As a financial professional, my philosophy centers on understanding your individual needs and aspirations. To craft personalized services that align perfectly with your financial goals, I prioritize building a strong client-advisor relationship. Before diving into potential solutions for you and your family, I take the time to get to know you on a deeper level. Likewise, I encourage you to learn more about me, fostering a foundation of mutual comfort and trust.

Learn more about me

My services encompass comprehensive financial planning, catering to individuals, families, and business owners. I specialize in developing tax-advantaged wealth accumulation strategies, all while mitigating both short and long-term risks that might impact your cash flow. My conversations with clients revolve around creating a long-term financial roadmap that incorporates investment management, risk mitigation strategies, and tax-efficient savings plans.

With years of experience in the financial services industry, I embarked on my financial planning journey at Citigroup in 2014. Before that, I gained valuable knowledge during my time as a consultant with Nylife Securities Inc. Currently, I'm proud to be affiliated with Citigroup, where I continue to deliver exceptional financial guidance and support.

My dedication lies in helping you achieve your financial dreams, providing innovative solutions meticulously tailored to your unique circumstances. Together, we'll navigate the intricacies of finance and work towards securing your financial future with unwavering confidence.

New to investing?

Start by reviewing some of the basics. As you define your goals and assess your attitude toward risk, ask me for help with clarifying your investment choices.

Investing basics

Investing is about seeking to grow your money in order to pursue your goals. There's a variety of ways to invest, and several fundamental — and related — factors to keep in mind. It's also important to note that investing involves the risk of losing money.

											Risk vs. reward
											Over time, more aggressive investments like stock have generally brought higher returns — but with a greater chance of losing money.
										

The advantage of time

If you start investing at a young age, you may have more time to potentially grow your investments and a greater opportunity to ride out a market downturn.

Diversification

Putting your money in different types of investments can help manage risk.

Types of investments

We offer a full range of investments, including: stocks and bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and managed portfolios.

Generally, stocks have the highest risk/return potential, and bonds (fixed income investments) the lowest.

											Stocks and bonds
											Stocks: An ownership stake in a company.
Bonds: Money loaned to a company or government that agrees to pay you back.
										

Mutual funds

Professionally managed investments that pool money from a large number of investors to purchase a combination of stocks, bonds and/or other securities.

ETFs

Collections of securities that can be bought and sold throughout the day and can offer tax benefits, greater diversification and lower costs to investors.

Managed portfolios

Recommended investment strategies, with portfolios built, monitored and rebalanced by investment professionals.

Real Estate

Investing in property or land to generate returns through rent or capital appreciation.

Carbon Energy

Investments in traditional energy sources such as oil, gas, and coal, which can offer high returns but carry environmental risks.

Hedge Fund

Private funds that use a range of strategies, including leverage and short-selling, to achieve higher returns for high-net-worth investors.

Precious metals

Investments in commodities like gold, silver, and platinum, which are often seen as a hedge against inflation or currency devaluation.

Your particular investing needs

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to investing. How you invest will be driven by your goals, time horizon, liquidity needs and risk tolerance. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you begin to think about investing.

											What are you investing for?
											A well-defined goal — like deciding how much you'll need in retirement — is the first step in determining what it might take to achieve your objective.
										

What is your time horizon?

If you're saving for a longer-term goal such as retirement, you may be able to be more aggressive than if you're saving for a shorter-term goal like a home purchase.

What are your liquidity needs?

It's essential to know how much cash you might need at a given point, and how easily you could convert an asset into cash without potentially incurring a loss.

What is your risk tolerance?

What amount of risk would you be comfortable taking in pursuit of potentially higher returns?

														Over time, more aggressive investments like stock have generally brought higher returns — but with a greater chance of losing money.
													

														If you start investing at a young age, you may have more time to potentially grow your investments and a greater opportunity to ride out a market downturn.
													

Putting your money in different types of investments can help manage risk.

														Stocks: An ownership stake in a company.
Bonds: Money loaned to a company or government that agrees to pay you back.
													

														Professionally managed investments that pool money from a large number of investors to purchase a combination of stocks, bonds and /or other securities.
													

														Collections of securities that can be bought and sold throughout the day and can offer tax benefits, greater diversification and lower costs to investors.
													

														Recommended investment strategies, with portfolios built, monitored and rebalanced by investment professionals.
													

														Investing in property or land to generate returns through rent or capital appreciation.
													

														Investments in traditional energy sources such as oil, gas, and coal, which can offer high returns but carry environmental risks.
													

														Private funds that use a range of strategies, including leverage and short-selling, to achieve higher returns for high-net-worth investors.
													

														Investments in commodities like gold, silver, and platinum, which are often seen as a hedge against inflation or currency devaluation.
													

														A well-defined goal — like deciding how much you'll need in retirement — is the first step in determining what it might take to achieve your objective.
													

														If you're saving for a longer-term goal such as retirement, you may be able to be more aggressive than if you're saving for a shorter-term goal like a home purchase.
													

														It's essential to know how much cash you might need at a given point, and how easily you could convert an asset into cash without potentially incurring a loss.
													

														What amount of risk would you be comfortable taking in pursuit of potentially higher returns?
													

Let's get started

Use our tools to help clarify your needs and find out where you stand.

														
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Preferred Rewards

Enjoy real benefits and rewards on your investing account balances. And as your balances grow, so do your benefits.

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Keep it together

Link your investing and bank accounts to view and manage your money online and on your mobile device. With just one login, you can transfer funds instantly between your accounts.Footnote ¹

What do you care about most?

Invest for the priorities that matter most to you. Get resources, tools and solutions aligned to your financial goals.

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Invest for what matters most to you: Get resources, tools & solutions aligned to your financial goals

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Take care of family & loved ones

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Finances

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Health

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Strategies for every stage of your career

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FAQs

What is a Financial Solutions Advisor?

Financial Solutions Advisors are licensed investment professionals from. They're ready to offer advice and guidance to help you pursue your financial goals.

What services do Financial Solutions Advisors provide?

A Financial Solutions Advisor can provide a recommended investment strategy/managed portfolio through as well as access solutions for cash management, savings, credit, lending.

How should I prepare for my meeting with a Financial Solutions Advisor?

To get the most out of the meeting, you should be prepared to answer questions about what's going on in your life today and your goals for the future. The more you're able to share, the more effective the Financial Solutions Advisor can be in recommending investment choices. It would also be helpful to have relevant documents handy, such as: income statements (W-2 forms, pay stubs, tax documents), bank statements, investment statements, 401(k) statements and a list of your monthly expenses.

How do I get on track and stay on track with help from a Financial Solutions Advisor?

You'll have periodic reviews with a Financial Solutions Advisor. You'll also be able to view your progress any time online with you own personalized dashboard. Of course, you can always reach out if you have questions or need specific advice and guidance.

Certain banking and brokerage accounts may be ineligible for real-time money movement, including but not limited to transfers to/from bank IRAs (CD, Money Market), 529s, Advantage SafeBalance Banking™, Credit Cards and transfers from IRAs, Loans (HELOC, LOC, Mortgage) and accounts held in the military bank. Accounts eligible for real-time transfers will be displayed online in the to/from drop down menu on the transfer screen.
To enroll in the Preferred Rewards program you must have an active, eligible personal checking account and maintain the balance required for one of the balance tiers in your combined qualifying deposit accounts (such as checking, savings, certificate of deposit) and/or your investment accounts (such as Cash Management Accounts, 529 Plans). You can satisfy the combined balance requirement for enrollment with either:
1. i. a three-month combined average daily balance in your qualifying deposit and investment accounts or
2. ii. a current combined balance, provided that you enroll at the time you open your first eligible personal checking account and satisfy the balance requirement at the end of at least one day within 30 days of opening that account.
You must have a qualifying balance of at least $20,000 for the Gold tier, $50,000 for the Platinum tier, $100,000 for the Platinum Honors tier, $1,000,000 for the Diamond tier and $10,000,000 for the Diamond Honors tier. Private Bank clients qualify to enroll in the Diamond tier, and may qualify for the Diamond Honors tier based on their qualifying Bank balances. Refer to your broker for details on accounts that qualify towards the combined balance calculation and receive program benefits. Eligibility to enroll is generally available three or more business days after the end of the calendar month in which you satisfy the requirements. Benefits become effective within 30 days of your enrollment, or for new accounts within 30 days of account opening, unless we indicate otherwise. Certain benefits are also available without enrolling in Preferred Rewards if you satisfy balance and other requirements. For details on employee qualification requirements, please talk to your Financial Adviser for details.

Karen Mae Wilson is licensed to do business in: CA, FL, GA, NC, NY, SC, TN, TX

Supervisory Office620 S Tryon St
Charlotte, NC 28202 980.386.2406

Karen Mae Wilson, CPA, NISM, CFA, Series 7, ChFC™

New to investing?