Andrew Ellis (CFA®, CFP, CPA®)

Andrew Ellis focuses in the
following client markets or areas of practice:

College/Education Planning

Estate & Generational Planning Issues

Investment Advice with Ongoing Management

Retirement Plan Investment Advice

Retirement Planning & Distribution Rules

Tax Planning

Planning Specialties

Andy joined Patriot Investment Management in 2017 after struggling for years to find a dependable and trustworthy fiduciary to provide investment management for his existing RIA and tax practice. Happily, he found that dependable, trustworthy fiduciary firm and is now a part of the Patriot team.

Andy is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Financial Planner® professional, and he also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation, which is a rare combination for an advisor considering the rigorous path to achieve all three of these credentials. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from the University of Tennessee.

Andy works with clients who appreciate comprehensive tax planning and investment management, while constantly leveraging his experience as a comprehensive financial advisor to help his clients explore thoughtfully informed financial planning scenarios. His areas of focus include Estate Planning, Tax Efficient Retirement Withdrawal Planning, and Executive Compensation and Benefit Strategies.

Andy lives in West Knoxville with his wife, Holly, and their four children, whom he says being deeply involved with has been the best thing he’s ever done. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, running, spending time with friends, and watching classic musicals with his family.

Favorite quote: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Additional Information

Here's a list of recent projects I helped clients with:

Helped self-employed client establish a Solo-401k using funds from an existing taxable account. The idea created a current year deduction of 30,000 on a relatively modest income, which reduced provisional income below 32,000. Therefore spouse’s social security benefits are no longer subject to income tax.

Helped an affluent family manipulate taxable income downward in order to qualify for subsidies under the Affordable Care Act using a Roth Conversion Strategy. The family received over 30,000 in subsidies that will not be subject to repayment.

Helped a middle income professional design a personal Defined Benefit Plan allowing for a current year deductible contribution in excess of 100,000. The plan also features an after tax option to allow for another 30,000 to be immediately converted to a Roth IRA.

Helped two families file restricted applications for Social Security. Both were born before 1954.

Performed an annuity analysis for an affluent couple. Helped them to understand their existing annuity had an internal cost of nearly 400 basis points per year. Both accounts were liquidated and invested into a conservative mix of index funds with an annual cost of 6 basis points.

Performed a “needs analysis” for a young family to project both College Expenses and K-12 Private School Tuition and to fully fund 529 College Savings plans at an early age using inherited funds. This will allow the inheritance to grow tax-free forever and to fund the education for four small children.

Created a SIMPLE IRA plan for self-employed senior citizen. The plan allows taxpayer to reduce taxable income under the limit and avoid the surcharge on Medicare Part B premiums.