John Maddison, CFA, CFP®, witnessed early on how trusted advice can bring peace of mind, watching his father guide families as their CPA. Today, as Head of Wealth Management and a Partner at Balentine, John carries that legacy forward—helping entrepreneurs, executives, and families simplify complexity and make confident decisions about their wealth.

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Having faced many of the same challenges his clients encounter—taking the leap to start something new, weighing outside investment, preparing for an exit, and planning for succession—John brings both perspective and empathy to his work. He and our partners built Balentine to serve clients who are navigating the business of entrepreneurship and the business of family, offering a comprehensive approach that connects financial strategy with personal purpose.

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Before joining Balentine in 2014, John spent much of his career in entrepreneurial environments. He helped launch a new industry vertical at Gerson Lehrman Group, a venture-backed technology company, and later joined the founding team of Royal Bank of Canada's digital bank serving Canadians in the United States. Those experiences continue to inform his approach today—combining innovation, discipline, and foresight to guide clients through every stage of wealth creation, preservation, and transition.

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John is a Chartered Financial Analyst and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ who has served two terms as president of the CFA Society North Carolina, where he was recognized as Volunteer of the Year. He serves on the YMCA of the Triangle’s Finance and Investment Committees as well as the Investment Committee for Christ Episcopal Church in Raleigh, NC. In addition, John has shared his insights as an occasional columnist for the Triangle Business Journal and is a past board member of the Center for Entrepreneurial Development. He's forever a Tar Heel who moonlights as a banjo player and serves on the Community Board of Band Together NC, a Raleigh nonprofit that uses the power of live music to raise over millions in support of local nonprofit organizations.

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Whether he’s guiding a founder through a liquidity event or helping a family formalize its legacy plan, John is driven by the same principle that inspired his career from the start: financial advice, when delivered with clarity and care, has the power to transform lives.

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