The Bera Wealth Team
Our client relationships are defined by truth, transparency and the willingness to advocate for the right decision, even when it is hard. We earn our clients’ trust through genuine connections with them and deep knowledge of their circumstances and needs. Whether you are concerned for your own financial needs or those of your family or your business, our team can help you identify your needs and provide complementary solutions.
Founders
F. Chrys Kanos , CLU®, ChFC®, CASL®, CLTC®
Private Wealth Advisor
F. Chrys Kanos , CLU®, ChFC®, CASL®, CLTC®
Private Wealth Advisor
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As a private wealth advisor with nearly 20 years of experience, Chrys’s mission is to help people realize their financial capacity and align their daily decisions with their greatest ambitions. Through thoughtful education, he helps both established and growing professionals and families find the balance between saving for the future and living a great life. One of his specialties is providing hands-on, personal service for clients; he organizes and manages their wealth so they aren’t overwhelmed by decisions, tasks, or planning. He comes alongside them and offers clarity, direction, and support so they can confidently fulfill their goals and aspirations.
Chrys is also the Managing Director of the Northwestern Mutual Charleston, Summerville, and Myrtle Beach offices and is responsible for recruiting, mentoring, and developing new advisors in the South Carolina coastal region.
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Chrys started his career with Northwestern Mutual in 2007 as a financial representative after attending the University of South Carolina and participating in NM’s internship program in 2006. He was promoted to Recruiting Field Director in 2012, then District Director in 2014. In 2017, with Chrys as District Director, the Charlotte district generated double-digit growth in new clients and revenue and was ranked Top 20 out of more than 275 district offices in the country. In 2018, Chrys became the Managing Director of the Charleston office and co-founded Bera Wealth Advisors with Heath Johnson in 2021.
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- 2022 - The Post and Courier’s Charleston’s Choice Awards “Best Investment Firm,” “Best Wealth Management,” and “Best Financial Planner”
- 2022 - Mount Pleasant Magazine Best Financial Planner
- 2011-2021 – Million Dollar Round Table, Court of the Table
- 2016-2021 – OARS Award winner (recognizes the top 10% of Managing Directors in the company who balance recruiting, development, and production)
- 2013-2015 – NAIFA Quality Award
- Chartered Life Underwriter - CLU®
- Chartered Financial Consultant - ChFC®
- Chartered Advisor for Senior Living - CASL®
- Certification in Long-Term Care - CLTC®
- Series 6, 7, 26, and 63 registrations
- Dual degree in corporate finance & management in human resources
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- The First Tee Greater Charleston – Board Member
- Charleston Metro Exchange Club – Member
- Local Chamber – Member
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Chrys’s greatest passion is spending quality time with his wife McKensie, their daughters Lennox and Hollis, and their two goldendoodles, Sallie and Dutton. Their family lives in Mount Pleasant, and in his spare time, Chrys enjoys golfing, boating, going to the beach, traveling, and experiencing the Charleston dining scene.
Heath M. Johnson , CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®, CASL®, RICP®
Private Wealth Advisor
Heath M. Johnson , CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®, CASL®, RICP®
Private Wealth Advisor
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Heath is a private wealth advisor with over 20 years of industry experience. He assists clients to see their current net worth and their financial potential, so they can enjoy life to its fullest while on the path to retirement. Heath and Bera Wealth Advisors manage wealth and create financial plans, so clients feel comfortable making decisions around budget, education planning, home renovations, traveling, or any other major purchases or life changes.
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Heath began his career with Northwestern Mutual in 2003 as a financial representative intern while attending Central Michigan University. He moved to Charleston in 2008 and began working to build a comprehensive financial planning team there. Heath co-founded Bera Wealth Advisors, within the Northwestern Mutual framework, with Chrys Kanos in 2021.
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- 2022 - The Post and Courier’s Charleston’s Choice Awards “Best Investment Firm,” “Best Wealth Management,” and “Best Financial Planner”
- 2019-2021 - The Post and Courier’s Charleston’s Choice Awards “Best Financial Planner”
- 2020-2021 – Charleston City Paper’s Best of Charleston “Best Financial Planner”
- Certified Financial Planner - CFP®
- Chartered Life Underwriter - CLU®
- Chartered Financial Consultant - ChFC®
- Chartered Advisor for Senior Living - CASL®
- Retirement Income Certified Professional - RICP®
- Wealth Management Certified Professional - WMCP®
- Chartered Advisor for Philanthropy - CAP®
- Accredited Estate Planner - AEP®
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- Be a Mentor – Board Member
- Charleston Metro Exchange Club – Board Member / President (2023)
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Heath’s goal has always been to run a lifestyle practice where he encourages our team and our clients to find balance to spend time both working and enjoying time with friends and family. Heath and his wife, Lindsay, live in downtown Charleston with their dog, Alma (named after Heath’s hometown in Michigan). Heath and Lindsay are passionate about traveling, boating, and culinary experiences. Heath also enjoys golfing and running in his spare time.
Partners
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As a private wealth advisor with Bera Wealth, Evan’s mission is simple - to help others get the absolute most out of life by enabling them to spend more time doing what they love. Evan believes one’s life purpose and passion need to be at the center of their financial plan. The result is a plan based on your vision, not simply your balance sheet. Evan brings accountability in an ongoing, collaborative process. Evan and his team are committed to putting your interests first and providing the highest level of service to make your experience easy and enjoyable.
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After growing up in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, Evan attended Wofford College and earned a bachelor’s degree in Business and Chinese. He started his career with Northwestern Mutual as a college intern. Upon graduation, Evan commissioned as an officer in the United States Army Reserve and completed his officer leadership course at Fort Lee in Virginia. After, he moved back to Charleston to run his business full-time and continues to serve as a Logistics Captain. Evan joined Bera Wealth Advisors as a Partner in 2022 and has a national practice serving families from coast to coast.
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- 2022 – The Post and Courier’s Charleston’s Choice Awards “Best Investment Firm,” “Best Wealth Management,” and “Best Financial Planner”
- 2021 – Charleston Regional Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40”
- 2020-2021 – Million Dollar Round Table
- 2018-2019 – Bronze Award Recipient
- 2018 – Southern Feud All-Star & The Worrell Network Office Class Leader
- 2017 – Commissioned Officer in US Army
- SIE, Series 6, 7, and 63 registrations
- Bachelor of Arts in Business & Mandarin Chinese
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- E3 Mentoring Program – Mentor & Donor
- Lowcountry Pregnancy Center - Donor
- Camp Happy Day – Donor
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Evan’s happy place is in the great outdoors. He lives on James Island, and in his spare time, you can find him cruising the local waterways, fishing, golfing, or indulging in Charleston’s abundant food scene. His most cherished times are spent making memories with family.
Spencer Arceo Schulz
Private Wealth Advisor
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Spencer believes the truest form of financial security is to be liberated and empowered by one’s finances; to enjoy money, today, knowing the future is taken care of. He knows life is anything but linear. When Spencer works with his clients, he first seeks to understand where they are today, and where they are headed. He engineers a plan to meet them in their season of life and builds on this as priorities change.
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Spencer started his career with Northwestern Mutual as a college intern in 2017, while obtaining a Biology degree from the University of Washington. In 2019, he relocated to Charleston, and now has a national practice and services clients in 20+ states. Spencer joined Bera Wealth Advisors in 2022.
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- 2022 – The Post & Courier’s Charleston’s Choice Awards:
- Best Investment Firm
- Best Wealth Management
- Best Financial Planner
- 2020, 2021 – Million Dollar Round Table
- Series 6, 7, 63 & SIE
- Bachelor of Science in Biology
- Eagle Scout
- 2022 – The Post & Courier’s Charleston’s Choice Awards:
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- Charleston Metro Exchange Club – Member
- Red Cross – Blood Donor
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Spencer has a passion for traveling with his wife, Hailey; exploring and learning of new cultures through cuisine and history. He also enjoys going to the beach with his dog, Winston.
Team Members
Lauren Starowicz began working with Heath in August of 2018. She grew up in Michigan and graduated from the University of Dayton before moving to Charleston. Lauren began teaching in 2008 and pursued a Master of Arts in Teaching from College of Charleston and a Master of Education in Literacy from The Citadel Graduate College.
After teaching Math and English, Lauren left education when she had her son in 2018. She enjoys golf, tennis, traveling, and spending time with her husband and son.
Elizabeth Seehr joined Heath’s team at Northwestern Mutual in the summer of 2017. After growing up in Las Vegas, Liz attended the University of Arizona and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business and Finance in 2011. She has obtained her Life and Health Insurance license, as well as her Series 6, Series 63, and Series 7 certifications.
Besides finance, Liz’s passion lies in rock climbing. Living in Charlotte, North Carolina, Liz coaches the Inner Peaks youth competitive climbing team, helping kids compete nationally and even globally, with many students aspiring to climb for the United States in the Olympics one day.
Erica was born and raised in the upstate of South Carolina and studied Psychology at Lander University. She has been a resident of Charleston since 2010 and loves the coastal life. Erica joined the Northwestern Mutual team in April of 2018 and assists with office administration, client relations, policy owner service, and administrative tasks.
In her off time, she enjoys gardening and spending time with her husband CJ, two dogs, and two cats.
Ben grew up in Myrtle Beach, SC and attended Coastal Carolina University where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. In 2009 Ben moved to Charleston, SC to pursue a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice and served as a police officer for seven years. It was during these years that Ben realized that he enjoyed helping others through dynamic and challenging situations. In 2018 Ben decided to pursue that passion for solving complex scenarios as a financial advisor and traded in his uniform and duty belt for business attire.
As a financial advisor Ben works closely with clients to ensure that their financial future is secure and that they are ready for any challenges life may present. Ben continues to rely on lesson learned in his previous career and realizes that just as no two calls for service are the same, no two financial plans are the same.
Ben and his wife, Emilee, reside in Moncks Corner, SC where they spend most of their time with their daughter, Hadley, and three dogs. When time allows, Ben can often be found working in the yard or trying new recipes in the kitchen.
After growing up in Frankfurt, Germany Jess attended College at the Goethe University Frankfurt majoring in American Studies and Media. To further her education, Jess took a study abroad semester in Wisconsin at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse which ultimately made her decide to move to the US altogether.
Jess started her financial career before entering college in her hometown in Germany where she gained a general Banking Certification in 2011. During college, Jess worked as a business consultant for a consulting company in Frankfurt and in 2015, she moved to the US where she then became an elementary school teacher. Later, Jess transitioned into Retail Management where she gained multiple coaching certifications to improve not only her own development skills, but also help her team and employees set and achieve meaningful goals for the future.
Jess is known to always strive to be the best version of herself by building meaningful connections and getting to know everyone for who they really are, one conversation at a time. Jess is joining the Bera team with the clear goal of helping every client or family set up their future for success by contributing through her vast experience and knowledge gained in multiple career pathways.
Next to her professional career, Jess likes to surf, sketch, or spend time with her two cats at home. During her free time, you will find Jess volunteering through her church at Seacoast Mount Pleasant or at various sports events such as the Mount Pleasant Beach Volleyball court.
Hailey grew up in Asheville, NC. She attended the University of Washington on a gymnastics scholarship where she earned her degree in Early Childhood Education. Hailey moved from Seattle to Charleston in 2020 in the pursuit for sunshine and a change of scenery. After years of teaching and nannying, Hailey took a career shift and started working with Spencer in 2021 as his Director of Client Services.
When Hailey isn’t working, she enjoys reading a good book, working out, trying new restaurants with her husband, and taking their pup, Winston, to the beach.
Carter grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, before heading south to attend Wofford College for her bachelors degree. She studied Psychology, with a plan to work with children battling learning & genetic disorders. She worked as a children’s developmental therapist in the upstate and the Charleston area for a combined 2 years. After a year in Charleston, she was ready for a career change, however, wanting to keep the same goal – striving to build strong relationships & help others become the best versions of themselves, whether its personally, or now, financially. January 2022, she began working alongside Evan as his director of client experience.
During her free time, she enjoys walking her dog, Gus, on the beach, gardening, and exploring all of the wonderful food in Charleston!