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Melinda Crary

Advisor at Creative Money LLC

Updated today

Location

Mountlake Terrace, WA

Credentials

CFP®, Series 63, Series 66

Industry experience

21 years

About

Melinda Crary is a CFP® professional with 21 years of industry experience. She has been with Creative Money LLC since 2011. Outside of her advisory role, she manages Mindy Crary LLC, providing business coaching and training services. Creative Money LLC offers fee-only financial planning focused on retirement, cash flow, tax, estate, and business planning for individual clients. The firm provides written plans and strategy sessions without managing assets, typically recommending passive, low-cost investment approaches.

Client services

Based on Creative Money LLC

Financial planning

Expertise

Based on Creative Money LLC

General retirement planning Cash flow / budgeting College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Business ownership considerations General estate planning guidance

Demographic focus

Based on Creative Money LLC

Young Professionals Established Professionals Approaching retirement Retired

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Fee options

Fixed

Fixed fees for financial planning services such as plan updates and strategy sessions ranging from $1,350 to $4,100

Project-based

$425 per hour generally; $525 per hour when working directly with founder Mindy Crary

Other

Fee-only: Fixed fee financial planning services ranging from $1,350 to $4,100 depending on plan complexity and session type; hourly rates of $425 to $525 also offered

Location

Mountlake Terrace, WA

Most active in

California · Georgia · Illinois · Washington

Work history

Creative Money LLC

2011 - Present (15 years)

Disclosures

Exclamation point means they have disclosures of this type. Check mark means no disclosures of this type were found.

Business activities & affiliations

Gelly L

Series 63, Series 65, Series 7

Seattle, WA

AllianceBernstein L.P.

Beyond the numbers, my work is about stewardship. I’ll be here for the moments that change everything. With Bernstein's experts alongside me, we’ll simplify decisions and create a plan that manages what you’ve built and evolves with your life. My time with the Seattle Seahawks organization left me with a simple standard that still guides how I show up: “Always Compete.” For me, that means treating a client’s goals like they’re my own—preparing relentlessly, getting the details right, anticipating issues early and following through until the job is done. I joined Bernstein because I wanted to serve clients from a place where excellence is the baseline and where the work is as human as it is analytical. I’m wired to ask, “Is this the optimal move?” Bernstein’s depth of thinking, team-based approach and commitment to long-term relationships aligned with how I naturally serve—consistently thoughtful, tenacious, and deeply client‑centric. I’m also drawn to roles where you’re trusted to represent something bigger than yourself, whether it’s community-facing work with the Seahawks or now as an advisor. That responsibility keeps me grounded; it’s about earning trust, protecting what clients have built and helping them make confident decisions at the moments that matter most. Some of my earliest perspective on resilience and resourcefulness came from my family’s roots in the Philippines. Growing up, I heard stories of making do with very little, even hand‑pumping water from a ground well in my parents’ village just to cook or bathe. That upbringing didn’t just teach gratitude, it also emphasized responsibility. It shaped my values early: don’t take opportunities for granted, do what you say you’ll do, and use success to take care of people. Having built a company myself, I understand the pressure experienced by entrepreneurs, who are constantly weighing risks, trade-offs and responsibilities. That background helps me empathize with business owners, executives and families who balance opportunity with complexity. And I know how freeing it is to move forward with clarity from a set of optimal decisions, especially for founders, athletes and entertainers contemplating a “second act.”

Wealth management Cross-border & expatriate issues Real estate investing General retirement planning Concentrated stock management Financial Professional FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) Established Professionals Approaching retirement Female Executives Women Business Owners
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Kathleen G

Series 63, Series 66

Bainbridge Island, WA

Gallagher Capital Corp.

Kathleen Gallagher is the sole advisor at Gallagher Capital Corp., an independent firm based in Bainbridge Island, WA. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has 22 years of industry experience, having led Gallagher Capital Corp. since 2004. Gallagher Capital Corp. specializes in discretionary fixed-income portfolio management for high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and retirement accounts, focusing on income generation and capital preservation. The firm employs an active, risk-aware investment approach with an emphasis on holding bonds to maturity and uses independent credit research to guide investment selection.

Active portfolio management Income planning General retirement planning
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Huihwan Y

Series 63, Series 65

Kirkland, WA

Waterhill Capital, LLC

Huihwan Yu is the sole advisor at Waterhill Capital, LLC, an independent registered investment adviser based in Kirkland, WA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 14 years of industry experience. Mr. Yu has managed Waterhill Capital since 2014. Waterhill Capital provides discretionary portfolio management to individual investors, including IRAs and trusts, as well as limited partners in a private investment partnership. The firm focuses on long-term capital appreciation with an emphasis on capital preservation, employing a "go anywhere, buy anything" investment approach across publicly traded securities without using leverage or private securities.

Active portfolio management Concentrated stock management
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Shai W

Series 65

Suquamish, WA

Shai Weinbaum Investment Management

Shai Weinbaum is the sole advisor at Shai Weinbaum Investment Management in Poulsbo, WA, holding a Series 65 designation with five years of industry experience. He has operated his independent firm since 2013. The firm provides discretionary investment management services primarily to individual clients, high-net-worth individuals, and small businesses. It customizes portfolios based on bottom-up fundamental analysis focused on intrinsic value and long-term outperformance, avoiding margin, debt, derivatives, and technical or cyclical analysis.

Active portfolio management
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Robert U

Series 65

Seattle, WA

Robert A. Underhill P.C.

Robert Underhill is the principal of Robert A. Underhill P.C., an independent advisory firm based in Seattle, WA. He holds the Series 65 designation and has 23 years of industry experience. He has led his firm since its founding in 2002. Underhill is also a CPA and provides accounting and tax services alongside his advisory work. Robert A. Underhill P.C. offers investment advisory services primarily to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and estates. The firm focuses on selecting and overseeing third-party investment managers rather than directly managing client portfolios.

Concentrated stock management
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Ronald C

CFA®

Kirkland, WA

Lakeside Financial Inc.

Ronald Chan is a CFA® charterholder and the sole advisor at Lakeside Financial Inc. in Kirkland, WA, with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Lakeside Financial since 2015. Outside of investment advisory, he spends significant time providing management consulting services, including financial analysis and strategic recommendations, notably for a corporate client in the furniture industry. Lakeside Financial is an independent, state-registered firm managing approximately $35 million for around 34 clients. The firm serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and business entities, offering investment management, financial planning, and management consulting. Its investment approach incorporates intrinsic-value, quantitative, and qualitative analysis across multiple asset classes and geographies, with features such as the use of margin, securities lending, and performance-based fee arrangements.

Options & derivatives strategies Concentrated stock management Private / alternative investments
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