Valerie Nichols

Valerie Nichols is Director of Investments at Smith + Howard Wealth Management, an Atlanta-based, SEC-registered investment advisory firm serving affluent individuals, families, business owners, and nonprofit organizations. A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®), she serves on the firm's Investment Policy Committee and works directly with clients to define investment goals, quantify risk tolerance, and build long-term financial plans. She joined the firm in 2016.

Before Smith + Howard, Nichols spent 19 years at SunTrust Bank (now Truist), most recently as Senior Vice President and Investment Strategist in the Investment Advisory Group, where she was responsible for more than $700 million in assets under management for individual clients, trusts, and foundations. Earlier in her career she worked as a bank examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta — a role she has described candidly as one she took early on to "pay the bills" before finding her calling in investment management.

A native of Atlanta who grew up in Stone Mountain, Nichols graduated from Georgia State University, where she studied finance and took additional coursework in psychology. She has been active in the professional community as a member of the Atlanta Society of Finance and Investment Professionals, a former CFA review-course instructor (equity and alternatives), and a participant in Georgia State University's Women Lead program. Community involvement includes the All Saints Episcopal Refugee Ministry and the Young Men Service League of Sandy Springs. She lives in the Chastain Park area with her husband and two children.

Important note on the "Angel Investor / Seed Round" label: The stub data classifying Valerie Nichols as an "Angel Investor" focused on "Seed Round" appears to be a mismatch. All verifiable public information identifies her as a private wealth manager (Director of Investments at an RIA), not a startup angel investor. No evidence of personal angel investments, seed-stage check-writing, or a startup portfolio was found. (Note: Nichols' firm parent, the Smith + Howard accounting practice, publishes guidance on Georgia's *Qualified Investor Tax Credit* / "Angel Credit" — likely the source of the aggregator's confusion — but that is tax-advisory content, not evidence that Nichols herself is an angel investor.)

• Manages diversified, goal-based investment portfolios (equities, fixed income, and alternatives) for private clients through Smith + Howard Wealth Management, rather than deploying capital into startups.
• Emphasizes matching investment strategy to each client's goals and risk tolerance: she works with clients "to determine their investment goals and objectives, quantify their risk tolerance and develop a plan to move them toward their goals."
• Client-relationship-driven approach; in her own words: "I think it is a great honor when clients place their trust in us to manage their life savings."
• Values direct, regular client communication over static portfolio analysis, noting that consistent phone contact serves clients better than lengthy reports alone.
• No publicly stated seed/venture thesis, check size, or startup sector focus was found.