Abacus Planning Group, Inc.

Thank you, Columbia!

A shout-out to our clients, friends, colleagues, and neighbors who voted us Columbia's Best Financial Planner for 2026 by the readers of the Free Times.

After calling Devine Street home for more than 28 years, this recognition is heartwarming, knowing the kudos come from our friends and neighbors who know us well. To learn more about our story and growth over the years, click the link below.

https://abacusplanninggroup.com/approach/founding-story

-

This ranking was provided by Post and Courier Free Times. Abacus Planning Group did not pay any compensation to be considered for the nomination or ranking.
The Free Times Best of Columbia 2026 contest follows a public nomination and voting process managed through digital ballots, with standard promotional and contest participation disclosures applied to the process and timeline. Nominations open in April, and readers can write in local favorites across more than 300 categories. Category winners are determined by reader response and vote tallies. Abacus Planning Group is not an affiliate of The Post and Courier. Abacus Planning Group was nominated, and the result was independently granted. The Post and Courier does not endorse Abacus Planning Group or any of its representatives.

Abacus celebrates our founder, Cheryl Holland, and her recognition as a 2026 Woman of Distinction.

Since 1993, Girl Scouts of South Carolina-Mountains to Midlands has recognized extraordinary women across the Midlands who lead with courage, confidence, and character with this award. Brava, Cheryl!

Abacus is proud to support the Greenville Center for Creative Arts.

The Greenville Center for Creative Arts provides community access to art through education and exhibitions while providing support to local artists. The Art Bash celebrates the GCCA’s 11th birthday and showcases everything from live painting and improv to poetry readings and dance performances. Tickets are free.

The Abacus team “popped over” to the Columbia Museum of Art to listen to a favored South Carolina artist, Paul Yanko, discuss his artistic process.

Paul was recently commissioned to create a piece for the Columbia Museum of Art's grand staircase honoring former Executive Director Della Watkins. Paul shared his creative process while we enjoyed this spectacular addition to the CMA collection.

Homework assignment? Contrast and compare Abacus’s Yanko (pictured last) with the Museum’s Yanko.

Introducing our 2026 summer internship class!

James Pearson, Travis Hunter, Autumn Montgomery, Ava Upton, Joseph Scarimbolo, and Isaiah Cantey joined Abacus after a rigorous and competitive selection process. These six interns will assist Abacus team members on various technical projects and participate in learning experiences, from joining team conversations to leading staff meetings.

Joining other firms across the Midlands for the United Way of the Midlands Volunteer Week, the Abacus team spent an afternoon volunteering at our local Harvest Hope Food Bank.

We spent our time packing summer feeding kits for students who rely on free school lunches during the school year, so they do not have to worry about food during their summer vacation

-

Not only did our team enjoy helping the children of our community, we noticed that volunteering was refreshing and stress-free.

"Naturally, the dialogue surrounding activism and volunteerism centers on how others will benefit from volunteer work that you do. But years of research demonstrate that there are benefits for volunteers themselves."

Read more about how you and others will benefit from volunteer work on the NAMI blog, linked below.

https://www.nami.org/blog/how-volunteering-improves-mental-health/

Congratulations to our three graduating interns: Abby, Anthony, and Eme!

Eme and Abby both graduated from the University of South Carolina. Eme completed a degree in political science, and Abby completed a degree in finance. Anthony graduated from AC Flora High School and is headed to Midlands Technical College to continue his education. We wish the three of them the best of luck in their future endeavors!

Abacus celebrates Earth Day throughout the Year!

Abacus’s Sustainability Team’s mission is to reduce the firm’s environmental impact, support responsible uses of resources in our firm and our community, and weave sustainability practices into all we do.

Each year, the Abacus team wanders outside our four doors to support a local sustainability effort. This year, we partnered with SC Adopt-A-Stream at Maxcy Gregg Park for a hands-on water testing experience. We now have a deeper understanding of how local policies affect the natural habitats in our neighborhoods.

From our multifaceted recycling strategy (we have a Mill recycler!) to enrolling our lot as a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat to our many policies to offset our carbon footprint and plastic use, all of us at Abacus strive to steward our natural resources for a better future.

Abacus is proud to partner with Children's Trust of South Carolina each April to recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month. Children’s Trust empowers communities and strengthens families so all children thrive!

Last week, we planted blue pinwheels in front of our Columbia and Greenville offices to show our support and bring attention to such an important cause.

Bravo to Carl Richards and All Good Books for creating the magic for Abacus’s client appreciation event.

Carl Richards is a dynamic international speaker and author, well known for his ability to simplify the most complex money ideas. Carl discussed his latest book, Your Money: Reimagining Wealth in 101 Simple Sketches with our founder, Cheryl Holland. Bonus points! Carl signed copies of the book for our clients and friends.