No matter where you’re at in life, the one constant we can all rely on is that things change. At Meritage Wealth Management, my goal is to help make these changes as streamlined for you as possible.
Throughout retirement, you’re faced with new circumstances, needs, decisions, and concerns. My mission is to help you navigate these years with confidence. I take pride in fostering long-term, meaningful connections with all of my clients, no matter what services you may require as you approach and live out your retirement.
Many people are not armed with a financial strategy in retirement because they don’t know where to start. I seek to solve this problem by working closely with you to develop tailored strategies that strive to withstand fluctuations in the markets and unexpected life events such as divorce or widowhood. I am dedicated to creating customized wealth management strategies that fit seamlessly with your unique circumstances, growing with you through the many changes that inevitably lie ahead for us all.
On the professional side, I have been working with retirees since 1999 and am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™️ professional. I am a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), the Fee-Only Network, the Financial Planning Association and the XY Planning Network.
Everything I do here at Meritage Wealth Management starts with getting to know you. And not just about your money – I mean really getting to know you, and the things you hold most dear. I believe in the importance of necessitating ease, ensuring you always feel comfortable working together, and secure in the knowledge that you and your finances are in trusted and capable hands.
My mom had a knack for making everyone feel comfortable, welcomed and important. Luckily, even as a young child, I recognized how others responded to being around her. Her enthusiasm for everything and everyone was contagious, and left an indelible imprint that now colors everything I do.
I’ve found in my practice that I bring this inherent level of enthusiasm to all of my clients, whether it’s through educating you on your investments, discussing your options for employer plan rollovers at retirement or reviewing your options to mitigate taxes in retirement. I’m passionate about teaching and guiding you through life’s ever-changing landscape in a way that is rooted in authenticity and warmth.
I attended Pacific University, OR, moving there from my hometown of sunny Carlsbad, CA, to play college soccer. After two years in the rain though, the weather got the best of me and I moved back to Carlsbad, where I attended college at Cal State San Marcos.
It was during this time that I met the love of my life, Jeff, at Schooner’s Bar in Pacific Beach, CA. Following a whirlwind romance, we eloped on a Friday by getting married at a Justice of the Peace on my lunch break, went back to work, and “honeymooned” that weekend camping in Lake Tahoe. This was my first and last time camping. And after over 25 years of marriage, Jeff is still my first and last husband.
I joined Jeff on his military move with the US Navy to Silverdale, WA. There, I interviewed at my first investment firm in 1999 and haven’t looked back since. I quickly came to realize that I was passionate about teaching clients the importance of investing and clarifying complex strategies for them. I stand by the belief that investing doesn’t have to be complicated, and I help guide clients through transitions in their life by providing clarity in their finances.
I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I knew I wanted to provide a comfortable and relaxed environment for individuals to identify their financial goals, objectives, and dreams, but didn’t feel I could do this while working within a larger corporation. I knew that in order to do things in the style I felt was right for me and my clients, I had to build my own company. Meritage Wealth Management was born.
In 2010, Jeff retired after 20 years of military service. I still have no idea what exactly he did in the Navy, but he’s got some impressive flags, medals, ribbons and plaques in his office from his diving career. He now owns Total Defense Solutions, LLC, a military and government sales company.
Somehow, we managed to raise two normal, healthy, strong and beautiful daughters despite all the damage we thought we had done to them. Both are majoring in Business (go figure!) at local universities and have mastered the fine art of juggling academics, athletics, social lives and work better than Jeff or I ever did as young adults. They have both basically proven that the apple actually DOES fall far from the tree.
A self-proclaimed fitness nut, I love high intensity interval training 3-4 days a week before I start work. I’m a hot yoga enthusiast, golf lesson quitter turned tennis junkie who dabbles in pickleball. I love to drink in the morning, but only if it’s a double shot of espresso with a touch of cream.
Big on communication and openness, I’m an outspoken advocate for people knowing the difference between saying “I couldn’t care less” and “I could care less.” I enjoy walking our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, who still doesn’t listen well despite being eleven years old and recently added two (yes, two!) Australian Labradoodle puppies to our family.
I’ve deemed myself THE Expert Backyard Party Thrower and am pretty sure it’s the planning side of me that loves to host and entertain so much. Good health, good times, family and friends mean the world to me. I still meet at least monthly with my best friends that I met in my teens while growing up in Carlsbad, CA and no, none of us have changed much in 30+ years.
