Reed Walters, with over 30 years of investment experience, is a Senior Portfolio Manager at Acumen Wealth Advisors. His experience is broad and encompasses institutional investment consulting, wealth management, portfolio management, and alternative investments. At Acumen, Reed oversees all aspects of the firm’s investment decisions. His responsibilities include due diligence, research, evaluation, strategic and tactical asset allocation, and aligning investment selections with each client’s goals. Working with the Portfolio Management Committee, Reed develops, implements, and communicates Acumen’s investment strategy. He also partners directly with clients to determine appropriate asset allocations by considering their goals, time horizon, risk tolerance, growth and income targets, and tax implications. Reed keeps clients informed about domestic and international trends and their potential impact on portfolios.
Prior to joining Acumen, Reed built more than 15 years of leadership experience across prominent investment firms. He most recently served as Senior Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager at a billion-dollar investment firm, where he oversaw several equity strategies. Before that, Reed spent three years as Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager for a national wealth management team at Merrill Lynch. Earlier in his career, he was Managing Director and Head of Global Equities at Nuveen, a TIAA-CREF company, where Reed directed international equity portfolio management. He also served as President and Chief Investment Officer of Sector Capital, a boutique money management firm he led for six years.
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Reed also brings other notable experiences to his role, including 13 years as a Partner and Senior Consultant at a mid-sized pension and foundation consulting firm, where he advised on more than $20 billion in assets. In addition, he spent five years with a multi-trillion-dollar global investment firm, serving as a Portfolio Manager for both high-net-worth and institutional clients.
Reed earned both his Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Business Administration degrees, graduating magna cum laude with Honors in Business from the University of Memphis, Fogelman College of Business and Economics. Reed also holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation and maintains his Series 65 license.
Reed is deeply committed to giving back, often combining his love of sports with charitable causes. He served for five years as President of the Board at Shepherd’s Haven, a nonprofit supporting adults with special needs. Reed has also raised funds for organizations such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research by competing in marathons and triathlons, including the Chattanooga Ironman. In addition, Reed dedicated 15 years to coaching youth and high school boys’ and girls’ lacrosse at Evangelical Christian School in Memphis.