An African American Financial Advisor
Who Understands Your Journey.
Competence. Cultural understanding. A fiduciary commitment that never wavers.
As an African American financial advisor based in Oklahoma City, Kathy Williams understands that finding the right advisor is about more than technical expertise. You are looking for an advisor who understands the context. The history. The specific financial challenges and extraordinary opportunities that come with building wealth as a Black American in this economy.
Kathy Williams, RFC®, is an African American financial advisor with more than 30 years of experience serving Black clients across Oklahoma City and the United States. She brings both the technical depth of a fiduciary financial advisor and the cultural fluency that comes from lived experience — understanding not just the numbers, but what those numbers mean for your family, your community, and your legacy.
At Advance Financial Lighthouse, we do not have account minimums. We do not start with your portfolio. We start with your purpose — with values-based financial planning that reflects who you are and the life you are building.
The Unique Financial Challenges
Black Families Navigate.
A good financial plan accounts for the world as it actually is.
Black Americans face a distinct set of financial realities that a general advisor may not fully account for. The racial wealth gap is not just a statistic — it is a starting point that shapes decisions about savings rates, risk tolerance, homeownership, business ownership, and the urgency of black wealth management that can be passed down across generations.
Many of the Black families and professionals we serve are first-generation wealth builders — creating financial structures their families have never had before. Others are professionals in their peak earning years who have never had an advisor who truly understood their goals or their community. Others are navigating sudden wealth — a business sale, an inheritance, a settlement — and need guidance they can actually trust.
A culturally competent african american financial advisor does not just understand these realities intellectually. She has lived them, worked through them with clients for three decades, and built a practice designed to serve this community with the depth it deserves.
Black Clients at Every Stage
of Building Wealth.
We serve the full arc of the Black wealth-building journey — not just the destination.
First-Generation Wealth Builders
Creating financial structures your family has never had before. We help you build the foundation, the habits, and the strategy that turns one generation of wealth into the next. This is where black wealth management begins.
Black Professionals & High Earners
Doctors, attorneys, executives, engineers — Black professionals in their peak earning years who need coordinated tax strategy, investment management, and a retirement plan that reflects their income and their goals.
Black Women
Black women face a distinct intersection of the gender wealth gap and the racial wealth gap. We have a dedicated practice area for financial planning for Black women — entrepreneurs, professionals, and women navigating major life transitions.
Black Families
Coordinated planning for couples and families building wealth together. From newlyweds aligning their finances to established families protecting what they have built — we treat your family as one connected financial system. Learn more about our financial planning for Black families.
Federal Employees & Military
Black federal employees and retired military at Tinker Air Force Base, the FAA, Veterans Affairs, and other federal agencies across the OKC metro. Your FERS, TSP, and FEHB benefits are powerful — and you deserve an advisor who maximizes every one of them.
Sudden Wealth
Business sale proceeds, inheritance, legal settlements, or equity events — sudden wealth requires a trusted advisor who will slow you down, protect you from pressure, and build a plan that honors everything that money represents.
“I built this practice to serve people who have been underserved, overlooked, or handed a plan that was never really built for them. The Black community deserves financial guidance that meets them where they are — with competence, with cultural fluency, and with a fiduciary commitment that never changes.”
Kathy Williams, RFC® · Founder & CEO · Advance Financial Lighthouse
A Practice Built on Trust.
Not Transactions.
We are not asset gatherers. We are financial planners.
Many advisors who claim to do financial planning are actually asset managers. They have account minimums. They earn commissions on products they recommend. They gather assets — they do not build plans. At Advance Financial Lighthouse, Kathy Williams charges for financial planning and investment management. There are no account minimums. No product-driven recommendations. No conflicts of interest hidden in a compensation structure you never see — just integrated wealth management built around your life.
As a black financial planner who has served this community for more than 30 years, Kathy understands that trust is earned slowly and lost quickly. Every recommendation she makes is governed by the fiduciary standard — legally required to act in your best interest, every time.
Values First
Before we touch a number, we understand what your wealth is for. Family. Legacy. Freedom. Independence. The plan starts with your values, not your portfolio.
Comprehensive Strategy
Cash flow, tax strategy, investment management, protection planning, retirement, and estate planning — all coordinated in one plan that reflects your full financial life.
Long-Term Partnership
Quarterly reviews. Annual deep dives. Real-time guidance when life changes. We are not here for a transaction. We are here for the long arc of your financial life.
What Black Clients Ask Before They Hire Us
Why should I look for a Black financial advisor specifically?
You do not have to. But many Black clients find that working with an african american financial advisor who understands the racial wealth gap, first-generation wealth building, and the cultural context of their financial decisions makes for a meaningfully different planning relationship. The most important thing is fiduciary status, competence, and alignment with your values. Kathy Williams brings all three — and the cultural fluency that comes from 30 years of serving this community.
Do you have account minimums?
No. Advance Financial Lighthouse does not have account minimums. Many black financial advisors near me who operate as asset managers require $250,000, $500,000, or more before they will work with you. We do not. We are a fee-based planning firm. We charge for the plan and for investment management. We start with whoever is ready to build — not whoever already has enough.
What is the difference between a financial planner and an asset manager?
An asset manager manages your investment portfolio. A financial planner builds a strategy that coordinates your investments, taxes, insurance, retirement, estate plan, and cash flow into one plan. Many advisors who call themselves financial planners are actually asset managers — they gather assets and earn fees on what they manage. As a black financial planner, Kathy Williams charges for financial planning as a service and manages investments as part of a comprehensive strategy.
I am a first-generation wealth builder. Where do I start?
With a conversation. First-generation wealth builders often come to us without a financial template — no family history of investing, no inherited strategy, no one to call with questions. That is exactly the gap we fill. We start with your values, your income, your goals, and your family. We build the structure from there. You do not need to have it figured out before you call.
Do you serve Black clients outside Oklahoma City?
Yes. We are based in Oklahoma City but serve clients nationwide through virtual planning meetings. If you are searching for an african american financial advisors near me, a black financial planner near me, or black owned financial advisors near me and cannot find one locally who meets your standards, we are here. We also work with clients who have searched black financial advisors near me without finding the right fit. The relationship we build does not require you to be in the same city.
How do I verify Kathy Williams' credentials and fiduciary status?
You can verify Kathy’s registration and fiduciary status through her Form ADV filed with the SEC, and check her background through FINRA BrokerCheck. Her RFC® designation through the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants requires ongoing education, experience, and ethical standards. We also encourage you to ask for fiduciary status in writing at any first meeting.
Your Wealth. Your Legacy.
Your Advisor.
Schedule a complimentary 20-minute introduction call with Kathy Williams, RFC®. No pressure. No pitch. Just an honest conversation about what matters to you and whether we are the right fit to help you build it.