Meet Your Team
Registered Investment Advisors
We’re a diverse set of planners spanning generational divides, geographies, and backgrounds. Our perspectives are unique, as is each member of our team. We work collaboratively to better the financial lives of our clients and create worry-free outcomes for everyone we help. Browse the Carmichael Hill team to learn more about us and the individuals ready to help you take the next step towards earning the retirement you crave.
Jim Stewart, CFP®, CRPS, RP
Principal
Jim Stewart, CFP®, CRPS, RP
Principal
Jim joined Carmichael Hill in 1993 and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER practitioner, Chief Compliance Officer and sole owner of Carmichael Hill. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. At the time, Carmichael Hill was a Registered Investment Advisor for high net worth individuals and a Third-Party Administrator for small business retirement plans. During the first few years Jim earned his stripes learning about investments, retirement planning, insurance, estate planning and the ten thousand other challenges involved in working in a small business (there were just two people then).
In the late 1990’s, Carmichael Hill spun off its retirement plan business and Jim became a partner. He went on to earn the Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist (CRPS) and Registered Paraplanner (RP) designations. Under his guidance, the firm shifted to focus solely on serving individuals and businesses as a Registered Investment Advisor. In 2007, he went on to earn the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification and in 2013 became the sole owner of Carmichael Hill.
For Jim, it’s the people that make this business worthwhile. With almost thirty years of experience here, he’s worked with many clients for decades and some across generations. It’s a uniquely rewarding experience to see the harvest that comes from seeds you helped a client plant years ago.
Jim lives in Brookeville with his wife, Julie and their two sons. He serves as a Deacon of Shady Grove PCA, an Assistant Scoutmaster at Troop 264 in Olney and is a long tenured baseball coach through the Olney Boys and Girls Club. He is an avid outdoorsman and can be found running, biking, camping and spending time with his family on baseball fields all across Maryland.
Matt Bacon, CFP®
Advisor
Matt Bacon, CFP®
Advisor
Matt joined Carmichael Hill in June of 2019. A native to Austin, TX, Matt spent several years out of the country while attending the University of Hull in the UK, where he earned a degree in Economics and Finance. He stayed in the UK working for a large multinational energy company as an economic analyst before returning to Austin in 2011 and jumping into wealth management.
He began his career at working almost exclusively in insurance industry, which was a poor fit for his skills and professional goals. He moved to a boutique wealth management firm after spending just one long and seemingly interminable year in insurance.
Matt went on to acquire several investment licenses at the new firm before obtaining the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation in 2014. This made him one of the youngest people in the nation to have earned the CFP®s marks at just 26 years old. He was responsible for running nearly all aspects of an advisory business, including business development, financial planning, investment administration, insurance, estate planning, operations, and practice management following the attainment of his credential. He likes to tell us that he knows “enough to be dangerous wherever you put me”.
The local firm was acquired by a bigger outfit, at which point he moved to the wealth management division of a local credit union. He was responsible for nearly 450 relationships while there and has some impressive time management skills as a result. In 2019 he moved to Washington, D.C. and made Carmichael Hill his home.
Matt is married and lives in Bethesda with his beautiful wife and adorable golden doodle. He is a lifelong Cowboys fan, but only because he secretly craves disappointment. You can find him watching football, playing soccer, or hitting up a dog park with Coop when he’s not in the office.
Morgan Tester, CFP®, ChFC®
Advisor
Morgan Tester, CFP®, ChFC®
Advisor
Morgan joined the Carmichael Hill team in May of 2019. She started her career with the firm immediately after graduating from Towson University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Financial Planning.
In 2021, Morgan achieved the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation after years of long nights and rigorous tests. This puts her in an elite category – she is one of the youngest planners in the country to have earned the right to use the CFP® marks. In 2023, she achieved the Chartered Financial Consultant® designation. She is meticulous and strives to give each and every client the attention they deserve when managing their portfolio and constructing their financial plan. Morgan is responsible for assisting with investment planning, building retirement plans, and trading in addition to being the office ad-hoc superhero.
Morgan grew up in the Baltimore area and now lives in Columbia. When not in the office she enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching a good movie, or rooting on her favorite football team, the Baltimore Ravens.
Phillip Garrett, CFP®
Advisor
Phillip Garrett , CFP®
Advisor
Phillip joined the Carmichael Hill team in July of 2021. He is a Gaithersburg, MD native and attended Thomas S. Wootton High school and then went on to graduate from the University of Maryland, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Phillip’s passion for helping others achieve their financial goals runs deep as he started crafting financial plans for his mother and relatives at the age of 12. Dedicated to effectively serving others Phillip obtained the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) designation in 2023 which is considered to be the gold standard of the financial planning industry!
The one thing that Phillip loves most about his job are the people! For Phillip nothing compares to the blessing of being able to care for and build long lasting relationships with people. As a CFP® Phillip’s areas of expertise include cash flow analysis, investment portfolio development, retirement planning and insurance.
When not in the office Phillip enjoys spending time with his loved ones, serving at his church, and playing sports.
Julie Stewart
First Impressions Specialist
Julie Stewart
First Impressions Specialist
Julie joined the Carmichael Hill team in 1999 and is likely to be the first voice you hear when you call in. A graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, Julie has a bachelor’s degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management and serves as our Retirement Plan Coordinator and ad-hoc superhero. Julie has also completed the coursework for the Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist (CRPS) designation. She is responsible for bookkeeping, payroll, participant education, retirement plan administration, and a list of other duties too long to enumerate. Ultimately, her passion lies in meeting people at their level and helping them solve their problems.
Julie grew up in South Jersey in a suburb of Philadelphia and now resides in Brookeville, MD with her husband Jim and two teenage sons. Outside of Carmichael Hill you will find her on a baseball field keeping the book for her sons’ baseball teams, singing in the Praise team of her church and phanatically rooting on the Phillies, Eagles, Sixers and Flyers!!
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