MICHELLE CLARY
FOUNDER/CEO
CFP®, CLU®, ChFc®, RICP®
Michelle.Clary@PitonWealth.com
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Michelle worked with her dad as he served clients through his financial services business, helping to simplify their financial lives and ensure that their financial planning decisions aligned with their values.
After graduation from the University of Idaho, she earned multiple significant financial industry certifications, including that of Certified Financial Planner®, Certified Life Underwriter®, Chartered Financial Consultant® and Retirement Income Certified Professional®.
Michelle worked as an external auditor for Arthur Anderson, a business analyst for Micron Technology and traded commodities for Cargill on the way to transitioning into the wealth advisory field with Thrivent Financial. In 2000, she moved to the Tri-Cities with her husband, Andy, and opened the first office of what is now Piton Wealth.
From its start, the company has been proudly affiliated with Thrivent Financial – a Fortune 500 fraternal benefits society and financial services company. For two decades, Michelle and her team have consistently ranked in the upper 1% of Thrivent practices in client satisfaction. Also during this time, the practice set a record by finishing in the top five of Thrivent’s 3,000 nationwide practices for practice productivity – the first woman-owned practice to achieve that distinction in Thrivent’s 100+ year history.
In 2018, senior corporate leadership asked Michelle to lead in creating an “independent channel” for other Thrivent practices. She is a sought-after speaker and was recently named to the board of Thrivent’s partner organization, InFaith Community Foundation, the first Thrivent advisor to serve on this board. Previously, only Thrivent senior corporate executives and senior executives from other national organizations held positions on InFaith Community Foundation’s board.
Michelle and Andy have two sons that she works to keep up with on ski mountains, hiking trails and tennis courts.
NICK MERCER
ASSOCIATE WEALTH ADVISOR
Nick.Mercer@PitonWealth.com
What three words do people use to describe you?
Diligent. Driven. Determined.
Outside of work, what are the things you enjoy?
My wife, Leah, and I enjoy life on the river and on the golf course.
Did someone say, “tennis pro”?
I’m originally from Birmingham, England, where I enjoyed a career as a semi-pro tennis player. Tennis took me to Morehead University in Kentucky where I received a Bachelor of Business Administration and met my lovely wife, Leah.
What’s next?
I’m currently working toward a CFP© designation!
EMILY MALDONADO
ASSOCIATE WEALTH ADVISOR
Emily.Maldonado@PitonWealth.com
What three words do people use to describe you?
Genuine. Transparent. Dedicated.
Outside of work, what are the things you enjoy?
I value time with my husband, Cade, and our twins, Ellie and Easton.
I’m also involved in various ministries at the Richland Church of Christ.
I love to ski in the winter, boat in the summer and experiment in the kitchen using local ingredients.
How did you become a Financial Advisor?
I grew up in West Virginia and later attended Harding University in Arkansas, where I earned a Bachelor of Business Administration. After moving to the Tri-Cities I became the practice manager for a team of financial advisors at Waddell & Reed before transitioning to Piton Wealth.
What’s next?
I’m currently working toward a CFP© designation!
NICK KELLOGG
INVESTMENT ANALYST
Nick.Kellogg@PitonWealth.com
What three words do people use to describe you?
Meticulous. Observant. Decisive.
Outside of work, what are the things you enjoy?
My wife, Georgia, and I love to golf and are enjoying getting to know the Pacific Northwest.
Did someone say “hockey”?
I was a professional goalie prior to going to work in the financial services industry.
How did you become a Financial Analyst?
I attended St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and earned a Bachelor of Science in 2013.
I worked in investment management, starting my career as a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch. There I worked with both institutional and retail investors on individual stock selection, asset allocation strategies and financial planning.
I then served as Vice President of Institutional Equity Sales in the Capital Markets division of Dougherty & Company (a boutique investment bank in Minneapolis) where I worked with institutional clients from hedge funds to endowment and pension funds to provide actionable investment ideas, trade execution strategies and access to corporate issuers.
ANDREW "ANDY" CLARY
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Andy.Clary@PitonWealth.com
What is your vision for Piton Wealth?
To help each client clarify who they are and what they want to achieve so that they can state, visualize and pursue their dreams and goals with a more sharpened focus with us on their team than they could without us. We want to serve clients the way they want to be served; to deliver personalized, customized service built on strong relationships and with strong technical implementation and execution for both our clients and their families.
What three words do people use to describe you?
Analytical. Detailed. Organized.
Outside of work, what are the things you enjoy?
Michelle and I spend much of our free time with our two teenage sons—we snowmobile in the winter and boat in the summer. I serve on the board of the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate and am restoring a 1948 Ford truck as time allows.
Did someone say, “Marine of the Year”?
I am a former U.S. Marine. In 1997 I received that honor.
What is your background?
I graduated from Gonzaga University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and spent 15 years as a protection and automation engineering consulting in the utility industry before changing direction to oversee the operations side of Piton Wealth.
TIFFANY VARKER
DIRECTOR OF CLIENT SERVICE
Tiffany.Varker@PitonWealth.com
What three words do people use to describe you?
Warm. Relational. Creative.
Outside of work, what are the things you enjoy?
As a former caterer and pastry chef, I love to cook and bake. I also design costumes for a local theater company.
What’s next?
Once our nest is empty, my husband, Brian and I hope to buy and restore an historical Hanford house.
ALICIA SMITH
MARKETING COORDINATOR
Alicia.Smith@PitonWealth.com
What three words do people use to describe you?
Organized. Detailed. Creative.
Outside of work, what are the things you enjoy?
I love spending time with my husband, Joel and our three children. We ski, bicycle and ride Quads on the trail Joel carved out on our property.
What is your work background?
Prior to coming to work at Piton Wealth, I processed and priced loans, and did underwriting and escrow in the mortgage industry.