We provide investment banking, research, sales and trading, asset and wealth management, public finance, insurance, private capital, and family office services.
We are a family-owned financial services firm that values client relationships, long-term stability, and supporting the communities where we live and work.
The idea of family defines our culture, because each of us knows that our reputation is on the line as if our own name was on the door.
Our reputation as a leading independent financial services firm is built on the stability of our longstanding and highly experienced senior executives.
We are committed to corporate philanthropy; economic and financial literacy advocacy; and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Stephens is proud to sponsor the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, and PGA TOUR Champions careers, as well as applaud the philanthropic endeavors, of our Brand Ambassadors.
We host many highly informative meetings each year with clients, industry decision makers, and thought leaders across the U.S. and in Europe.
As an experienced advisor, Spence brings a long-term view when working with clients to help them achieve their financial objectives. Recognized for his enduring client-relationships, Spence provides bespoke and malleable financial advice to his clients. As a highly engaged advisor, he believes that clear client communication is key, especially during complex market cycles. “I take the personal goals of my clients very seriously, whether it is charitable giving, growing and sustaining a business, or generational wealth transfer. Prioritizing their financial objectives allows them to realize these life goals and I take great pride in my part of the process,” he says.
Spence and his team, John Black, provide investment management to high net worth families and businesses. Cindy Burger, his registered client associate, has worked with Spence since 2001 and in the business for more than 20 years. Cindy helps provide all of the day-to-day administrative support.
Spence joined Stephens as a Senior Vice President in 2006 and has since received the Stephens Leadership Circle award every year since 2007 in recognition for excellence in wealth management. Earlier in his career, he was an advisor at Smith Barney Inc. before it ultimately became a part of Morgan Stanley and at J. C. Bradford & Co. and its successor, UBS Financial Services Inc.
Spence received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1990.
Spence is an active member of his community. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the UNC Chapel Hill Arts and Science Foundation as well as its development and communications committees.
He and his wife, Leslie, have three children, Byers, Lilly, and Spence, Jr.