Margaret Bartelt

Meet Eric Smith, CFP®, MEd, MBA I started Ridge Falls Financial Planning because I love helping people gain clarity and confidence in their financial lives. While I have a background in supporting service-oriented professionals, my practice is specifically designed for aspiring DIY Investors and Validators—those who manage their own finances but want a professional "second set of eyes" to ensure they are on track for retirement. A Collaborative, Advice-Only Approach: The inspiration for my firm came from my own life. At various points in our careers, my wife and I wanted to meet with a financial planner on an hourly basis to ensure we were on the right path. We wanted a fiduciary to take a comprehensive look at everything—from long-range cash flow and insurance to investments and estate planning. However, we wanted that advice without the requirement of asset management. Today, I provide that exact service: holistic, pre-retirement financial reviews on an hourly, Advice-Only basis. Financial Expertise: I spent 12 years in the financial services industry, serving as a branch manager, community banker, and business lender. I also served as a SCORE Business Mentor, helping entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. An Educator’s Perspective: I have over 15 years of experience as an educator. My background includes teaching at Western Washington University (WWU) and serving in the U.S. Peace Corps in Mongolia. I use this experience to make complex financial concepts easy to understand. Academic Foundation: I hold a degree in Cultural Anthropology (Psychology emphasis), a Master of Education, and a Master of Business Administration, all from WWU. Life in the Pacific Northwest: I have called Bellingham, WA home for over 25 years and am an active member of our outdoor community. A great day includes mountain biking the Ridge Trail on Galbraith and a family walk in Whatcom Falls Park with our dog, Zuzu. These two local trail systems inspired the name of my business: Ridge Falls Financial Planning.

My path to financial planning has been sinuous, varied, adventuresome. The way I work with people and their financial lives can be understood through my journey Trailo today. Thus, I will start my story at the beginning. I grew up in Corvallis, Oregon - elementary school, kid soccer, high school, first kiss, Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering - the whole bit. I was fortunate to have two loving parents. My mom was the financial stability in the family - she worked at a steady job with the university, helping scientists with their writing. She is now known as the “Grammar Grandma” in our family. She taught me to love words, but also gave me a chronic case of the worries. My dad was more of a maverick, boldly lunging from one line business venture to another. He valued people and life experiences over career. He taught me to love the world and its inhabitants, but also stuck me with a “grass is greener” mentality. After finishing university in 1994, I longed to expand my world. I bounced around Oregon, then moved to Montana to work as a wilderness therapist. I spent week-long shifts as a guide/therapist with groups of juvenile delinquents who were working through the consequences of their actions. We explored the wilds of nature and the wilds of the human spirit. There, I met a girl who captured my heart - Amy. Amy was a free spirit, but also highly practical. She was, and is, very careful with her money; she embraces frugality. She continues to teach me to love a life we are living rather than long for a life we are not. I enjoyed working with teens but yearned for more academic work, so I went back to school to become a high school teacher. I earned a Masters of Science in Physics and a teaching certificate. After graduation, but before starting a family, Amy and I wanted to explore. We found jobs working as educators at an international school in South Africa. We got married, and four days later moved to Johannesburg. We lived there for two years, where we were blessed to forge deep friendships with people around the world. We also were earning our first real paychecks and found ourselves with extra money. I realized that despite earning heavily math-based degrees, I did not understand the math of money whatsoever. I needed a new education. So I began a path of self-study, reading every book and website I could about investing and personal finance. Our daughter, Mia, was born in South Africa, and we wanted to move back to the US, to be closer to family. We decided on Bellingham, WA. It is a quiet, livable city, with easy access to the trails of North Cascades and Chuckanut's. Perfect. I found a job teaching high school science and math, but in my off hours, I continued to learn and experiment with financial matters. Our son, Porter, was born two years later. With two young kids, money grew tight. But, we managed to buy a house and still save some of our earnings for the future. I started trying to get friends to participate more directly in their own financial lives. We started an investing club called “Stocks and Suds.” I’d bring spreadsheets, they would bring beer. Mostly, we just enjoyed the suds. A few friends started asking if I’d manage their money for them. So, in 2012 I started a solo investment advisory business. I focused on helping people set up little “hobby” investment accounts, like Roth IRAs, in addition to their work-based retirement plans. Within a few years though, people started asking me to help them with more of their financial lives. I became aware that there was much more to finance than just investments. One of my wife’s therapist colleagues, Liz, started talking to me about my business. Liz was also interested in helping people with their financial lives. We discussed going into business together, with a broader focus on financial planning rather than just investments. I could see a transition coming up, so I took a half-year off from teaching. My family spent four months traveling through Southeast Asia. Our trip was a microcosm for sound financial planning - set a goal, create a budget, save for it (we’d been saving for several years), then adventure! We learned to blog together, to rejoice together, to gag together, and to exist together in tight quarters. Our trip was called “Cheeseburgers in Asia.” Our blog can still be found with a simple Google search. When I returned from our travels, Liz and I began building the business in earnest. We launched “Trail Financial Planning” in June 2017. Our business is doing well. I can feel the windswept adventure of starting a business from scratch. But my knees are scratched and banged up from the missteps I’ve made. My dad would be proud of the journey. I get to work with people, to help them alleviate fears and worries. My mom approves. I help people care for their pennies. My wife is satisfied. Most of all, I am content. I get to work with people in an ongoing act of stewardship - while we care for their finances, we are really caring for their futures, their loved ones, their dreams, and their missions.

David Rubbert is a Senior Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He began his career at Merrill Lynch 37 years ago and has developed expertise in areas including family wealth management strategies, legacy planning, personal retirement planning, portfolio management services, and small business strategies. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with clients at various life stages to develop personalized financial plans aimed at pursuing their long-term goals. David holds a Bachelor's Degree from WWU and the designation of Personal Investment Advisor (PIA). He is committed to providing flexible wealth management strategies tailored to clients' individual financial pictures while leveraging the investment insights of Merrill and the banking and lending solutions of Bank of America. Outside of his professional work, David is active in his community through volunteer efforts and enjoys spending time with his family and grandchildren. He also pursues outdoor activities such as fishing, golfing, hunting, and playing pickleball with friends.