Responsible Investing Experts Here to Help You!
Our experienced team is here to help you make the transition to a fossil-fuel free, sustainable, responsible, and impact investment portfolio. For the last fifteen years, we have walked our clients through the process of divesting from polluting and irresponsible companies and reinvesting in more solutions-based, progressive, and forward-thinking alternatives.
Let us be your guide as you take control of your inheritance or trust, plan for a fulfilling retirement, craft your charitable gifting plan or get ready for that year traveling through Europe. We are uniquely qualified to both help you with your core financial decisions AND your desire to invest in a more sustainable way.
Whether you prefer to do a “coffee meeting” video conference from Portland, a phone call from Boston, or an in-person meeting in our Asheville office, we’re honored and excited to help you align your investments with your values!
Earth Equity Advisors By The Numbers
$150,000,000+
assets managed as of June 1, 2022
22
states our clients call home
1
office located in beautiful Asheville, NC
“I switched my entire portfolio 10 years ago after researching many socially conscious investors. Pete Krull and the whole team at Earth Equity not only invested the way and direction I wanted to go but I have also done very well with them .. I would highly recommend this company and I have been investing for years” – Jeri D
This testimonial was provided by a current client on July 24, 2019. The client was not compensated, nor are there material conflicts of interest that would affect the given testimony. The testimony may not be representative of the experience of other current clients and does not provide a guarantee of future performance success or similar services.
Meet Your Team of Sustainable, Responsible, and Impact Investing Experts
Peter Krull, CSRIC®
Partner & Director of Sustainable Investments
Pete Krull focuses on creating and managing Earth Equity’s sustainable, responsible and impact investment portfolios as well as writing thought leadership pieces and sharing the responsible investing story.
Read More About Pete
Pete Krull is a well-known leader in the green business community and a long-time advocate for fossil-fuel-free and sustainable, responsible, and impact (SRI) investing.
He began his investment career at Merrill Lynch in 1998 where he earned the firm’s Certified Financial Manager designation. He honed his investment management skills as he guided his clients through the dot-com bubble and recovery.
In 2004, he hung up his shingle as Krull & Company and began the journey as a conscious entrepreneur. From the beginning, he knew that his firm would focus on responsible investing and trademarked the phrase, helping you align your investments with your values®. In 2017, Krull & Company became Earth Equity Advisors.
Over the years, he has provided leadership to clients, colleagues, and communities. From chairing the Asheville-based environmental non-profit MountainTrue through a pivotal expansion to guiding Earth Equity Advisors’ rapid growth and rise to prominence as a six-time Best for the World™ honoree, Krull’s impact on the responsible investing movement is clear.
He was named one of the 100 most influential financial advisors in America by Investopedia in 2018 and became one of the first individuals to earn the Chartered SRI Counselor™ designation from the College for Financial Planning. In 2021, Krull was featured by The Collider among the Faces of Climate City, which highlights Asheville, NC residents who are providing leadership in the Climate industry. He was also recognized on Real Leaders’ list of 70 Environmental Leaders You Should Know alongside Sir David Attenborough, Jane Goodall, and Greta Thunberg, and was selected for the LUMINARIES Class of 2021 by ThinkAdvisor in the category of Thought Leadership & Education. Recognition continued in 2022 with Krull being announced as a finalist for the RIA Intel Awards’ ESG Advocate of the Year and appearing on AdvisorHub’s list of Fastest Growing Advisors to Watch.
Krull’s expert opinion is sought after by The New York Times, Bloomberg, Money Magazine, CNBC, The Washington Post, Investors Business Daily, US News & World Report, MarketWatch, Investment News, Wealth Management, RIA Intel, Barron’s, and other notable national publications, podcasts, and channels. He is also a contributing writer to top business publications, Forbes and Kiplinger. As Partner and Director of Sustainable Investments, he is responsible for leading the firm’s SRI initiatives, including thought leadership, education, and managing the sustainable investment portfolios.
A native of Western New York, he lives in Asheville, NC with his wife, Dr. Melissa Booth, a microbiologist, author, and the founder of The Science Communicator. He is a serious amateur photographer, a lover of world travel, and a huge fan of the Buffalo Sabres. As you would expect, their house is solar-powered and their cars are electric.
Neill Yelverton, MBA, CSRIC®
Partner & Financial Advisor
Neill Yelverton, Asheville financial advisor, is currently accepting 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 Weaverville with his wife, Cori, and their son, Ben.
Kerry Keihn, CSRIC®, ABFP℠
Partner & Financial Advisor
Kerry Keihn, Asheville financial advisor, is currently accepting new clients.
Read More About Kerry
Drawn to the Earth Equity goal of empowering investors, Kerry Keihn loves helping people evoke the positive change they want to see in the world. By aligning clients’ wealth with their values, Kerry helps them understand how their money can make a bigger impact and craft a legacy they’ll be proud of for years to come.
Due in part to several years of social work, Kerry is passionate about how much behavioral and emotional factors play into financial decisions. As a financial advisor, Kerry continued her education by earning the Accredited Behavioral Finance Professional (ABFPSM) designation – the first advisor-focused behavioral finance designation from an accredited college or university. Forever passionate about helping clients look inward in order to move forward, she leans on that background often as she helps her clients logically navigate investment decisions.
Building on her University of Virginia education and further distinguishing herself and her expertise in this new world where competitors all too often greenwash and mislead potential SRI clients, Kerry earned the Chartered SRI Counselor (CSRICTM) Designation. With this certification, you can be confident in Kerry’s ability to help you make the impact you want.
A strong believer that “we’re all in this together” and knowing community is where that starts, Kerry is a graduate of the Leadership Asheville Program and is active with several local nonprofits. She volunteers with Pisgah Legal Services on their development committee, and recently served as the chair of the Asheville Ten Thousand Villages board. Additionally, Kerry and colleague Leesa Sluder have co-founded 100+ Women Who Care Asheville – a local giving circle that supports charities in Western North Carolina.
When she’s not helping clients or her community, Kerry can be found attempting home improvements with her husband, Tyler, at their home just outside of Asheville. She also enjoys gardening, meditating, running, or doing yoga while her two dogs try to “help.” A huge fan of the theater, Kerry delights in everything from attending to acting, directing, and even designing entire productions. She’s always eager to tackle a new project and will never turn down an opportunity to learn.
Leesa Childress Sluder, MA, CSRIC®
Senior Financial Advisor
Leesa Childress Sluder, Asheville financial advisor, 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 has earned the Chartered SRI Counselor™ designation from the College for Financial Planning and has been quoted in industry-leading publications, such as Barron’s and MarketWatch. She also co-founded, with Kerry, 100+ Women Who Care Asheville – a local giving circle that supports charities in Western North Carolina.
Leesa and husband Todd are Asheville natives, and have returned to the area to live in and restore Todd’s historic childhood home in the Chunns Cove area.
Rebecca Smith
Client Service Associate
Rebecca Smith is a client service associate helping all Earth Equity clients with account openings, contributions and distributions, website access, etc.
Read More About Rebecca
Rebecca graduated with a degree in International Relations from the University of North Georgia, where she spent a semester studying abroad in Beijing. She is a self-described huge lover of animals and enjoys learning about incredible places around the world and cultures different from her own. Rebecca was drawn to Earth Equity Advisors because she wanted to work for a company with a mission she was passionate about. She has an extensive customer service background, and is excited to use her expertise to support Earth Equity’s clients. Rebecca lives in Weaverville.
Sylwia Kaminski
Client Service Associate
Sylwia Kaminski is a client service associate helping all Earth Equity clients with account openings, contributions and distributions, website access, etc.
Read More About Sylwia
Born in Poland and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Sylwia graduated with a Finance degree from Arizona State University. Utilizing her wide range of skills and knowledge of finance as an educational and teaching tool, Sylwia eagerly helps others as she expands her knowledge in the field.
An adventure junkie always excited by a new challenge, Sylwia was drawn to the Earth Equity mission of empowering investors and looks forward to helping clients make a positive impact through SRI investment options. Sylwia currently lives in San Angelo, Texas with her husband who is in the Air Force.
Our Core Values
Integrity
Passion
Impact
Responsibility
Gratitude
Our Vision
Sustainable, responsible, and impact investing for all.
Our Mission
is to empower sustainable, responsible, and impact investing across generations and communities to amplify financial impact and nurture positive change.
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
Krull & Company became a member of US SIF, an organization committed to achieving both positive societal and environmental impact alongside a competitive return.
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 moved to Asheville, NC.
Krull & Company became a certified member of 1% for the Planet. As a member of this global network, the company began donating the equivalent of 1% of its gross annual revenue to directly support nonprofit organizations serving the people and the planet.
2014
Krull & Company became a Certified B Corporation, committed to using Business as a Force for Good. The company underwent a rigorous process to be certified by a third-party organization, B Lab, and will recertify every three years to demonstrate that standards continue to be met.
2016
Krull & Company awarded B Lab’s “Best for the World™” recognition in the Customers category. B Corps with this designation have scored in the top 5% of the Customers portion of the B Impact Assessment, a tool that helps companies measure, manage, and improve their impact.
2017
Krull & Company rebrands to Earth Equity Advisors. This step strengthens its commitment to the universal principle that all people deserve the ability to invest in a way that’s true to their deepest values.
Earth Equity awarded B Lab’s “Best for the World” recognition in the Customers category and the Changemakers category.
2018
Earth Equity awarded B Lab’s “Best for the World” recognition in the Customers category and the Changemakers category.
Krull included in the “Investopedia 100 List,” recognizing him as one of the 100 most influential financial advisors in America.
Krull became one of the first individuals to receive the Chartered SRI Counselor™ (CSRIC) designation from the College for Financial Planning. (All advisors at Earth Equity Advisors have since earned the CSRIC designation.)
2019
Earth Equity awarded B Lab’s “Best for the World” recognition in the Customers category and the Changemakers category.
2020
Earth Equity focused on its clients and families, learning how to cope and then thrive in a global pandemic. And many organizations, such as B Lab, suspended their recognition activities.
2021
Earth Equity awarded B Lab’s “Best for the World” recognition in the Customers category.
Earth Equity recognized by Real Leaders as one of the Top 150 Impact Companies that are driving positive change across the world. Earth Equity was featured alongside Patagonia, Tesla, Seventh Generation and more.
Krull featured by Real Leaders as one of the 70 Environmental Leaders You Should Know alongside Sir David Attenborough, Jane Goodall, Greta Thunberg, Robert Redford, and Jane Fonda.
Krull selected among the LUMINARIES Class of 2021 by ThinkAdvisor in the category of Thought Leadership and Education. This inaugural recognition program highlights individuals and firms that are changing the investment advisory industry where it matters most by taking creative and bold steps to push the industry and clients’ best interests forward.
Krull became an ongoing contributor for Forbes and Kiplinger.
Krull featured by the Collider, a hub for a diverse network of climate organizations and conversation, as one of the Faces of Climate City.
2022
Earth Equity recognized by Real Leaders as one of the Top 200 Impact Companies that are driving positive change across the world. Earth Equity was featured alongside Patagonia, Tesla, Bombas and more.
Krull announced as a finalist for the RIA Intel Awards, ESG Advocate of the Year. The inaugural event recognizes only 15 investors for their contributions to helping clients and RIAs to invest sustainably.
Krull recognized by AdvisorHub as #59 on the list of Fastest Growing Advisors to Watch.
On December 16, 2022, Earth Equity joined forces with Prime Capital Investment Advisors, an accomplished growth partner dedicated to continuous improvement as they embrace a changing world. With more than 270 professionals in more than 50 locations across the United States, this partnership enables Earth Equity to expand the reach and impact of SRI investing.
