The Paraklete Team

Susan M. Tillery, CPA/PFS, AEP® (Distinguished), is President & CEO of Paraklete® Financial, Inc. Paraklete®provides integrated fee-for-service personal financial planning and virtual family office services, without asset management or product sales. The firm acts as An Advocate in Financial Services® for its clients with a disciplined focus on independence and objectivity. Susan is also a co-founder and President of Financial Planning Advocate, LLC, a provider of continuing education for CPA’s, financial advisers, universities, and colleges.

Ms. Tillery’s experience at Harris myCFO, a multi-family office where she was responsible for the development and delivery of comprehensive family office solutions to affluent families, together with her work at Arthur Andersen and Ronald Blue & Co provides the framework for Paraklete.

Susan earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Georgia. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the Georgia Society of CPAs (GSCPA) and the Atlanta Estate Planning Council. In addition, Susan is a member of the GSCPA Board of Directors, and past Chair of both the AICPA Personal Financial Planning Executive Committee and the AICPA Personal Financial Planning Credential Committee. Susan is the recipient of the AICPA 2019 Personal Financial Planning Distinguished Service Award. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Cobb Community Foundation.

Ms. Tillery is the co-author of Essentials of Personal Financial Planning, a textbook used by colleges and universities in graduate programs in accounting, business, and law. Additionally, Susan has co-authored The AICPA Personal Financial Planning Certificate Program. The program addresses all areas of the Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) Body of Knowledge and successful completion, with related experience, permits participants to obtain the PFS Credential.  Susan is a frequent speaker and author on topics relating to personal financial planning including; CPA’s and Financial Planning; Virtual Family Offices, Financial Issues Facing Women, Responsibilities of Wealth, Charitable Giving, and Stewardship.

Susan and her family reside in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Please visit Tom and Susan’s blog at fpadvocate.com/our-blog/

Thomas Neal Tillery, CFP®, AEP® (Distinguished), CLU®, ChFC®, CRPC®, LUTCF® is Vice President & CCO of Paraklete® Financial, Inc. Paraklete® provides integrated fee-for-service personal financial planning and virtual family office services, without asset management or product sales. The firm acts as An Advocate in Financial Services® for its clients with a disciplined focus on independence and objectivity. Tom is also a co-founder and Vice-President of Financial Planning Advocate, LLC, a provider of continuing education for CPA’s, financial advisers, universities and colleges.

Tom earned an M.S. in Financial Services from The American College and an M.A. in education from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  He is an active member of AICPA (Non-CPA Associate) and the Atlanta Estate Planning Council.

With more than 30 years of experience in personal financial planning, Tom is a frequent speaker and author on topics relating to personal financial planning including, Financial Planning and Tax Advisory Services, Estate Planning for the Affluent, Current Retirement Issues, Working with Investment Advisors, and Stewardship.  Mr. Tillery is the co-author of Essentials of Personal Financial Planning, a textbook used by colleges and universities in graduate programs in accounting, business, and law. Additionally, Tom has co-authored The AICPA Financial Planning Certificate Program. The program addresses all areas of the Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) Body of Knowledge and successful completion, with related experience, permits participants to obtain the PFS Credential.

Tom and his family reside in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Please visit Tom and Susan’s blog at fpadvocate.com/our-blog/

Patricia McGarvey is the Client Service Manager for Paraklete® Financial, Inc. (PFI). Pat manages all of PFI’s client service and financial planning activities. She also coordinates each client’s collaborative team of advisers.

Her 30 (plus) years of experience in the financial services industry has made her an invaluable member of the PFI team. Pat also assists in providing RIA back office support for PFI’s team of IAR’s and off-site locations. Prior to joining PFI she spent 20 years at Ronald Blue & Co where she managed and trained the firm’s financial planning support staff.

Pat earned her bachelor’s degree in Christian Education at Toccoa Falls College, and currently resides in Toccoa, GA.

Sandy Heit CPA/PFS is affiliated as an Investment Adviser Representative with Paraklete® Financial, Inc.

Ms. Heit is also the founder of Modern CPAS, Inc., a boutique accounting firm that works exclusively with business owners looking for a comprehensive solution to handle strategic tax planning, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and business advisory services.

Ms. Heit is not your typical CPA. She also operated a photography business for eight years and is well versed in navigating the intricate maze of entrepreneurship. This experience enriched her understanding of the challenges and joys that business owners face. It’s this empathy, combined with her expertise, that makes her an invaluable asset to her clients. She loves working with entrepreneurs and is passionate about helping them succeed. Recognizing the need for an encompassing approach, she secured her PFS credential, broadening her service offerings to financial planning and ensuring her clients are well-positioned to achieve their financial aspirations.

Ms. Heit earned a B.S. degree in Accounting from California State University Fullerton and a Master of Business Taxation degree at the University of Southern California. She is a member of the American Institute of Public Accountants (AICPA), as well as a member of the Personal Financial Planning and Tax divisions of the AICPA.

Ms. Heit and her family reside in Orange County, California.

William Jones CPA/PFS is affiliated as an Investment Adviser Representative with Paraklete® Financial, Inc. Paraklete® provides integrated fee-for-service personal financial planning and virtual family office services without asset management or product sales. The firm acts as An Advocate in Financial Services® for its clients with a disciplined focus on independence and objectivity.

William is the founder and owner of Jones CPAs & Advisors, Inc., a licensed public accounting firm, located in Gainesville, Florida, and has more than 20 years of experience in auditing, tax and advisory services, including experience at a global CPA firm as an auditor of public and private companies in numerous industries. He provides tax, audit, and advisory services to small and medium business clients, non-profit organizations and individuals.  He also provides individual and business tax planning, including estate and gift tax planning.

William is a graduate of the University of Florida (UF) in 2000 and a graduate from Florida International University (FIU) in 2007 with a Master of Accounting Degree.   William is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), licensed in the state of Florida, and a Personal Financial Specialist (PFS), credentialed by the American Institute  of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

William is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Personal Financial Planning Section of the AICPA as well as the Tax Division of the AICPA.  He is also a member of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA). He has also served as Chair of the North Florida Chapter of the FICPA.

William and his wife Melissa reside in Gainesville, Florida with their 3 children.

Linda M. Shepherd, CPA/PFS is affiliated as an Investment Adviser Representative with Paraklete® Financial, Inc. Paraklete® provides integrated fee-for-service personal financial planning and virtual family office services without asset management or product sales. The firm acts as An Advocate in Financial Services® for its clients with a disciplined focus on independence and objectivity.

Linda is also the founder and owner of Net More, Inc, a boutique accounting firm that works primarily with entertainers, songwriters and others in the creative arts providing tax and business management services. The firm is located in Brentwood, TN. Linda has more than 25 years of experience in tax and business management services. 

Linda is a graduate of Belmont University for both her BBA in Music Business and her Master of Accounting Degree.  Linda is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), licensed in the state of Tennessee, and a Personal Financial Specialist (PFS), credentialed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Linda is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Personal Financial Planning and Tax Sections of the AICPA.

Linda and her son reside in Brentwood, TN.

Patricia Fry Steward CPA/PFS is affiliated as an Investment Adviser Representative with Paraklete® Financial, Inc. Paraklete® provides integrated fee-for-service personal financial planning and virtual family office services, without asset management or product sales. The firm acts as An Advocate in Financial Services® for its clients with a disciplined focus on independence and objectivity.

Ms. Steward, as a co-founder and past owner of a Raleigh NC public accounting firm, has more than 30 years of experience in estate and gift tax planning as well as individual and business tax planning, including succession planning for businesses and their owners.

Ms. Steward earned a B.S. degree in Math Education with honors from North Carolina State University (NCSU). After teaching math for four years, she attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and NCSU for accounting, auditing, tax and business law curriculum to obtain her CPA certification.  In 1999 she attained and currently holds the professional designation of Personal Financial Specialist (PFS).

She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Personal Financial Planning Section of the AICPA as well as the Tax Division of the AICPA.  She is also a member of the North Carolina Association of CPAs (NCACPA) and has served as a past board member of the association.

Ms Steward and her husband reside in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Charles Wilson CPA/PFS is affiliated as an Investment Adviser Representative with Paraklete® Financial, Inc. Charles has over 25 years of experience in tax planning, consulting and compliance. Charles has been the owner of the certified public accounting firm Charles Wilson, Inc since 2003.

Charles’ experience is in assisting a diverse group of closely held businesses, their owners and high net worth individuals with all aspects of tax and financial planning and compliance. He specializes in coordinating corporate and personal tax planning, asset protection, choice of entity and other strategies to plan and develop wealth.

Preparation is key to safely navigating your future

Paraklete® Financial, Inc. provides expertise in the following areas to individuals, businesses, not-for-profits, estates, and trusts.
  • Asset Protection
  • Business Succession Planning
  • Buy/Sell Consulting Services
  • Charitable Planning
  • Divorce Planning
  • Education Planning
  • Employee Benefit Planning
  • Estate Planning
  • Family Office Services
  • Investment Planning
  • Life Insurance Analysis
  • Qualified Plan Design
  • Retirement Planning
  • Risk Management
  • Roth IRA Conversion Analysis
  • Special Needs Planning
  • Stewardship
  • Stock Option Analysis and Planning
  • Tax Planning
We design and implement integrated financial planning strategies. The process is managed through a “Family Office” overlay involving all of the client’s advisers. Each of our clients receive a personal financial planning website with a document vault.

Our services are offered by individuals with the CPA/PFS designation.

  • Asset Protection
  • Business Succession Planning
  • Buy/Sell Consulting Services
  • Charitable Planning
  • Divorce Planning
  • Education Planning
  • Employee Benefit Planning
  • Estate Planning
  • Family Office Services
  • Investment Planning
  • Life Insurance Analysis
  • Qualified Plan Design
  • Retirement Planning
  • Risk Management
  • Roth IRA Conversion Analysis
  • Special Needs Planning
  • Stewardship
  • Stock Option Analysis and Planning
  • Tax Planning
We design and implement integrated financial planning strategies. The process is managed through a “Family Office” overlay involving all of the client’s advisers. Each of our clients receive a personal financial planning website with a document vault.

Our services are offered by individuals with the CPA/PFS designation.