Michael Baer is a CFP® professional with 10 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with Merit Financial Advisors and has previously worked at firms including Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, LPL Financial, Triad Investment Management, and Charles Schwab. Outside of his advisory role, Baer serves as a mascot for the Seattle Sounders Football Club and consults on RIA industry trends for Dialectica. Merit Financial Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser with over 260 advisors serving more than 20,000 clients nationally. The firm offers coordinated wealth-management services and employs a long-term, diversified investment approach combining centrally managed portfolios with advisor customization options.

Kari Frink is a CFP® with 12 years of industry experience currently serving at LNW in Seattle, WA. Her prior roles include positions at Wells Fargo and Jordahl & Sliter Wealth Management Group, LLC. She is involved with LNW Wealth Management and Laird Norton Wealth Management through various transitions since 2019. LNW provides integrated wealth management and trust services primarily for high-net-worth individuals and their related entities. The firm’s approach emphasizes customized investment policy statements, global diversification, active manager due diligence, and coordination with outside professionals to address complex, multi-entity financial needs.

Brittany Gabelein is a financial advisor at Coldstream Wealth Management with 14 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Eagle Strategies and Seidman Insurance Consultants. Outside of her advisory role, she is also employed as a CPA at Hersman Serles Almond, LLC. Coldstream Wealth Management is an employee-owned firm serving affluent individuals, families, business owners, corporate executives, employee benefit plans, and endowments. The firm manages approximately $12.4 billion in assets and offers a range of services including portfolio management, financial planning, wealth transfer, and retirement plan advisory through team-based wealth management supported by an internal investment strategy group.

Kelly Shelgren is a financial advisor at Capital Analysts with 10 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Lincoln Investment since 2015. Shelgren also operates Shelgren Financial, which she founded in 2010. Capital Analysts serves a diverse client base including individual and high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management using in-house model portfolios and third-party managers, with a fiduciary focus and various customization options.

Brendan Sullivan is a financial advisor at Scs with 16 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked with Parcion Private Wealth LLC, Sound Legacy Wealth Advisors, The Bahnsen Group, and HIGHTOWER Advisors. Scs serves individuals, trusts, corporations, and retirement plans with a 27-advisor team managing approximately $1.64 billion in discretionary assets. The firm employs a comprehensive investment approach combining tactical, strategic, and dynamic asset allocation alongside fundamental and technical analysis.

Alexander Bartos is a financial advisor at Empirical Wealth Management with 16 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP®, CFA®, and Series 63 designations. Prior to joining Empirical Wealth Management in 2022, Bartos worked at Dimensional Fund Advisors for 12 years. He is also involved with the Laco Fire Department and Lifeguard Operations. Empirical Wealth Management serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, pensions, and profit-sharing plans, offering fee-based investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm utilizes Modern Portfolio Theory to construct diversified portfolios across multiple asset classes and operates affiliated businesses in real estate, insurance, and estate planning.

Alice Boytz is a financial advisor at Northwest Asset Management with 18 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and previously worked at the University of Washington for eight years before joining Northwest Asset Management. Northwest Asset Management serves individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals, as well as pension plans, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes strategic asset allocation and Modern Portfolio Theory, utilizing diversified ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, and fixed-income instruments with periodic rebalancing.

Michael Gerke is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Badgley Phelps Wealth Managers since 2016, including its predecessor entity, and is based in Seattle, WA. Badgley Phelps Wealth Managers offers personalized wealth and investment management and financial planning services to individuals, families, corporations, retirement plans, endowments, and foundations. The firm employs a disciplined investment process combining fundamental equity selection, ETF/model portfolios, fixed income, and liquid alternatives, and provides both discretionary and non-discretionary client relationship management.

Mari Nakata is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 designation with five years of industry experience. She has been with Freestone Capital Management, LLC since 2018. Prior to her current role, she was affiliated with the University of Washington from 2014 to 2018. Freestone Capital Management, LLC is a comprehensive wealth management firm serving approximately 2,900 clients with around $14.5 billion in assets under management. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and private fund sponsorship, utilizing a combination of internally managed models, third-party sub-advisers, and alternative investments with a focus on downside risk.

Tyler Harvey is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Brighton Jones LLC in Seattle, WA. He has been with Brighton Jones since 2016 in various roles. Brighton Jones serves individuals, high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth families, retirement plan sponsors, pooled vehicles, charitable organizations, business entities, and trusts. The firm offers comprehensive wealth services with a balance-sheet, holistic approach that includes discretionary and non-discretionary management, family office services, tax preparation, and access to private investment opportunities.

Abigail Wachter is a financial advisor at Brighton Jones LLC in Seattle, WA, holding a Series 65 designation with one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Brighton Jones, she worked at Deloitte Tax LLP for seven years and has also held roles at Gonzaga Graduate School of Business and Seattle University Albers School of Business & Economics. Brighton Jones serves high-net-worth individuals, families, and various institutional clients with a holistic wealth management approach, offering comprehensive services such as personal CFO programs, discretionary investment management, tax preparation, and access to private investments.

Scott Comfort is a CFP® professional at Threadline Wealth with three years of industry experience. He has previously worked at Moss Adams Wealth Advisors, Stackline, Moss Adams, and Fircrest Golf Club. Threadline Wealth provides wealth management, financial planning, and investment consulting services to a wide range of clients including individuals, families, business owners, and institutional clients. The firm emphasizes diversified, long-term portfolio construction using a core-and-satellite approach and incorporates strategies such as options-based hedging and private fund selections.

Mc Kenzie Granston is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) at Freestone Capital Management, LLC with three years of industry experience. Prior to joining Freestone in 2020, Granston held roles at Getty Images, the Bill and Melinda Gates Investments Group, Nordstrom, and the University of Washington. Freestone Capital Management is a wealth management firm serving approximately 2,900 clients with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and private fund offerings. The firm combines internally managed models, third-party sub-advisers, and alternative investments to create diversified portfolios with a focus on downside risk.

George Jarvis is a financial advisor at Waverly Advisors, LLC with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Pacific Portfolio Consulting, LLC, Amazon Web Services, Outreach Corporation, Washington State University, and Sip Wine Bar. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm offers a range of investment management and financial planning services, integrating traditional strategies with alternative and private-market allocations.

Matthew Howell is a financial advisor with Brighton Jones LLC in Seattle, WA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 12 years of industry experience. He has been with Brighton Jones since 2015 across multiple periods, including his current tenure beginning in 2024. Brighton Jones LLC provides comprehensive wealth-management services to individuals, charitable organizations, pooled investment vehicles, and retirement plans. The firm employs a Personal CFO model and offers family office services, discretionary investment management, and private-investment opportunities through its subsidiary Lenora Capital.

Gunnar Ildhuso III is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 65 license with five years of industry experience. He has been with Coldstream Wealth Management since 2021, following prior roles at Pacific Portfolio Consulting, LLC and Verus. He serves as a board member of the National Nordic Museum, a private company, dedicating approximately 30 hours annually without compensation. Coldstream Wealth Management is an employee-owned firm that serves affluent individuals, families, business owners, corporate executives, employee benefit plans, and endowments. The firm manages diversified portfolios through team-based Wealth Management Teams supported by an internal Investment Strategy Group and offers a broad range of advisory services and access to alternative investment vehicles.

Lee Whittles is a financial advisor with SCS in Bellevue, WA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 36 years of industry experience. He has been with Bensler, LLC (doing business as SCS) since 2020 and has also been affiliated with LPL Financial LLC since 2013. Outside of his advisory work, Whittles serves as a paid professional ski patroller with the Mission Ridge Ski Patrol. SCS advises individuals, trusts, corporations, and retirement plans, managing approximately $1.64 billion in discretionary assets across a 27-advisor team. The firm employs a combined tactical, strategic, and dynamic asset allocation approach and offers a range of services including discretionary asset management, financial planning, pension plan advisory, and insurance product sales.

Gregory Headrick is a CFP® professional with 33 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Northwest Asset Management since 2008. He previously worked at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments for 17 years. Outside of his advisory role, Headrick serves as treasurer and trustee on the governing board of a private school in Seattle, contributing to its finance and investment committees. Northwest Asset Management manages approximately $3.6 billion for nearly 3,000 clients, including individuals, pension plans, charities, and corporations. The firm employs a fiduciary, customized investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory, strategic asset allocation, and both fundamental and technical analysis.

Justin Buller is a financial advisor at Empirical Wealth Management in Seattle, WA, with 20 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Empirical Wealth Management since 2021, following a 22-year tenure at Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC and a two-year period at Puetz Golf Superstore. Empirical Wealth Management serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, pensions, profit-sharing plans, and private pooled vehicle investors. The firm uses Modern Portfolio Theory to build diversified portfolios across multiple asset classes and offers a range of services including investment management, financial planning, tax preparation, and retirement-plan consulting, supported by affiliated real estate, insurance, and legal service businesses.

Benjamin Andrew is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with six years of industry experience. He currently works at Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management, LLC, where he has been since 2025. His prior experience includes roles at LNW Wealth Management, LLC, Brighton Jones LLC, and WBC Financial. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management provides comprehensive wealth planning and investment management primarily to high-net-worth individuals, families, and related entities. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation, global diversification, and a core-satellite approach, offering integrated services including financial and estate planning and coordination with other advisors.