David P. Nolan

Chief Investment Officer

In his role as Chief Investment Officer, David provides strategic direction to the firm's overall investment program and serves as the chair of the Investment Strategy Committee. He is also a member of our Risk Management Specialized Practice Group.

Licensing and Education

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Wake Forest University
Series 7 and Series 66 Licenses (1979-84)

Accomplishments and Honors

Prior to McKinley Carter, David worked for BB&T Corp. and its predecessors, serving as senior vice president and portfolio manager in the Asset Management (RIA) division where he managed multiple public equity mutual funds. He also managed an equity common trust fund that transitioned into a public mutual fund (1993) for 24 years. In 2006, the fund was named a "Category King" by the Wall Street Journal due to its status as a "Lipper Leader” for consistent, long-term performance.

David was named by West Virginia Executive Magazine as a member of the 2023 Sharp Shooters class in recognition of his career achievements and community involvement. He has appeared on CNBC TV, Bloomberg TV and Bloomberg Radio and was featured twice in The Wall Street Transcript. He has been quoted in other media outlets, such as the Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Online, and Smart Money Online.

Community Involvement

David has been active in his church since 1979. He currently serves as chair of its Finance and Generosity Committee. David has also chaired the Board of Trustees, Fellowship and Recreation Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee, and coached church league basketball for 41 years. He has been a board member of the Charleston Church Recreation Association for over three decades.

David served as the chair of the Investment Subcommittee of the Presbytery of WV and is a member of the Investment Committee of the YWCA of Charleston. He is also a former board member of the Charleston Children’s Theatre and Daymark (serving at-risk youth). Additionally, David has facilitated McKinley Carter’s status as the financial services advisor to the FPC Hope Center, a non-profit whose mission is to assist young adults in successfully transitioning out of foster care.

Selected Recognitions

2023: Senior Investment Strategist David Nolan Selected as 2023 WV Sharp Shooter Award Recipient by WV Executive Magazine

Selected Resources

David’s Articles

Investing

After a Prosperous 2024, Who is in Our Circle of Trust for 2025?

In the 2000 film, Meet the Parents, actor Robert De Niro played Jack Byrnes, a retired CIA officer and father to Pam Byrnes, the girlfriend of character Greg Fokker, played by actor Ben Stiller. In the film, Jack Byrnes describes to his potential son-in-law, Greg, the importance of being part of the family’s “Circle of Trust.”

Much like in the movie, we are continually assessing which investments qualify for our “Circle of Trust.” 2024 saw investments related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) as trusted members of that circle. AI investments in semiconductors and software joined power suppliers (think utilities) and power management companies as winners in 2024 as the artificial intelligence theme saw robust investor interest in what is perceived as the next great frontier of investment opportunity. Learn more.

Investing

The Revenge of the 493

Markets were volatile in the third quarter as investors faced political turmoil and increased uncertainty about future economic growth, but the return of Fed rate cuts and solid corporate earnings helped to offset those political and economic anxieties, and the S&P 500 hit another new all-time high and finished the quarter with strong gains. In the third quarter, we began to see other stocks (the 493) participate in the stock market’s rise. Learn more.

Investing

The Few. The Proud. The Elephants.

While "The Few, The Proud, The Marines" is a recruiting slogan for the U.S. Marine Corps, in the stock market, the “Few and the Proud” have been the “Magnificent 7” stocks (Nvidia, Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Tesla) and their performance reminds one of the stampeding effects of charging elephants. Like these large pachyderms, the “Mag 7” have run roughshod over the broad stock market this year and have left most other stocks lagging far behind. Much of the excitement surrounding these companies is focused on their dominance in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) investment landscape. Learn more about our 2Q2024 market review.

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