Best and Brightest: Zach Coggins

Zach Coggins

Financial Adviser

Milestone Wealth Advisors

Columbia

Age 33

I am a graduate of the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business, earning my B.S. in business administration with a focus in finance. I started my career in life insurance in 2012 before expanding into comprehensive retirement and investment planning. Over the years, I have guided families, business owners, and high-net-worth individuals as they work toward their financial goals. My niche is helping business owners — especially those who share my passion for hunting and fishing — build long-term, tax-efficient retirement strategies. I later attended the College for Financial Planning, earning my Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) designation, and hold my Series 7 and 66 registrations. Today, I serve as a financial adviser and co-founding partner of Milestone Wealth Advisors, continuing my family’s third-generation legacy in financial guidance here in Columbia, South Carolina. David (Grookett, investment adviser representative) and I work as a team with every client, committed to making a meaningful impact before, during, and throughout retirement. Our planning philosophy centers on building highly personalized retirement strategies tailored to each client’s needs, goals, lifestyle, and family dynamics. Outside the office, my time is devoted to my wife, Sullivan, and our two children, Grier and McCauley. I enjoy spending time outdoors, especially hunting, fishing, and playing golf — often participating in Amateur Players Tour events across the Southeast. Beyond my work in financial planning, I proudly support Blood Cancer United, serving on its leadership committee to help raise funds for blood cancer research and patient support.

Favorite Quote and Why: "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail" — Ralph Waldo Emerson. Because I feel I go deep into complexity others my avoid, and I'm building my business' identity.

Definition of a Successful Leader: A successful leader is someone who makes the people around them more capable, confident, and driven by a purpose.

Advice to 18-Year-Old Self: Not every relationship — romantic, friendship, business — is meant to last forever, and that's not always a failure.