Make responsible investing work for you.
Our team of Asheville and Charlotte financial advisors can help you invest stress-free. We’re with you to help handle financial transitions such as figuring out what to with inheritances, making responsible trusts, investment strategy, planning for a new house or building up your kids’ college funds.
Whether you need to do a “coffee meeting” video conference from the Midwest to discuss your portfolio, phone in from Massachusetts, or meet in person in our office in downtown Asheville, we’re happy to serve you.
Earth Equity Advisors By The Numbers
$75,000,000+
Client assets managed
22
States served
1
Central office in beautiful
Asheville, North Carolina
Meet Your Responsible Investment Team
Pete Krull
CEO and Director of Investments
Pete Krull, Asheville financial advisor, is the CEO and Director of Investments.
Read More About Pete
An outspoken advocate for the environment and social issues and a well-known figure in the green business community. Pete truly walks the walk, including owning a solar-powered house and driving a Chevy Bolt electric car.
After several years at Merrill Lynch, Pete founded Earth Equity Advisors (formerly Krull & Company) in 2004 with the intention of helping clients align their investments with their values.
Over that time, he has been quoted in the Washington Post, US News & World Report and several local publications. He has written a column for Valley Business FRONT in Virginia and Mountain Xpress in Asheville as well as being featured in numerous magazines, online articles and podcasts. He was selected as a 40-under-40 business leader by the Savannah Business Report & Journal in 2009.
He was selected to the 2018 Investopedia 100 list of the one hundred most influential financial advisors in America.
He has served his communities in a number of different roles over the years:
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- Chair of the board at MountainTrue, the premiere environmental non-profits in Western North Carolina
- Advisory Board of EarthShare Georgia
- Advisory Board of TEDx Asheville
- Board member at The Center for a Sustainable Coast
- Board Member at Hospice of the Golden Isles
- Board Member of Science Museum of Southwest Virginia
A native of Western New York, he lives in Asheville, NC with his wife, Dr. Melissa Booth, a microbiologist and author and two very spoiled cats, Savannah and Buster.
Neill Yelverton
Financial Advisor, CCO and COO
Neill Yelverton, Asheville financial advisors, is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer. He works with individuals, non-profits and businesses and is currently accepting select new clients.
Read More About Neill
Neill takes pride in helping families transition to a responsible investment portfolio. He specializes in NC retirement and can help clients navigate Social Security requirements. In addition, he finds his work with non-profits, especially those that have a social or environmental mission, very rewarding. He believes that by aligning the institution’s endowment or investments with its mission, it multiplies the impact of the institution. He works as an advocate for your mission and your finances.
“The realization that we vote, every single day, by the way we spend our dollars. Our spending fuels a giant economic engine from jobs, to logistics, to materials sourcing – what we buy affects the environment and touches hundreds of lives. And the flip side of that coin is — how we invest our retirement dollars has the same impact.” –Neill Yelverton
Prior to joining Earth Equity Advisors, Neill spent over a decade working in the environmental field. He completed his MBA at Western Carolina University with an independent study in Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in Business.
A native of North Carolina, Neill lives in Asheville with his wife, Cori, and their son, Ben.
Leesa Childress Sluder
Financial Advisor
Leesa Childress Sluder, Charlotte financial advisor, works with individuals, non-profits and businesses and is currently accepting new clients.
Read More About Leesa
Leesa has an extensive background in working with Fortune 500 executives, professionals, and small business owners. She joined Earth Equity Advisors in 2015 after serving as president and principal consultant of Triple Bottom Line Consulting. Prior to TBL, she spent time working for three major corporations: Citibank, Cone Mills Corporation, and Bank of America, among other things, as a Managing Director/Senior Vice President.
In her role with Earth Equity Advisors, Leesa draws upon the experience of over twenty-five years of corporate finance work, her Masters of Psychology degree, and seven years of professional consulting and coaching work with hundreds of clients. She helps clients to not only plan and invest, but to empower them to be positive changemakers through their investments. She strongly believes in the power of intentional investing and the impact it can have on the world.
Leesa and her husband Todd live at Lake Norman, but also enjoy spending time in her hometown of Asheville, NC.
Kerry Keihn
Associate Advisor & Director of Operations
Kerry Keihn is Earth Equity’s associate financial advisor and director of operations in the Asheville office.
Read More About Kerry
Kerry joined Earth Equity advisors after relocating from Northwestern Virginia. After several years in the nonprofit sector working with homeless individuals and families, she became interested in working for a socially responsible business. She was drawn to Earth Equity Advisor’s goal to empower investors, allowing them to evoke positive social and environmental change.
Kerry graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Drama. She is a huge fan of theater – from attending to acting, directing and designing productions. She enjoys hiking and says that she finds it peaceful and grounding. She is 2017 graduate of the Leadership Asheville program.
She lives in Asheville with her partner, Tyler, and their pup.
Our Principles
Going Beyond The Bottom Line
We believe in the importance of empowering people to be changemakers through responsible investing.
Our History
Changemakers in Fossil Fuel Free Investing
2004
Pete Krull had a vision: give investors an opportunity to invest with their values. He opened the doors of his new firm, Krull & Company, in Roanoke, VA.
2005-2015
As Krull & Company grew year over year, the firm’s clientele expanded beyond North Carolina and became recognized through its B Corp certification for outstanding service to clients and the community.
2010
Krull & Company’s responsible investment strategy is selected as a case study for the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing 2010 Report on Progress.
2011
Krull & Company’s central office was moved to Asheville, North Carolina.
2016-2017
In January 2017, Krull & Company, now a nationally-recognized firm, rebranded as Earth Equity Advisors to encompass its commitment beyond one person’s vision to the universal principle that all people deserve to invest in a way that’s true to their deepest values. They received the 2016 Best for the World Award, and 2017 Best for Community and Best for Customers Awards from B The Change.
Today
Earth Equity now serves clients in twenty-two states. As leaders in their community, Earth Equity offers an annual evening talk series that brings in sustainability thought leaders and authors from places like Patagonia, The Atlanta Hawks, CNN, Green Century, and Cradle to Cradle Institute. They received, for the third year in a row, the award for Best for the World B Corporation. In 2018, Pete was honored to be included in the Investopedia 100 list, recognizing him as one of the 100 most influential financial advisors in America.