June 16, 2026 | New York, NY
Robert Karp is CEO and Managing Partner of AKD Wealth Partners of Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network. With more than 30 years as a financial advisor, Robert leads the team’s planning and private wealth management work for corporate executives, directors, institutions, families, and individuals facing complex financial decisions.
His work centers on the areas where wealth, responsibility, and timing often overlap: concentrated stock positions, executive compensation, 10b5-1 trading plans, wealth transfer, charitable planning, family involvement, estate planning coordination, and long-term investment strategy. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioner, Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, and Accredited Investment Fiduciary®, Robert brings a planning-first approach to each client relationship.
Robert’s career has been shaped by his work with corporate executives and company leadership teams. Prior to joining Wells Fargo Advisors, he ran a municipal bond consulting team at Oppenheimer & Co. from 1992 to 1997. In 1997, his team joined UBS, where the practice expanded into corporate and executive planning. In 2001, Robert and his team joined Wells Fargo Advisors, where the Karp Executive Stock Plan team was formed and developed into a core part of the group’s executive services work.
Through Karp Executive Stock Plan Services, Robert and his team have worked with more than 100 small to mid-cap public companies, executed thousands of 10b5-1 trading plans, and worked directly with thousands of corporate executives. That experience gives Robert a practical view of how equity compensation, liquidity planning, tax considerations, corporate trading rules, and concentrated stock exposure can affect both executives and the companies they serve.
In 2023, AKD Wealth Partners was formed through the combination of Robert’s team and Stephanie Ackler’s team, bringing together two established New York City-based Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network groups. Today, Robert helps guide AKD’s work across private wealth planning, corporate executive services, investment planning, and multi-generational family wealth strategy.
Robert has also been recognized by Forbes as a Best-In-State Wealth Advisor in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2026. The 2026 recognition was awarded in April 2026 based on SHOOK Research data for the period from June 30, 2024, to June 30, 2025. Forbes’ methodology considers factors such as industry experience, interviews, compliance records, assets under management, revenue, and other criteria. Investment performance is not a criterion.
Robert earned his bachelor’s degree in Accounting with a Finance concentration from the State University of New York. Outside of his professional life, he has been active in the North Battery Park City and Tribeca community for decades. Family, community, fitness, travel, and tennis are important parts of his life outside the office.
Executive Stock Plan Experience
A defining part of Robert Karp’s career is his work with executives whose wealth is closely tied to company equity. Through Karp Executive Stock Plan Services, he has helped corporate leaders think through the financial, tax, and personal planning questions that come with equity compensation.
For many executives, stock options, restricted stock, performance shares, and concentrated positions are not just investment holdings. They are tied to employment contracts, public company rules, trading windows, personal liquidity needs, family goals, and long-term tax planning. Robert’s work in this area focuses on helping clients understand what they own, when decisions may need to be made, and how those decisions fit into the larger financial picture.
His team’s experience includes 10b5-1 trading plans, cashless exercises, stock sales, Form 144 coordination when needed, Form 4-related details, concentrated holdings analysis, and education around the risks and planning considerations that come with holding a large position in one company.
Planning Philosophy
Robert’s planning approach is built around clarity, structure, and coordination. His clients often come to him with several moving pieces: investment accounts, company stock, retirement assets, insurance needs, estate planning documents, charitable goals, family responsibilities, and major life decisions. His role is to help organize those pieces into a plan that can be reviewed, adjusted, and acted on over time.
Rather than looking at a portfolio in isolation, Robert focuses on the full balance sheet. That includes how assets are held, where risk may be concentrated, what liquidity may be needed, how taxes may affect decisions, and how family members or outside professionals may need to be involved. This is where his personal CFO-style approach becomes relevant. The goal is not simply to manage assets, but to create a planning structure that supports decision-making across different stages of wealth.
Career Timeline
Robert began his career working in municipal bond consulting, leading a team at Oppenheimer & Co. from 1992 to 1997. That early experience helped shape his understanding of fixed income, planning discipline, and the importance of matching financial tools to client needs.
In 1997, Robert’s team joined UBS and expanded its work into corporate and executive planning. This marked an important shift in the practice, as the team began working more deeply with executives and their company-related financial needs.
In 2001, Robert and his team joined Wells Fargo Advisors. That move led to the formation of Karp Executive Stock Plan Services, which became a central part of the team’s work with public companies, corporate executives, directors, and plan participants.
In 2023, Robert’s team joined with Stephanie Ackler’s team to form AKD Wealth Partners of Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network. The combination brought together planning, executive services, private wealth management, and multi-generational family advisory work under one broader team.
Working With Executives and Families
Robert works with clients whose financial lives often require more than standard investment management. Corporate executives may need guidance on equity compensation, trading plans, liquidity events, tax-aware diversification, and the timing of major decisions. Families may need support around wealth transfer, charitable giving, estate planning coordination, and preparing the next generation for financial responsibility.
This combination of executive planning and family wealth planning is important because the two often overlap. A decision about company stock may affect taxes, retirement timing, estate planning strategy, charitable giving, or family liquidity. Robert’s role is to help clients see those connections before decisions are made.
Community and Personal Life
Outside of work, Robert has long-standing ties to the North Battery Park City and Tribeca community in lower Manhattan. He also spends time in Southampton, New York, and Miami, Florida, with his wife, Stacey, and their three children.
Family plays a central role in his life. He has shared that fitness, travel, community involvement, and tennis are important parts of his time outside the office. His family’s connection to tennis is especially meaningful, with his oldest daughter active in national junior tennis competition.
Disclosure: 2026 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors; Awarded April 2026; Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on the time period from 6/30/24- 6/30/25 (Source: Forbes.com). 2023 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors: Awarded April 2023; Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC Based on the time Period from 6/30/21 – 6/30/22 (Source: Forbes.com). 2022 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors: Awarded April 2022; Data compiled by SHOOK
