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David Talley, CFP®, EA

Advice for the decisions that matter most

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Talley Wealth David Talley, CFP®, EA
Johnson City, TN

Serving Clients Nationwide

Advice for the decisions that matter most

423-617-0160

Website

Areas of Focus

  • Business Owners
  • Cash Flow
  • Equity Compensation Options
  • Estate Planning
  • Exit Planning
  • Inherited Wealth
  • Investment Management
  • Retirement Income Planning
  • Social Security Optimization
  • Tax-Efficient Planning
  • Taxes

About David Talley, CFP®, EA

Hi, I'm David Talley. I'm the founder and lead advisor at Talley Wealth.

I am responsible for the strategy, recommendations, and making sure the advice fits the client's real life.

Why I do this work.

The thing I see most often, and the thing that's hardest to watch, is successful people arriving at retirement without the kind of clarity they've earned. They've done the saving. They've made the right decisions for thirty years. And then they reach the chapter where all of that is supposed to turn into a life, and nobody has sat them down and shown them how.

So they guess. Some guess low and spend the next twenty years under-living their plan, and the kids inherit a pile of money in their late sixties that would have meant more in their forties. Others guess high and run out of room later. Both endings are avoidable. Neither is what I want for the people I work with.

What gets in the way, usually, is that the three pieces that matter most to retirement income, the plan, the investments, and the taxes, almost never get looked at together. Most of the industry lets the investments lead, hopes the math works, and treats tax as something to react to in April. That is a slightly better version of what a thoughtful person could do on their own, but not by much.

My work is the other way around. Start with the plan. Let the plan tell us what the investments need to do. Coordinate the tax strategy so it's a lever we use rather than a cost we absorb. That sequence sounds obvious when you say it. It's also genuinely rare.

That's the work. And that's why I do it.

How I think about the work.

The best advice is the kind that fits your actual life, not a template. That sounds like a truism, but in practice it means starting with questions before recommendations. What do you want this next chapter to feel like? What are you trying to protect? What would it mean to get this right, and what would it cost you to get it wrong?

Those aren't financial questions on the surface. But every number in your plan eventually answers one of them. My job is to hold both ends of that conversation at once: the human part and the math part. Then translate between them so the plan is something you actually understand, not something you have to trust blindly.

On paper, the work shows up as three credentials: CFP® for the planning, ChFC® for the strategy, and EA for representing clients before the IRS on tax.

How the work stays clear between meetings.

I am responsible for the strategy, recommendations, and whether the advice is right. But a good planning relationship is more than the meeting where advice is delivered. It includes the questions that come up later, the documents that need to be gathered, and the next steps that need to be clear.

That is where Stephenee's role matters. She helps clients know where to begin, what we need, and what is moving next, so the experience around the advice feels organized and responsive instead of scattered.

Life beyond work.

I'm a Johnson City native. Happiest with my wife Kaitlyn and our kids, usually somewhere outside if the weather allows, and almost always cheering for Tennessee football. I'm a scratch golfer on a good day and a mediocre one on a bad day. I read too much, learn something new every week, and try to be the kind of advisor I'd want my own family to have.

Professional Designations

  • CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ®
  • Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC)
  • Enrolled Agent (EA)

Primary Location

203 Broyles Dr, Suite 301, Johnson City, TN 37601

Video

Meeting Options

  • Video Conference
  • In-Person
  • Phone
Book Intro Call

Compensation Methods

  • Fee Based
  • Flat Fee
  • One-time Financial Plan
  • Percentage of Assets Managed

What to expect in the first meeting

Every relationship starts with a free 15-minute Explore Call. We'll talk through what's on your mind, confirm whether we're a good fit, and answer your first questions — no prep needed. If it makes sense to continue, we'll walk you through the next step, a Strategy Session where we surface opportunities and set priorities before building your plan. I look forward to speaking with you.

Offers Investment Management

Yes

Offers Tax Preparation

Yes

About Talley Wealth

Talley Wealth is an independent planning firm in Johnson City, Tennessee, built for people who want thoughtful advice, clearer decisions, and a financial life that feels less scattered.

We started this firm because we kept seeing successful people reach retirement, a business sale, or an inheritance with their plan, their investments, and their taxes handled by three different people who never talked to each other. We built our practice to bring those pieces together, on purpose, in the right order: the plan comes first, the investments calibrate to it, and tax strategy runs through it as a year-round lever rather than something to react to in April.

Who We Serve

We primarily work with entrepreneurs, business owners, executives, and pre-retirees throughout the Appalachian Highlands and Tri-Cities region, including Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol, as well as families in other states who prefer to work with us virtually.

Our Services

Our services include financial planning, tax strategy, retirement income planning, and investment management, delivered through our Keystone Method™ planning framework. Tax preparation is available through Talley Tax, and clients can start with a one-time financial plan or move into ongoing planning and investment management together.

Our Philosophy

We are independent — we aren't owned by a broker-dealer, a bank, or an insurance company — and pricing is explained before any engagement begins.

Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Cambridge and Talley Wealth are not affiliated.

Education

Tusculum University, Bachelor of Arts - BA, International Business & Government

Hobbies and Interests

  • Family
  • Football
  • Golf

SEC Lookup

View Disclosure

Who We Serve

  • Business Owners
  • Corporate Executives
  • Dual Income Family
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Families
  • Gen X
  • Intergenerational Families
  • Living in Retirement

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