Luke Bengen Smith

Adam Van Ness is the sole advisor at NW Straits Financial Services in Bellingham, WA, holding Series 65 and Series 66 designations with 15 years of industry experience. He has served as a financial advisor since 2021, following five years as a homemaker. Outside of his advisory practice, he teaches community-based continuing education classes on personal finance topics and serves as a board member for Unity Care Northwest, a local nonprofit healthcare provider. NW Straits Financial Services provides discretionary investment management and project-based personal financial consulting primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm emphasizes passive, index-based portfolios tailored to client-specific asset allocations and time horizons, with a focus on managing risk as clients approach withdrawal events.

Demetrio Munoz is a financial advisor with Stirlingshire Investment. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 28 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, Bank of America, Merrill, and MassMutual. He is also involved in non-variable insurance sales, including fixed life and fixed annuities. Stirlingshire Investment provides investment advisory and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, businesses, and corporate pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, delivering advice through a nationwide network of Investment Advisor Representatives who work with third-party account managers and provide supervisory oversight.

Hi, I’m Meg. I’m the founder and lead planner at Flow Financial Planning. We are dedicated to women in their early-to-mid career in the tech industry, specializing in the IPO journey: pre-IPO, going through the IPO, and managing the wealth—and attendant opportunities—that come out of it. Do you: • Want to achieve some level of financial independence? • Wish you felt more confident in your financial choices, because you understood how they fit into the larger strategy? • Make more money than you expected to? Are you anxious that you’re not doing the right thing with it? • Have no one in your life you can talk to about your money? • Have more money than you need right now, and you don’t want to waste this opportunity? • Receive company stock but are unsure how to use it? • Dream about leaving the tech industry, but wonder how you could walk away? Together we can work through it all. Get more clarity on what you want in life. Identify specific tasks you can do to organize, simplify, and strengthen your finances, so you can create that life for yourself. My credentials and education: • Certified Financial Planner® professional • Retirement Income Certified Professional® • Registered Life Planner® • Masters of Science in Financial Planning, Golden Gate University • Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Wellesley College Prior to becoming a financial planner, I worked as a technical writer for 10 years in the San Francisco Bay Area, mostly in the software-security sector. After San Francisco and two cross-country moves, my family settled in Bellingham, WA. (I can see Canada from my front porch!) So many of my interests—hiking, biking, cooking, yoga, never-ending kale—are part of the fabric of life here. If you’d like to get some financial clarity, please set up a short, free call. If nothing else, check out our blog. Twice a month I write about issues pertinent to women in tech. You don’t want to miss the Adventures of Block Woman, do you?

Meet Eric Smith, CFP®, MEd, MBA I started Ridge Falls Financial Planning because I love helping people gain clarity and confidence in their financial lives. While I have a background in supporting service-oriented professionals, my practice is specifically designed for aspiring DIY Investors and Validators—those who manage their own finances but want a professional "second set of eyes" to ensure they are on track for retirement. A Collaborative, Advice-Only Approach: The inspiration for my firm came from my own life. At various points in our careers, my wife and I wanted to meet with a financial planner on an hourly basis to ensure we were on the right path. We wanted a fiduciary to take a comprehensive look at everything—from long-range cash flow and insurance to investments and estate planning. However, we wanted that advice without the requirement of asset management. Today, I provide that exact service: holistic, pre-retirement financial reviews on an hourly, Advice-Only basis. Financial Expertise: I spent 12 years in the financial services industry, serving as a branch manager, community banker, and business lender. I also served as a SCORE Business Mentor, helping entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. An Educator’s Perspective: I have over 15 years of experience as an educator. My background includes teaching at Western Washington University (WWU) and serving in the U.S. Peace Corps in Mongolia. I use this experience to make complex financial concepts easy to understand. Academic Foundation: I hold a degree in Cultural Anthropology (Psychology emphasis), a Master of Education, and a Master of Business Administration, all from WWU. Life in the Pacific Northwest: I have called Bellingham, WA home for over 25 years and am an active member of our outdoor community. A great day includes mountain biking the Ridge Trail on Galbraith and a family walk in Whatcom Falls Park with our dog, Zuzu. These two local trail systems inspired the name of my business: Ridge Falls Financial Planning.

Timothy Brockman is a financial advisor at Stock Pro with 12 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Brockman Capital Management, LLC since 2016. Outside of advisory services, he teaches business courses at Whatcom Community College and Bellingham Technical College. Stock Pro offers discretionary portfolio management and financial planning to individuals, trusts, and retirement plans, providing model portfolios with machine-learning and options strategies alongside a public subscription research service. The firm supports digital asset holdings for certain accounts and integrates insurance brokerage services with its advisory offerings.

Richard Joines is a financial advisor at FSR Wealth Management, LLC with 24 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with FSR Wealth Management since 2014. Joines is licensed to sell life, disability, and variable insurance products in Washington State. FSR Wealth Management is an independent registered investment adviser that serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, charitable organizations, business owners, and pension/profit-sharing plans. The firm provides portfolio management, financial planning, pension consulting, and insurance-related advice, often managing accounts on a discretionary basis using a combination of fundamental and technical analysis with a long-term orientation.