About Me
Hello! My name is Eric Smith, and I started Ridge Falls Financial Planning simply because I love helping people with their money. I especially enjoy working with service-oriented professionals: educators and teachers; healthcare, social work, and non-profit professionals; and public sector workers.
At times over our careers, my wife and I wanted to meet with a financial planner on an hourly basis to make sure we were on the right financial path. When it comes to everything from maximizing cash flow to insurance, and from investments to basic estate planning, we wanted a fiduciary financial planner to take a comprehensive look at our finances without managing our assets.
And, so here I am, putting my deep interest in personal finance together with a service to help people with their pre-retirement financial needs on an hourly, Advice-Only basis. Learn more here: ridgefallsfp.com.
More about me…
I am originally from Portland, OR coming to Bellingham, WA in the 1990s to attend Western Washington University (WWU) where I graduated with a degree in Cultural Anthropology, Psychology emphasis.
I love to learn! I have continued my studies over the years and hold a Master of Education and Master of Business Administration, both from WWU.
I have over fifteen years experience as an educator. I taught English and business-oriented classes to international students at WWU and in the country of Mongolia with the US Peace Corps.
I have twelve years experience in the financial services industry, helping people in my community with their money, first as a branch manager-community banker, then as a small business-commercial lender at a local credit union.
I have served as a mentor to people at all stages of business ownership as a SCORE Mentor.
Living in Bellingham for the past 25 years with my family, I am part of the outdoor, active community. A great day involves mountain biking up the Ridge Trail on Galbraith and a family walk in Whatcom Falls Park with our dog, Zuzu. Hence my business namesake: Ridge Falls Financial Planning.