Why this firm exists

Built for the owners who built something.

Baker Business Advisors is the business value-building and transaction advisory division of Baker Wealth Management — built specifically for owners whose business is their largest, least-planned-for asset.

The story

An advisory practice, extended to where owners actually need help.

Baker Wealth Management has spent more than two decades building comprehensive financial plans for individuals and families — retirement, investments, tax, and estate planning, all working together instead of in separate silos. But for the many clients who also run a business, we kept seeing the same blind spot: the business was almost always their largest asset, and almost always the one with the least real planning behind it.

Those owners usually had a wealth advisor. Some had an accountant, an attorney, or eventually a valuation firm or business broker. What they didn't have was someone holding the whole picture — making sure the work to build the business's value, the owner's personal financial plan, and the eventual transaction were all moving toward the same outcome, on the same timeline.

Baker Business Advisors was built to close that gap. We paired Baker Wealth Management's planning discipline with Michael Gregson's firsthand experience as a Wall Street executive, entrepreneur, and business owner who has personally been through the acquisition process — plus formal training in exit planning through the CEPA® designation. That combination lets us do more than coordinate outside specialists: we can quarterback the transaction itself, alongside them, so the business, the personal side, and the financial side move as one coordinated plan rather than three separate ones.

The team

The people behind the plan.

Jason Baker, CPFA, CEPA®

Co-Founder & President, Baker Wealth Management

Jason's interest in markets started at age ten, when his mother bought him one share of Toys "R" Us stock. He followed the price in the newspaper and collected the dividend checks, and the original certificate still hangs in his office. That curiosity led him to a degree in Economics from Clemson University in 1994, and he became a registered financial professional the following year.

He holds the Series 4, 7, 24, 63, and 65 licenses and Life & Health Insurance licensure. He is also a Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) and a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®).

Jason begins with the client's story rather than the portfolio. Values set the goals, and the goals shape the plan. For most business owners, the business is the largest part of that story. Jason's passion is helping owners grow that value with intention, using the CEPA Value Acceleration Methodology, and making sure that when the time comes to transition, the wealth they've built goes on to do something meaningful for their family and beyond.

Dawn Baker, CFP®, AEP®, CEPA®

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Baker Wealth Management

Dawn became a financial professional after seeing how many of her peers had little grounding in money matters. She earned a business degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and began her career as an advisor in 1998. She was soon drawn to the most complex and challenging planning cases, and also took on leading the advisors in her branch.

She holds the Series 7, 24, 63, and 65 licenses, along with long-term care and Life & Health Insurance licensure. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional, an Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®), and a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®). She has spoken as a panelist at Cambridge's national and women's conferences, and her interest in compliance led her to serve as a FINRA arbitrator.

Dawn's instinct is to find the weak point in a plan before it becomes a problem. For business owners, that means spotting the gap between a business that runs well today and one that's truly ready to transition, while there's still time to close it. Her estate planning expertise carries that work through to the family: making sure the value an owner has built is protected, passed on thoughtfully, and positioned to make an impact that reflects what the family cares about.

Michael Gregson, CEPA®

Managing Director, Baker Business Advisors
Series 7 & 66, registered with Cambridge Investment Research

Michael brings nearly thirty years of Wall Street experience to Baker Business Advisors, as both an executive and an entrepreneur. Early in his career he held senior roles at firms that were acquired or taken public, giving him an inside view of how transactions actually unfold: the diligence, the integration, and the moments at the table that make or break value.

He later founded and built his own firm and led it through a successful acquisition by a national wealth management firm. He knows firsthand what it means to pour yourself into a business and then hand it off. He understands the pride, the uncertainty, and the question of what comes next.

Michael is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®). At Baker Business Advisors, he leads day-to-day client engagement, research, and execution. His goal is to help owners build a business worth acquiring, get the deal done on the right terms, and leave with the resources to build the next chapter they want for their family.

The affiliation

Part of Baker Wealth Management.

Baker Business Advisors operates as a division of Baker Wealth Management. Securities and advisory services are offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. and Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc. Full disclosures are available in the footer of every page on this site.

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