Charles Zhang
Charles Zhang, CFP®, MBA, MSFS, ChFC®, CLU, CFS, CMFC
Founder and President
- MBA - Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
- Executive Education - Harvard Business School
- MA in Economics - Western Michigan University
- Executive Education - Columbia University
- Certified Financial Planner (CFP®)
- MS in Financial Services - The Institute of Business and Finance.
- Economics Advisory Council, Department of Economics, Columbia University
- Out of more than 10,000 advisors in a leading national financial planning firm, Charles Zhang was ranked #1 by the time he was 29.
- Charles was ranked #1 on Barron's list of the nation's Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors for 2024, 2023 and 2021.**
- Charles Zhang was named the #1 Financial Advisor in Michigan by Barron's for 12 consecutive years beginning in 2013 through 2024.*
- Barron's Hall of Fame
- Charles Zhang was ranked the #1 Financial Advisor in Michigan by Forbes in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.***
- Ranked #4 in the nation on Forbes' list of America's Top Wealth Advisors for 2024, Charles is the highest-ranking NAPFA-Registered fee-only Financial Advisor and the highest-ranking Independent Advisor on the list.****
- Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award Winner
- The Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the worlds most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs.
- 2023 Keynote Speaker for the Executive MBA Convocation Ceremony - Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
- COUR Member (The Committee on University Resources) - Harvard University
- Steering Committee Member for Columbia College - Columbia University (2016 - 2022)
- NAPFA - Registered Financial Advisor
- Benefactor of Columbia University
- WMU Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient for 2021
- Member of the Advisory Board of the Asian American Academy of Science and Engineering
- Charles has been recognized in the Grand Rapids 200 for the past three years, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The GR 200 is a comprehensive list of the most powerful and influential leaders in West Michigan.
- Previous adjunct professor of Finance at Western Michigan University and served on the advisory board for the Haworth College of Business.
- Author of the book "Make Yourself a Millionaire" (McGraw-Hill, 2003)
- Often interviewed and quoted by many national media outlets including Wall Street Journal, CNBC, New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Barron's, Reuter's, Associated Press, Forbes, Yahoo! Finance, U.S. News & World Report, CNN, MSN Money, Fox Business, PBS, and Financial Times.
*As reported in Barron's February 18, 2013, February 22, 2014, February 23, 2015, March 5, 2016, March 4 , 2017, March 10, 2018, March 8, 2019, March 13, 2020, March 12, 2021, March 12, 2022, March 11, 2023 and March 11, 2024. Based on assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice, philanthropic work and other factors.
**As reported in Barron's September 13, 2024, September 15, 2023 and September 17, 2021. The ranking reflects the volume of assets overseen by the advisors and their teams, revenues generated for the firms, the quality of the advisors' practices and other factors. For fee-only status see NAPFA.org.
***As reported by Forbes on February 15, 2018, February 20, 2019, January 16, 2020, February 11, 2021, April 7, 2022, April 4, 2023 and April 3, 2024. Each advisor - selected by Shook Research - is chosen based on an algorithm of qualitative and quantitative criteria, including: in-person interviews, industry experience, compliance records, revenue produced, assets under management, and other factors.
****As reported in Forbes April 4, 2023 and April 3, 2024. The Forbes ranking of America’s Top Wealth Advisors, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years experience, and the algorithm weighs factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criterion due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes or SHOOK receive a fee in exchange for rankings.
Zhang Financial
5931 Oakland Drive Portage, MI 49024
List of office locations
Email: clientservice@zhangfinancial.com | Toll-Free: 888-777-0126
Minimum investment requirement: $1,000,000 in Michigan, $2,000,000 outside of Michigan.
Investment Advice offered through Zhang Financial, a Fee-Only Wealth Management Group.
