Billy founded Black Balsam Wealth Advisors in 2022 alongside Austin Pullicin to better accomplish their shared vision of creating an enduring firm. Billy serves as a partner in the firm while actively guiding clients as a Wealth Management Advisor.

Billy began his career in financial services in 1989 with Northwestern Mutual after graduating from Western Carolina University with a business degree in management. He serves clients out of the Asheville, NC office. He is passionate about building relationships with his clients and helping them accomplish their hopes and dreams.

Billy is married to Angie and they have four adult children, Caroline, Riley, Matthew and Olivia. They have three grandchildren and one very spoiled Goldendoodle. He enjoys travel, working on his property and woodworking. Together with Angie, his best friend, they love finding new places to eat. Unashamedly they are foodies at heart. In his spare time, Billy enjoys serving his community, church, and challenging himself with his cross fit crew. He is President of the Mountain Amateur Athletic Club.

Designations & Memberships

• Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®)
• Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®)
• Member of Kingdom Advisors
• Member of the Land of Sky Estate Planning Council
• Million Dollar Round Table; Top of the Table Membership (MDRT®)
• Regional Committee Chair for Physicians Nationwide

Fun Facts

Q: What is one thing you've learned that you wish you could tell your younger self?
A: Take more risks in life. So much of what we fear never comes true.

Q: What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
A: Chocolate Peanut-Butter

Q: What is your favorite season and why?
A: Summer; not even a close second. I love the heat and sunshine. Must be my Florida roots.

Austin Pullicin cofounded Black Balsam Wealth Advisors with Billy Cooper in 2022 to create a lasting firm that can care for clients and their children for generations. Austin serves as a partner in the firm while actively continuing his role as a Financial Advisor.

A native of Western North Carolina, Austin became a financial advisor in 2014 shortly after graduating from Carson Newman University with a major in Finance and Economics. Austin is dedicated to lifelong learning in constant pursuit of better strategies and opportunities for helping clients reach their goals in the simplest and most effective manner.

Austin is married to his wife Kathleen, and they have two children, Leo and Isla. Austin enjoys spending time with family and friends, running, golfing, traveling, and reading. Austin and Kathleen love traveling together and exploring new places. They both come from larger families and spend a lot of time with Austin’s family here in Asheville or Kathleen’s family in Tennessee.

Designations & Memberships

• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional
• Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU^®)
• Accredited Estate Planner (AEP^®)
• Member of the Land of Sky Estate Planning Council
• Graduate of Leadership Asheville (Class 37)

Fun Facts

Q: Describe your ideal day.
A: Wake up without an alarm. Make a huge breakfast for the family and some strong coffee. Spend the morning running, reading, and doing chores. Spend the afternoon with the family hiking or just being outside together. Have some friends over for dinner and drinks. Play games and have good conversations afterwards to cap it all off.
Q: What is your favorite season and why?
A: Fall without question due to the perfect temperatures. Winter is a close second because of snowboarding.
Q: Who is your most listened to artist?
A: The Avett Brothers. They are the best songwriters of the 2000s.

Jake joined the Black Balsam team in 2020. His role is Director of Investment Operations and Services, and he specializes in managing clients’ accounts, assisting with account transfers, and portfolio trading. Jake is the go-to person on the team for any investment related transaction. Additionally, he assists with security selection within our portfolios.

Jake is a graduate of The University of Colorado in Boulder where he majored in Economics. Following graduation, Jake moved to Montana for a few years to explore a passion of his – skiing. He enjoyed his time in the mountains, exploring Big Sky and Whitefish, and shortly after relocated to Arizona to begin his career in finance with a local business. This opportunity provided a pivotal start in Jake’s financial career. He obtained his Series 7 and 66 licenses and learned essential knowledge about the industry. Ultimately, Jake decided he was looking for a more personal, relationship building approach to long-term investing and planning. Since joining the team, Jake has acquired his health and life insurance licenses and has enjoyed building lasting relationships with clients. In his spare time, he enjoys exploring the outdoors through mountain biking, hiking, and camping. Most of all, he loves spending time with his Golden Retriever mix, Copper, who brings joy to all activities!

Designations & Memberships

• FINRA Series 7 & 66 licenses
• North Carolina Life, Accident and Health license

Fun Facts

Q: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A: If I could go anywhere in the world, I would go skiing in the Swiss Alps.
Q: What is your favorite animal and why?
A: My favorite animal is a Bengal Tiger. Their strength is astounding, they are beautifully majestic, and they are extremely intelligent.
Q: What is the first concert you ever attended?
A: My first concert was AC/DC with my dad at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO in 2008.

Julie has been with the group since 1994 and has served in several roles. She began her career with the Managing Director’s team and has since been committed to customer care and assistance. Julie loves interacting with clients and building relationships that last. She is a critical asset to our team as the Director of Insurance Operations and Services and is licensed in Life & Accident/Health and Long-Term Care. Julie works with clients on anything insurance related and works tirelessly to ensure that each client’s needs are met.

Julie is a lifelong resident of Asheville and loves spending time outdoors with her French Bulldog, Leo, and daughter, Kirsten.

Designations & Memberships

North Carolina Life, Accident and Health license

Fun Facts

Q: What is your favorite animal and why?
A: It’s hard to pick just one because I have always been an animal lover. My parents had to endure the many pets my sister and I wanted to keep including cats, dogs, rabbits, hamsters, and goats. But my best companions have been my French bulldogs. They have the biggest personalities, and my sweet Leo loves to love. I have also discovered a love for hummingbirds over the last several years. I love to listen to their chirping and fussing as they fight over the feeders. They give me such a sense of peace and calm to sit and listen to them.
Q: What is your favorite place in the world?
A: My favorite place to be is at the beach – sun and sand always. I enjoy staying as close to the ocean as possible. I love going to sleep and waking up to the sound of waves breaking.
Q: What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
A: My favorite anything is going to be chocolate, but a good double chocolate ice cream cone is the best.

Blair joined our team in 2022 and serves as our Financial Planning Assistant. She helps gather client data, project financials, and develop a baseline financial model for each client. She also assists with the construction of visuals for clients’ financial plans to help communicate key datapoints.

Prior to relocating to the Asheville area, Blair taught middle school math for five years in Virginia. She loves building relationships and connecting with people and is looking forward to utilizing her passion for helping people in the financial field. Blair is a 2016 graduate of Emory & Henry College where she majored in Education and played soccer. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. She and her husband, Carter, have an Aussiedoodle named Frasier and love exploring Asheville together.

Fun Facts

Q: What is your favorite place in the world?
A: Almost any warm, tropical beach. I love the Gulf Coast of Florida and beaches of the Caribbean Sea. Sand, salt water, and sunshine are my favorite combination!
Q: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A: I would love to backpack through many countries of Europe. I love to travel and have never been to Europe, so traveling light and exploring different places daily is a dream of mine!
Q: What is your favorite animal and why?
A: My dog, Frasier, easily! He is a sweet, smart, and cuddly Aussiedoodle. My other favorite animal is a hummingbird. I love to watch them visit us during the summertime.

Donald Reed is a Senior Wealth Manager who has worked with the principles of Black Balsam Wealth Advisors long before the formation of the enterprise. Billy Cooper and Mr. Reed have been colleagues since 1989 when Mr. Cooper joined Northwestern Mutual. Mr. Reed, who was the Managing Director of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance - Asheville Office, was an early proponent of holistic financial planning. Mr. Reed embraced the integration of estate planning, retirement planning, and comprehensive financial planning designs in his client-centric recommendations. He has enthusiastically joined Black Balsam to assure his continuing clients of superb service as he approaches retirement.

Degrees & Designations

• AB Bethany College
• MA Yale University
• PhD Florida State University
• CLU® The American College
• ChFC® The American College

Civic & Professional Affiliations

• Asheville Symphony Board
• WCQS Public Radio, Past Chair
• Memorial Mission Foundation, Founding Member
• The Alexis de Tocqueville Society
• Land of Sky Estate Planning Council, Past Chair
• Asheville Society of CLU & ChFC, Past Chair
• Million Dollar Roundtable, Life Member

Fun Facts

Q: What is your favorite season and why?
A: My favorite season is Spring because it's a time when we see nature coming back to life after the dormant winter months, and it reminds us that there is always a chance for new beginnings and new life.

Q: What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
A: I can’t imagine a world where someone would choose something other than Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream.

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A: My wife, Charlie, and I have visited more than 30 countries and 40 national parks, and I still prefer Western North Carolina to any of those other places.

Marcus joined the Black Balsam team in 2024 as the first BBWA intern. He then took on a permanent role. Marcus is Black Balsams Client Service Advisor. In this role Marcus is the man who will take our clients through the onboarding process and make it as seamless as possible. Marcus often joins Billy and Austin in client meetings offering a second set of eyes and ears. He also helps to keep the BBWA social media’s up to date and clients informed of what is going on with the team.

Marcus is a graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg Va where he double majored in Financial Planning & Accounting. During college Financial Planning stood out because it involves building genuine relationships with people and helping others while simultaneously dealing with the analytical side of finances. Following graduation Marcus moved to Asheville where he married his beautiful bride Cheney. Marcus is originally from Victoria BC Canada where he grew up enjoying hockey, hiking, swimming, and exploring new activities. Marcus is passionate about traveling, sports, playing games, spending time with family and friends, and his Christian faith.

Designations & Memberships

• FINRA Series 7 license
• North Carolina Life, Accident & Health, and Long-Term Care licenses
• Kingdom Advisors Member

Fun Facts

Q: What is one thing you've learned that you wish you could tell your younger self?
A: When I have important opportunities and decisions to stop and ask myself “will I regret this if I do it or will I regret this if I don’t do it”.

Q: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A:I had planned to go on a long trip to South America in 2020 with my best friend but due to covid that was cancelled. We had planned to take an extravagant tour to Machu Pichu one of the 7 Wonders of the World. We hope to revisit this trip in a few years.

Q: Where is the best place to travel in Canada?
A:From the scenic views of the Pacific Ocean & Olympic mountains to the many lakes on the island Victoria is one of the most beautiful places in the World. It is the capital of British Columbia so there is plenty to see in and out of the city. A close second place to visit would be Banff National Park with its excellent ski resorts and incredible natural beauty.