Neal Carlson, CFP®
We Serve as the Chief Financial Officer to Families | Fee-Only | Fiduciary
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Serving Clients Nationwide
We Serve as the Chief Financial Officer to Families | Fee-Only | Fiduciary
Areas of Focus
- Business Owners
- Estate Planning
- Financial Planning
- High Net Worth
- Insurance
- Investment Management
- Legacy Planning
- Multi-Generational Wealth
About Neal Carlson, CFP®
Hi, I'm Neal Carlson, Founder and Managing Director of Forthright Family Wealth.I graduated from the US Military Academy, West Point with a BS degree in mathematical economics, and a double major in art, philosophy, and literature. Commissioned into the US Army Corps of Engineers, I served for five years as a combat engineer, with a tour in Bosnia-Herzegovina. My final assignment as a captain was as a special aide and speechwriter for the general officer commanding the US Army's III Corps. I was honored to have the opportunity to serve, particularly at various levels, with increasing responsibilities. There are no finer people than soldiers, and to be one of them, to lead them, was such an exceptional, humbling experience.
I returned to Houston, where I graduated from Rice University with an MBA and developed a keen interest in both entrepreneurship and wealth management. I joined Goldman Sachs, where I spent my first nine years building my advisory practice, tailored towards the unique needs of wealthy families. My team later joined Credit Suisse, and upon that firm's exit of their US-based private bank, my team and I transitioned with several other teams to Wells Fargo's private bank.
Having had the opportunity to advise families on the full spectrum of their wealth management for over twelve years – from Goldman Sachs to Credit Suisse to Wells Fargo, I kept hearing from my clients their desire for more clarity, empathy, and independence, with minimal selling and zero conflicts. This led me to found Forthright Family Wealth – a fee-only, fiduciary firm.
As their Family CFO, my team and I serve our clients as fiduciaries, guiding them with clarity and purpose, unencumbered by conflicts. We help our clients build, manage, protect, and transition their wealth. We assist our clients in mitigating the existential risks to wealth that worry them. We help our clients fulfill their promises to themselves and future generations.
My wife Kristen and I live in the Memorial area of Houston, with our two daughters.
Professional Designations
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ®
Affiliations
- National Association of Personal Financial Advisors
Primary Location
825 Town & Country Ln, Houston, TX 77024, USA
Meeting Options
- Video Conference
- In-Person
- Phone
Compensation Methods
- Fee Only
- Percentage of Assets Managed
What to expect in the first meeting
Click the 'Contact Me' button to get in touch or visit our website and reach out to schedule an introductory conversation. We'll get to know each other and I'll listen to understand your unique circumstances so we can determine the best way to proceed. I look forward to speaking with you.Offers Investment Management
Yes
About Forthright Family Wealth
Forthright Family Wealth is an independent, fee-only registered investment adviser that has served clients as their Family CFO since 2019.Our Philosophy
Our clients seek purpose and direction, quality advice and navigation, a safe harbor for their wealth, a successful journey, and a long-lasting legacy. As their Family CFO, we serve as fiduciaries, guiding our clients with clarity and purpose. We help our clients build, manage, protect, and transition their wealth, and we help them mitigate the existential risks to wealth that worry them. Our evidence-based investment approach is grounded in economic theory and backed by decades of empirical research — clear, understandable, and objective.
Who We Serve
We work with high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, foundations, and businesses, and other institutions on all aspects of their wealth management.
Our Services
We help clients simplify and structure the ways they access money, including customized credit solutions, and we help clients navigate and rigorously defend against the existential risks to their wealth. We are deeply committed to the discovery, development, implementation, and management of each client's private wealth plan — beginning by actively listening to understand each family's unique situation, then studying, testing, analyzing, and modeling planning strategies to meet their goals.
Investment advisory services are offered through Forthright Family Wealth Advisory LLC, a registered investment adviser with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
Education
Rice University, Master of Business Administration | United States Military Academy at West Point, Bachelor of Science, Mathematical Economics
Hobbies and Interests
- Family
SEC Lookup
View DisclosureWho We Serve
- Baby Boomers
- Business Owners
- Corporate Executives
- Entrepreneurs
- Families
- Gen X
- High Net Worth
- Intergenerational Families
- Investors
- Living in Retirement
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