Kristian R. Pfeffer — Trust & Wealth Management

Professional Summary

Safeguarding what belongs to others

I am a Master of Trust and Wealth Management (MTWM) candidate at Campbell University — the nation's only graduate program of its kind — with advanced training in trust administration, fiduciary principles, estate and gift taxation, investment analysis, and wealth-transfer planning for high-net-worth individuals and families.

I combine six years as a U.S. Army officer accountable for $15M+ in assets with entrepreneurial success building a $2.2M first-year real estate practice. The through-line is a fiduciary mindset shaped by military stewardship: safeguarding what belongs to others, managing risk, and earning the trust of the people I serve. Trust administration, fiduciary service, estate and tax planning, and wealth transfer are that same promise, kept.

Master of Trust & Wealth Management

Campbell University · Lundy-Fetterman School of Business · Aug 2026

Investment Analysis
Advanced Income, Estate, Gift & Fiduciary Income Taxation
Fiduciary Principles
Advanced Estate Planning
Wealth Management Sales
Legal & Regulatory Issues (Regulation 9, Uniform Trust Code, Prudent Investor Act, OFAC/BSA-AML)

Credentials & Licensure

Certification pathways

CFP® — examination-eligible upon graduation
CTFA & ATFA — certification pathways
NC Real Estate Broker — active, issued 2020
B.A., Political Science & International Relations — Florida Atlantic University, 2014

Graduate Capstone — TRST 760

Comprehensive estate plan for a blended, high-net-worth family

For my capstone, I served as the estate-planning associate for a hypothetical blended family holding a diversified ~$60M estate — a residence and vacation property, operating farmland, closely-held and publicly-traded stock, and a valuable inherited collection — with competing objectives across two spouses, children from a prior marriage, a disabled beneficiary, and a charitable goal.

I drafted a full estate plan and delivered a formal memorandum and presentation, coordinating tax minimization with the family's personal wishes. Representative techniques applied:

Marital & credit-shelter planning — structuring the unlimited marital deduction and bypass trusts to defer and reduce federal estate tax across both spouses' estates.
QTIP trusts — providing lifetime benefit to the surviving spouse while directing remainder interests (the vacation home and family farm) to the children, per stirpes.
Special-needs planning — a third-party special-needs trust to provide for a disabled adult beneficiary without disqualifying her needs-based SSI benefits.
Charitable strategies — gifting highly-appreciated stock and an inherited collection to a university, weighing outright gifts against a charitable remainder trust for income-tax and capital-gains efficiency.
Basis & income-tax planning — leveraging the step-up in basis at death and analyzing dividend and rental income streams from the farm, closely-held stock, and rental property.
Liquidity & titling — payable-on-death designations for immediate spousal access, and correcting asset titling (tenancy by the entirety, JTWROS, tenancy in common) to align with the plan.

Full memorandum available on request.

Explore the Wealth Guide Explore the Estate Guide

Professional Experience

Leadership, accountability, and client trust

CEO & Co-Founder · Avant Garde Capital Realty, Fayetteville, NC 2020 — Present

Built a book of business from the ground up through client acquisition and referrals, guiding families through the largest financial transactions of their lives and closing $2.2M in sales volume in the first year.
Advise clients on asset valuation, market positioning, financing structures, and closing logistics — translating complex transactions into clear, actionable recommendations.
Manage the full client lifecycle: prospecting, needs discovery, onboarding, relationship management, retention, and referral development — the same prospect-pipeline dynamics at the core of wealth management sales.
Direct day-to-day operations including due diligence and compliance with state licensing, contract, and disclosure requirements.

U.S. Army Officer · 1-73 CAV & 407th BSB, 2BCT, 82nd Airborne Division 2015 — 2021

Company Executive Officer (Logistics)2018–2020

Accountable steward of 197 property lines valued at $15M+ — a fiduciary-style duty of care requiring meticulous documentation, account reviews, audits, and internal controls.
Recovered $250,000 in lost government equipment and reduced excess property by $166,000 by coaching leaders and rebuilding a culture of accountability.
Led 91 soldiers across 57 specialties supporting a 5,000-person brigade; maintained 95% readiness across 54 mission-essential vehicles.
Authored the battalion safety SOP still in use today — a risk-management framework with zero accidents following implementation.

Battalion Planning Assistant2018

Redesigned ammunition sourcing from push to pull, producing accurate forecasts and recapturing unexpended allocations — disciplined resource forecasting analogous to portfolio, asset allocation, and cash-flow planning.
Analyzed and planned 32 operations orders and coordinated 115 ranges in 5 months across 7 organizations.

Platoon Leader (Forward Operations, Mosul, Iraq)2017–2018

Accountable for $7M in equipment in a combat environment; sustained zero losses of personnel or property across 30 combat convoy operations.
Trained and advised 6 coalition brigades through key-leader engagements, building trusted relationships and influence across cultures and organizations.

Core Competencies

Areas of focus

Trust Administration & Fiduciary Principles Estate, Gift & Fiduciary Income Taxation Wealth Transfer Strategies Investment Analysis & Asset Allocation Retirement Planning (ERISA) Risk Management Regulatory Compliance (Reg 9, UTC, Prudent Investor Act, BSA/AML, KYC) Client Relationship Management Client Onboarding & Retention Business Development & Prospect Pipelines Asset Accountability & Audit Controls Team Leadership

Honors

Combat Action Badge Army Commendation Medal Army Achievement Medal Meritorious Unit Commendation

Off the Clock

The long game, on and off the course

The habits that make a good fiduciary — discipline, patience, and a tolerance for the long, unglamorous middle miles — are the same ones endurance sport demands. I've spent my life chasing finish lines the slow, earned way.

2011–2014Flanker (No. 7), NCAA Division I rugby — Florida Atlantic University

2017First marathon — the All American Marathon, home of the 82nd Airborne Division, Fayetteville & Fort Bragg, NC

2018First ultramarathon — the Weymouth Woods 50K trail run, Southern Pines, NC

OngoingRoad racing with the Cross Creek Cycling Club (C4) — including the Five-O Memorial Ride in Raleigh, benefiting law-enforcement causes

In trainingMy first IRONMAN 70.3 North Carolina — Wilmington

Kristian Pfeffer at flanker for Florida Atlantic University rugby, breaking with the ball — Flanker, No. 7 — NCAA Division I rugby, Florida Atlantic University.

Cross Creek Cycling Club riders at the Five-O Memorial Ride in Raleigh, North Carolina — With the Cross Creek Cycling Club at the Five-O Memorial Ride, Raleigh.

Wealth transfer is a distance event, too. The plan that matters isn't the one that looks fast off the start line — it's the one still standing at mile 26, and the one a family inherits at the finish.

Follow the training on Strava →

Off my feet, you'll find me deep in the archives of xkcd — smart, geeky, and reliably funny. Good company for a rest day.