Our Team
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Charles Cooke, CFP®, CPFA®
President
Charles Cooke, CFP®, CPFA®
President
Since Charlie was a young boy, he always had an affinity for becoming a Tarheel. Both of his parents studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, so he grew up knowing one day he would follow in their footsteps. He admired them both, but in particular his father, who is now a retired periodontist after four decades. Initially, Charlie planned to become a dentist himself. He soon realized that he found the business classes at his parent’s alma mater far more fascinating than chemistry. He decided he could better serve the dentistry community as a financial advisor.
Before starting Cooke Capital in 2006, Charlie launched his financial career in New York with CF Global (formally known as TIR Securities) as an equity trader. After his days on the desk, he moved back to the Carolinas, with a tenure in Charlotte at Wachovia Securities (now Wells Fargo Securities) and then to Raleigh at Stern Agee.
Today, as Cooke Capital founder and wealth manager, he draws on his experience, education, and sincere concern for clients to provide comprehensive wealth management to dentists, business owners, entrepreneurs, individuals and families. His consultative approach to wealth management helps him and his team gain a deep understanding of clients’ goals and values, and provide customized financial and investment recommendations to help them achieve their objectives. Charlie finds it gratifying to know that he is setting people up for success. Indeed, he takes it personally. Their well-being is his mission.
Charlie and his family reside in Wilmington with an adventurous yellow lab named Delta, who loves to swim in any morsel of water she can find. Charlie himself is an avid fisherman who proudly caught his first blue marlin over Memorial Day weekend in 2018. He enjoys spending as much time outdoors as possible, probably due to his Eagle Scout background, and is known for his high-energy personality and love for golfing, hunting, traveling, paddle boarding and grilling out. He still has an affinity for his Tarheels.
Education and Certifications
- B.A., Economics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- CFP® Designation, Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc.
- CPFA® Certification, National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA)
- Series 7, 63, and 66 licenses
Memberships and Community Involvement
- Financial Planning Association
- Member of National Association of Plan Advisors
- Member, Military Affairs Committee, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro
- Volunteer, Supporter, NCDS Foundation Missions of Mercy
- Volunteer, Boys and Girls Club
- Volunteer, Boy Scouts of America
- Volunteer, The First Tee Greater Wilmington
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Haley Tolitsky, CFP®, CPFA®
Financial Planner
Haley Tolitsky, CFP®, CPFA®
Financial Planner
Haley encountered a real-world experience in financial planning shortly after she moved to North Carolina in 2018. She arrived ready to begin working with our firm, only to be greeted by Hurricane Florence two days later. Having survived the hurricane and a weeklong evacuation to the mountains, Haley said she realized just how important it is to establish an emergency savings fund—a lesson she is happy to share with our clients.
Haley’s passion is educating and motivating clients to achieve their goals and dreams through comprehensive financial planning, so they are able to live their most fulfilled lives with confidence and clarity. She focuses on financial empowerment, specifically for women and the next generation, and loves the opportunity to guide individuals to take charge of their financial lives. Haley also enjoys leading small business owners through the process of implementing the appropriate retirement plan and managing the 401(k)-participant experience for employees.
She is an active contributor for the North Carolina Dental Gazette, TheStreet’s Retirement Daily column and has been featured by several news outlets, including CNBC, InvestmentNews and Investor’s Business Daily. Haley has made it her mission to connect more females in finance and encourage other women to pursue a rewarding career in financial planning. She serves as a mentor for the CFP Board and Invest in Girls and founded the Financial Planning Association of the Triangle’s Women’s Initiative. Haley currently serves as the Communications Director for FPA of the Triangle and enjoys volunteering in her local community through Island Women.
Haley lives in Carolina Beach with her fiancée, Ryan, and rabbits, Lita and Squirt. When she is not helping our clients reach their financial goals, you can find Haley at the beach or gym.
Education and Certifications
- Bachelor of Business Administration with Honors, Finance, Grand Valley State University
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Certification
- Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor® Certification
- Series 7, Series 66, Life and Health Insurance Licenses
Memberships and Community Involvement
- Communications Director, Financial Planning Association of the Triangle
- Mentor, CFP Board Mentor Program
- Mentor, Invest in Girls
- Member, Island Women
- Member, Port City Young Professionals
- Member, National Association of Plan Advisors
- Graduate, Wilmington Chamber of Commerce Leadership Wilmington Program
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Kay Bragg
Registered Sales Assistant
Kay Bragg
Registered Sales Assistant
Kay entered into the financial services industry because she wanted a challenge. Twenty years later, she has more than proven she is up to any challenge the industry can deliver and is truly the gold key to our Goldsboro office. Here, Kay oversees all aspects of our client services, combining experience and empathy in helping our clients.
A registered sales assistant, Kay has a career that spans more than 20 years. She began as a wire operator, assisting multiple financial advisors, and started working with us more than 12 years ago. She has found the right fit in client services, as she finds the long-term relationships she builds with our clients the most gratifying aspect of her work.
A Goldsboro resident, Kay relishes her time with her husband, children, and grandchildren. She is a veteran skydiver—which she states was quite addicting—who now delights in painting landscapes and surf fishing.
Education and Certifications- Accounting/Bookkeeping, Mount Hood Community College
- Accounting/Bookkeeping, Wayne Community College
- Series 7 and 63 Securities Licenses
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Keisha Franzen
Associate Retirement Plan Advisor
Keisha Franzen
Associate Retirement Plan Advisor
Phone: (720) 822-5052 Email: kfranzen@afgllc.net
Keisha entered the financial industry in 2016. Her experience and focus have been directly with retirement services in all aspects. Driven by providing exceptional customer service, she has dedicated herself to making your journey to retirement as smooth as possible. Keisha’s role with us will benefit your retirement experience as a full-service point of contact. This accommodates her passion to share the knowledge and education of retirement planning from enrollment to retirement and everything in between for 401(k) participants and employers alike.
Recently, Keisha relocated from Colorado to Central Southwest Florida with her partner, Jet and their English Bulldog “Mr. Bebop”. In her free time, Keisha is an avid skydiver, involved with SIS (Sisters in Skydiving). Some of her other interests include traveling, live music, live comedy, experiencing new food/culture and visiting her family in Nebraska. Keisha is looking forward to becoming involved in her new community, as well as exploring all of the beaches Florida has to offer.
Certifications:
- Retirement Industry Trust Association (RITA) certification
- Series 65 - Uniform Investment Adviser Representative Exam (Pending)
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Amanda Reed
Sales Assistant
Amanda Reed
Sales Assistant
Amanda greatly enhanced our firm when she joined the Cooke Capital family nine years ago. Hers is the friendly face that greets you when you arrive at our Goldsboro office. One of the aspects of her job that she enjoys the most and excels in is preparing and completing paperwork. She admits it may sound strange, but her pleasure in the task has been a benefit to our clients and our firm. Since moving to North Carolina in 2009, she has helped make our client operations efficient and seamless.
Being a native of Vermont, Amanda earned her associate’s degree in baking and pastry from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. The organizational skills that she developed through her previous experience working in five-star restaurants has enhanced her performance in the financial industry.
An avid New England Patriots fan, Amanda enjoys football, attending sporting events, traveling, and camping with her husband, son, and daughter. If you need a good recipe, then ask the baker, because she is sure not to disappoint.
Education and Certifications- Associate of Arts, Baking & Pastry, Johnson & Wales University