Michelle Gruber is a CFP® professional with seven years of experience in financial advising. She is currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and previously worked at Merriman Wealth Management, LLC and JNBA Financial Advisors Inc. Gruber serves as Program Director for the Financial Planning Association’s Puget Sound Chapter, providing educational and networking opportunities for financial planning professionals. Focus Partners Wealth serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth families, corporate and institutional clients. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment strategy utilizing fundamental and quantitative analysis, offering a range of investment and wealth management services through an extensive network of affiliated service companies and product relationships.

Robert Tolstykh is a financial advisor at Oppenheimer with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at several firms including Morgan Stanley, UBS Financial Services, and Mariner Wealth Advisors. Based in Seattle, WA, Tolstykh joined Oppenheimer in 2026. Oppenheimer serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pooled vehicles, and retirement plans, offering various advisory programs such as discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, consulting, and retirement services. The firm’s investment approach varies by program and includes strategic and tactical asset allocation across multiple asset classes.

Colleen Bucknum is a financial advisor with HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. in Seattle, WA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 11 years of industry experience. She has worked at HSBC Securities since 2015 and also serves as a bank officer with HSBC Bank USA, N.A., engaging in the sale of bank-related products and services alongside her advisory role. HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. provides managed account programs for individuals, retirement accounts, charitable organizations, and corporations, offering a range of client-directed and discretionary investment options. The firm utilizes model risk profiles and combines strategic and tactical asset allocation with due diligence from HSBC Global Asset Management and affiliated providers.

Jason Casey is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 15 years of industry experience. He has held positions at Empower Advisory Group since 2025 and previously worked at TIAA and related entities for eight years. Outside of his advisory role, he owns HOWSEY LLC, an LLC managing a short-term rental property. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and participants, leveraging integrated platforms tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative services. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and serves a large client base with a higher client-to-advisor ratio than many peers.

Seafth Howe is a financial advisor at Eagle Strategies (NY Life) with 10 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has work history at Eagle Strategies, PGR Financial, NYlife Securities LLC, and New York Life Insurance Company. Outside of his advisory role, Howe is involved in baseball coaching as the 18U pitching coach for Washington Rush Baseball and serves on the athletic board at Seattle University, focusing on the baseball program. Eagle Strategies serves individual and institutional clients by providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated advisers. The firm offers various program types tailored to client objectives, with a significant portion of assets managed on a non-discretionary basis, and works closely with institutional sponsors within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Kyle Schmahl is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Bellevue, WA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and having 27 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2012. TIAA‑CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning and managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing relationships through TIAA retirement plans. The firm offers both point-in-time planning services and ongoing discretionary management through model and customized portfolios, and operates as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

Megan Echele is a financial advisor at Schwab Wealth Advisory with eight years of industry experience. She holds the CFP®, CFA®, and Series 66 credentials. Her prior roles include positions at Charles Schwab Bank and Charles Schwab & Co., as well as earlier experience outside the financial industry. Schwab Wealth Advisory, Inc. provides non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice through the Schwab Wealth Advisory program, offering clients annual financial reviews, retirement planning, and investment recommendations. The firm operates within the Schwab ecosystem, using standard asset allocation models and research tools, with final trading decisions resting with clients.

John Trask is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2011. The firm serves individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often working with clients who have pre-existing relationships through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. TIAA-CREF provides financial planning, discretionary managed account programs, and separate broker-dealer services, with a fiduciary standard applied to its registered investment adviser offerings.

Julia Penwell is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience, currently with Wealthspire Advisors. She previously worked at Private Ocean for five years and has held various roles including positions at Lakeview Financial and Central Washington University. Wealthspire Advisors is an SEC-registered firm managing approximately $34.3 billion in assets and serving nearly 9,700 clients across individual, corporate, nonprofit, and pension segments. The firm uses an institutional-style asset allocation approach and offers comprehensive wealth management and financial planning services.

Michael Meland is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (New York Life) based in Seattle, WA. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 18 years of industry experience. Meland has been with Eagle Strategies since 2015 and is also affiliated with NYLIFE Securities LLC and Bond Financial since 2014. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse group of individual and institutional clients, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of investment adviser representatives. The firm provides a range of program types tailored to client objectives, emphasizing non-discretionary asset management and advisory services connected to insurance and annuity products.

Andy Weng is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has held roles at multiple firms, including Integrated Trust Systems and Scale Force Group, and has been involved in several entrepreneurial ventures such as Bridgemaker LLC and W.S. Enterprise, LLC. His outside activities include serving as a silent member and investor in a marketing and business automation software company and working as a referral sales associate for estate planning services. Transamerica Financial Advisors provides investment advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan services to a diverse client base, including high net worth individuals and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm utilizes model portfolios and third-party managers through various platforms, offering an integrated retirement plan ecosystem and affiliated mutual funds and insurance products.

Bradley Venables is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Monroe, WA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 14 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Strategic Wealth Designers, Wells Fargo Clearing, and Key Investment Services. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, delivering services through an integrated model connected to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing in its financial planning approach.

Whitney Isbell is a financial advisor at D.A. Davidson & Co. in Bellevue, WA, holding a Series 66 designation with one year of industry experience. Prior to joining D.A. Davidson, Isbell held various roles including positions at Blue Cloud Innovation and The Bear Creek School. D.A. Davidson & Co. provides investment advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including employer-sponsored retirement plans, individual investors, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers a range of services such as ERISA retirement plan advisory, wrap fee programs, equity research, and comprehensive financial planning, operating under fiduciary standards and utilizing both qualitative and quantitative investment analyses.

Eric Mathieu is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Edmonds, WA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 12 years of industry experience. He has been with GWFS Equities, Inc. since 2015. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to certain IRA and retail brokerage clients. The firm’s services are integrated with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms and emphasize long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing over short-term forecasts.

Joseph Strecker is a financial advisor at Corient in Seattle, WA, holding a Series 65 designation with 30 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Columbia Pacific Wealth Management and CIPW Service Company, LLC. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm uses a goals-based, team investment approach that integrates in-house strategies with third-party managers and employs risk management tools and alternative investments where appropriate.

Xin Wang is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Bellevue, WA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 23 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Eagle Strategies in 2024, Xin operated Grace Wang Financial Associates for 12 years and has been associated with New York Life and NYLIFE Securities since 2002. Xin also operates under the DBA OpenWin Financial & Insurance Services LLC, where they broker non-registered insurance products. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors and institutional clients, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm offers a variety of program types with an emphasis on tailoring recommendations to client and Plan Sponsor objectives, managing the majority of its assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Colleen Kroeger is a CFA® charterholder with 17 years of industry experience. She has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2022 and was previously with Highland Private Wealth Management for 15 years. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, including pension plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and insurance companies. The firm’s advisory approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers across various investment strategies.

Olivia Rice is a financial advisor with Osaic Advisory Services, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and three years of industry experience. Prior to joining Osaic in 2024, she worked at Securities America, Inc. from 2022 to 2024 and served for seven years with the Terrell Independent School District. She is also a director and contact worker for the Terrell Independent School District Excellence Foundation, a nonprofit focused on education. Osaic Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base that includes individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, charitable organizations, and governmental entities. The firm provides a range of services including investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and third-party manager oversight, utilizing multiple program models and platforms such as Envestnet and Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management.

Matthew Scarano is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Bellevue, WA. He holds a Series 66 designation and has nine years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Ameriprise Financial Services and Edward Jones. Scarano is also involved in insurance brokering, operating under DBA names that focus on selling New York Life products and brokering non-registered insurance products. Eagle Strategies serves a wide range of individual and institutional clients by providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated investment adviser representatives. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations and manages a majority of its assets on a non-discretionary basis, working extensively with retirement investors and institutional sponsors.

Christopher Holt is a CFP® professional with 18 years of industry experience. He is currently with Creative Planning and has previously worked at Coldstream Wealth Management and Fidelity in various advisory and brokerage roles. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm employs a financial planning-led investment process that emphasizes low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supported by a large advisory team and integrated investment infrastructure.