Earth Equity hires Mike Vines for Asheville advisory office

Earth Equity Advisors has hired Mike Vines as a financial advisor in its Asheville, North Carolina, office, adding a Western North Carolina adviser with more than a decade of experience in business development and client service. The move expands the firm’s local advisory bench as it serves a national client base focused on sustainable, resilient and innovation investing.

Vines will work with individuals, families and business owners on wealth management, retirement planning and wealth protection. His remit also includes building Earth Equity’s presence in Asheville and maintaining client relationships in the region.

The hire is a personnel move within a wealth-management market where sustainable and impact-oriented portfolios remain part of broader financial planning conversations. For SRI-focused firms, adviser recruitment can affect both client acquisition and retention, particularly when advisers bring local relationships and experience working with other professional advisers.

Vines most recently worked as an investment advisor representative with 1847 Financial. Before that, he was a senior banker at PNC Bank, where Earth Equity said he was recognized in 2025 as the top banking partner for wealth-management referrals across Western North Carolina.

His background includes building relationships with attorneys, CPAs and other professionals who often work alongside advisers on business owners’ succession plans, retirement income strategies and estate-related planning. Vines is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor and holds North Carolina life, health, long-term care and Medicare Supplement insurance credentials.

Peter Krull, partner and director of sustainable investing at Earth Equity, said Vines’ ties to Western North Carolina and approach to client service fit the firm’s advisory model. Krull also cited Vines’ financial background and sustainability focus as support for clients seeking to connect portfolios with personal values.

Vines earned a Master of Financial Technology and Analytics from Wake Forest University in 2025, a credential that adds formal training in analytics to his advisory and banking experience. Earth Equity said his earlier work leading Outward Bound wilderness expeditions in rock climbing, whitewater canoeing and backpacking influenced his approach to working with clients.

A 25-year resident of Western North Carolina, Vines joins a firm headquartered in Asheville and built around sustainable-investment financial planning. The addition gives Earth Equity another adviser in a market where its brand is tied to both local roots and national client service.

Vines said the role aligns with his personal and professional interests, adding that he views financial planning as a way to reflect clients’ priorities while helping them plan for retirement and broader financial security.

Earth Equity is a Prime Capital Financial company and has worked with clients for more than 20 years. Its services combine financial planning and wealth management with investment approaches tied to a cleaner, more resource-efficient, resilient and equitable economy, according to the firm.

Prime Capital Financial provides wealth, retirement, wellness, family office and tax advisory services. The firm has 70 locations across the United States, with investment adviser representatives serving clients nationally.

The Asheville appointment also underscores Earth Equity’s emphasis on sustainable wealth management in Asheville, where local adviser relationships may help the firm serve clients seeking values-aligned portfolio and planning advice.