor as well).
I grew up on the eastern shore of Maryland, where my love for boating, fishing, and the outdoors developed early. While I'm only a mediocre fisherman (and probably a worse hunter) my downtime is spent outside, still chasing a lifelong dream of becoming a professional hunting and fishing guide. These days Raleigh, NC is home, and has been for over 20 years, with a yellow lab named Roscoe overseeing it all.
If you're approaching one of those big transitions and desire a team with deep expertise, proactive strategies, and a stewardship mindset, I'd welcome a conversation.
Professional Designations
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ®
Affiliations
- National Association of Personal Financial Advisors
Primary Location
Raleigh, NC
Video
Meeting Options
- Video Conference
- In-Person
- Phone
Compensation Methods
- Fee Only
- Flat Fee
- Percentage of Assets Managed
What to expect in the first meeting
Since our culture is deeply rooted in relationships, we will first go through an intentional discovery process allowing all parties to feel confident we are the right fit, prior to moving forward with any formal engagement.Offers Investment Management
Yes
Offers Tax Preparation
Yes
About Counterweight Private Wealth
Counterweight Private Wealth is an independent, fee-only fiduciary wealth management firm based in Raleigh and Wilmington, NC, serving clients virtually nationwide. Founded in 2021 by Nick Murphy, CFP®, the firm specializes in tax-forward retirement and business-exit planning, helping executives, business owners, and professionals turn decades of accumulated wealth into a tax-efficient, purpose-driven retirement. Counterweight is one of the few advisory firms that prepares client tax returns in-house, allowing deep integrated tax planning strategies for lifetime tax optimization to be directly implemented with precision into the financial plan. Clients typically range from $2 million to $30 million or more in investable assets.Who We Serve
Our clients are successful individuals and families in the later stages of their careers who desire a collaborative partner to help them transition through significant professional and personal milestones.
We typically partner with clients who have $2 million or more in investment assets, a threshold that reflects the level of complexity where our deep, tax-integrated planning and wealth management approach delivers the most value. Most of the families we serve generally have between $2.5 million and $30 million or more in assets, and are often navigating retirement transitions, business sales, or other major financial milestones.
Our Services
Our team provides expertise in the areas of Retirement Planning, Investment Management, Tax Planning, Business Succession Planning, Sudden or Inherited Wealth, Legacy and Philanthropic Planning, Executive Compensation Strategies, and Social Security Income Strategies.
Our Philosophy
The name Counterweight symbolizes our firm's commitment to providing balance and stability for our clients' financial lives. Just as a counterweight serves to balance and stabilize a scale or other mechanism, we strive to act as a balancing force for our clients, helping them navigate life's financial complexities and challenges. By serving as your counterweight, we help you find equilibrium between your short-term needs and long-term aspirations, ensuring that your wealth works in harmony with your core values.
Counterweight Private Wealth is a fee-only, fiduciary advisory firm, which means the only compensation we receive comes directly from our clients. We do not receive any commissions, "kickbacks" or other compensation from any other entities. We feel this structure provides the most transparent and objective way of aligning our interests directly with you, the client.
Investment advisory services are offered through Counterweight Private Wealth, a registered investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Education
Campbell University, Master of Business Administration | Campbell University, Bachelor of Business Administration | Duke University, Executive Certificate in Certified Financial Planning
Hobbies and Interests
- Boating
- Church
- Family
- Fishing
- Football
- Hunting
- Traveling
- Volunteering
- Working Out
SEC Lookup
View DisclosureWho We Serve
- Baby Boomers
- Business Owners
- Corporate Executives
- Dual Income Family
- Entrepreneurs
- Families
- Gen X
- Healthcare Professionals
- High Net Worth
- Living in Retirement
- Physicians
- Widow
Wealthtender® is a trusted, independent financial directory and educational resource governed by our strict Editorial Policy, Integrity Standards, and Terms of Use. While we receive compensation from featured professionals (a natural conflict of interest), we always operate with integrity and transparency to earn your trust. Wealthtender is not a client of these providers. Testimonials may not be representative of other clients’ experiences and do not guarantee future performance or success.
Write a Review
By clicking submit, you acknowledge this review is based on your own experience and reflects your genuine opinion. You also agree to our review policy, privacy policy, and terms and conditions, and give this financial advisor permission to publicly display your review on their website.
5 Stars
5 Stars
5 Stars
5 Stars
5 Stars
5 Stars
5 Stars
5 Stars
5 Stars
5 Stars
5 Stars
5 Stars
5 Stars
5 Stars
5 Stars
5 Stars
We Want Your Voice to be Heard
Wealthtender exists to help people discover trusted and authentic financial professionals and educators who may be a good fit based on their unique needs and circumstances.
Your honest reviews help people decide which financial professionals and educators may be best suited to their individual needs.
The majority of people trust reviews as much as personal recommendations, so what you write in your review should reflect your own opinion and experience.
Tips for Writing a Helpful Review
Be descriptive. Instead of just saying what you like or dislike, share why. What have you enjoyed most or least about your experience with the provider? Have they helped you overcome a difficult financial challenge or strengthened your knowledge about particular money matters? The more details, the better!
Be honest. Your rating and review should reflect your actual experience.
Stay relevant. Ensure your review is helpful to others by avoiding off-topic discussions or personal opinions not relevant to your direct experience.
Make your review easy to read. Reviews should be readable to others. Use proper grammar, avoid excessive capitalization or punctuation, and be sure to check your spelling.
Be yourself. Don’t post as, or pretend to be, someone else, and do not say you’re associated with a person or organization with which you are not.
Be nice. Don’t write abusive, hateful, threatening, or harassing content. Avoid personal threats, hate speech, obscenities, or inflammatory language.
Respect the privacy of others. Don’t post information that can be used to identify another individual or compromise their privacy.
Report abuse. Thank you for helping us ensure reviews on Wealthtender are helpful to everyone. If you suspect possible violations of our guidelines or believe a review is inappropriate, please email support@wealthtender.com with a link to the provider’s profile, indicating the review in question and the reason you believe it violates our guidelines.
Disclaimers
Wealthtender reserves the right to remove reviews that violate its guidelines and/or regulations issued by the Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA, and other regulatory agencies. Further, financial advisors are subject to individual firm policies and rules prescribed by federal and state regulators that may result in reviews being removed, not published, or potentially modified upon the documented request submitted by an advisor, compliance officer, or other firm professional to maintain compliance with federal and state regulations.
If you submit a review on Wealthtender, the Federal Trade Commission has issued guidance to ensure you always maintain the right and ability to request reviews be removed from any online review website, including Wealthtender. To request the removal of a review you submitted on Wealthtender, please send an email to support@wealthtender.com using the same email address you utilized when submitting the review. Please include in your email a link to the profile on Wealthtender where your review is published.
In addition to your review being published on Wealthtender, you acknowledge your review may also be published by your financial advisor on their website, social media accounts, and/or profile pages on other directory websites.
The reviews posted on Wealthtender are individual and subjective opinions. The opinions expressed in reviews are those of the reviewer and not of Wealthtender, Inc. Wealthtender does not endorse any of the opinions expressed by reviewers.
Please refer to the Wealthtender terms of service and privacy policy for additional information.
If you have questions or if we can assist with anything at all, please contact us by email at support@wealthtender.com or call us at (512) 540 – 3811.
Thank you for visiting Wealthtender and giving us the opportunity to serve you.
© 2026 Wealthtender, Inc.
