Living Richly for 20 Years and Counting

This milestone represents so much more than two decades of providing financial planning and wealth management services to our clients. When our team looks back over the last 20 years, we’re humbled by the dozens of relationships we’ve been privileged to build with families and individuals. Whether their idea of living richly is to buy a home, send children to college, retire from a successful career or travel the world, our clients’ remarkable stories and thoughtful goals will continue to energize us for another 20 (and likely many more) years.

Anyone who has worked with the CWM team — from clients to professional partners — knows that in addition to helping our clients pursue lifestyle and financial ambitions, building community is vitally important to us. Since our founding in 2001, we’ve taken pride in regularly hosting events that bring people together to exchange knowledge and resources, support philanthropic causes and foster community connection.

In light of all we’ve experienced over these two decades (or even just within the last 18 months), our team took a moment to share how being part of the CWM family empowers each one of us to live richly. We invite you to read their thoughts:

Delivering award-winning client service to help individuals and families pursue their goals

My role directly impacts the future outcomes for hundreds for families. I like knowing that I am part of helping make their dreams come true. – Morgan Arford

I love that I get to create unique and memorable experiences for our clients. It is always a pleasure coming to work because I know we are all showing up to give 110% every day. – Kelsey Wingate

I have been a part of CWM since the beginning, and over the last 20-years, I have enjoyed connecting people and information in ways that change their lives for the better, sometimes in dramatic ways. It's why we do what we do. - Brian Lockett

Being a part of the CWM family for so many years has allowed me to grow as a person and employee, develop richer relationships with team members and clients, and given me autonomy in my workday as well as my life. I appreciate that we all look out for our clients and each other. – Laurie Holderman

Woven into the very fabric of our DNA at CWM is client service. We work very consciously to make decisions that benefit our clients, provide a constructive and dynamic environment for our team, and at the end of the day hopefully allow us all to live better lives. If you work really hard and are kind, amazing things will happen. - Shilo Lockett

Establishing our commitment to client and community engagement through ongoing Thirdly events, Impact events, financial literacy initiatives and volunteer programs

If I had not come to work at CWM, my boyfriend and I would never have met our dog Buster through CWM’s involvement with PAWS. I will forever be grateful to Shilo for helping him to become a part of our family. Also, CWM's community engagement has inspired me to volunteer as I am able for Girls on the Run of Snohomish County. - Kelsey

The heart of the team is one of service. We aren't in this just to make money for ourselves or others. We want to make a positive community impact. - Morgan

I appreciate that so many team members are community-minded and that the owners are very philanthropic and generous. They are a great example to the team. Their perspective also allows for more opportunities to do community service as a team. - Laurie

Meeting inspiring clients and colleagues whose notable stories and motivations continue to encourage us every day

Having been with CWM over 13 years, my fellow team members continually inspire me through their actions. What I appreciate about our advisors and culture is that we truly care for our clients and ask questions to get to know them as people as well as their stories. All can be inspiring if you take the time to uncover the 'gold.' - Laurie

In my experience there are three pillars of success: Financial, Experiential, and Relationships. Very few people are able to achieve all three because usually to achieve one, you have to sacrifice another. I'm inspired by those clients I meet who have achieved all three. - Brian

My colleagues inspire me because they show up. They are present. They want to do what is best for our clients, and they make you feel the same. As far as inspiring clients, I love hearing the stories of how spouses met. One of my favorites is from a couple who has been married for over 50 years. He was in a terrible car accident, and she was his nurse! – Kelsey

Skip and Judy are clients with an incredibly inspiring story. He was a kindergarten teacher who retired very wealthy by most people's standards, as he was a very disciplined saver and investor. - Morgan

Establishing a culture of trust, teamwork and laughter

Adversity, challenges, team building and every experience we have together acts as a building block for a more solid foundation. The team culture, presented from the owners to every team member, plays an integral part of how we work (and play) together. – Laurie

I love that I get to work with a caring and dedicated group of people. Our leadership brings us together and it is heartening to know that we have thoughtful and caring people leading us. We work hard together, but we also get the opportunity to laugh and play together. For example, I’ll never forget when I met Sue Thorning (now retired) as I was walking out of my interview, and she cracked a joke. I KNEW that I was going to love it here. We're also a pretty competitive group, so watch out when we play trivia or board games. - Kelsey

The fact we are a small-knit group working with such a large client base has brought us together in many ways. We have to go the extra mile to make sure we get everything right, and this is done by working so well together. My colleagues inspire me to do better. I also loved that my first day was during a staff retreat where we shared a lot of stories and laughs as a team. It really felt welcoming, and I could tell everyone had each other’s backs. – Jordan Tuchek

This team has made it a lot of fun to work here. Everybody is so supportive and willing to help. Since the first day of my internship 20 years ago, it has been a great ride and I'm proud to be a part of CWM. - Brian

Honoring those who made a significant impact on our collective journey

I have been with CWM over 13 years and have made a lot of memories over that time, but the one that stands out most to me is from Linda McCormack. Linda was one of our earliest team members—she joined the team in March 2002—and was a great part of our CWM family. She retired in September 2017, was diagnosed with cancer shortly thereafter and passed away in February 2018. That was a shock to all of us and a big wake-up call to live our lives now and not wait for tomorrow. She was always taking care of others (we called her the mom of the office) but when it finally came time for her to take care of herself, she literally ran out of time. If this isn't an advertisement to live life to its fullest today, I don't know what is. It also taught me to appreciate what you have in the moment as well as the people in your life, because it can change on a dime. – Laurie

Our CWM team is also using this time to reflect on the challenges made achievable – and the celebrations made richer – because we experienced them alongside our CWM community. Together, we’ve navigated periods of market volatility and major world events—including the dotcom bubble burst, 9/11, The Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic— while never losing sight of our core values and promise to those we serve. At the same time, we’ve proudly realized our own vision of living richly by building a thriving family-owned business strengthened by committed team members, trusted professionals, and inspiring clients.