Merit | Seattle, WA

Issaquah, WA

195 NE Gilman Blvd, Suite 101
Issaquah, WA 98027
Phone: (425) 392-2200
Fax: (425) 392-6459

Tacoma, WA

1919 N Pearl Street, B-2
Tacoma, WA 98406
Phone: (253) 272-7058
Fax: (425) 392-6459

Tait Lane

Regional Director, Partner

Tait Lane

Regional Director, Partner

As a Wealth Manager, Tait believes that with financial planning comes clarity. By taking a holistic approach to his client’s finances, he’s able to better advise and serve them. Tait’s desire to be a fiduciary advisor continues to be his primary focus so that he and the team can serve our clients in the manner that they desire and need.

Tait is a graduate of Seattle Pacific University and serves on multiple boards locally for non-profits and within his local church. He’s passionate about his community and contributing to the area where he lives and works. Married to Sunday and a father of five, Tait enjoys skiing, hiking, spending time with his family in their RV, and experiencing the outstanding opportunities the PNW has to offer.

Joe Cilley

Regional Director of Financial Planning

Joe Cilley

CFP®
Regional Director of Financial Planning

As a Wealth Manager, Joe connects with clients to discuss their life, goals, and the details of their current financial strategies. His approach to planning is flexible, thoughtful, and considerate, and he enjoys identifying potential considerations or issues that could arise, as well as alterations to consider to make what they intend more dependable.

Joe is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University and Northwest Nazarene University. He currently holds his Series 7 and 66 licenses and Life and Disability Insurance.

Outside of the office, Joe enjoys spending time with his family. Together, they travel all over the northwest in their camping trailer, exploring what the area has to offer. Joe also likes riding his bicycle and participating in fundraisers and events, including those for Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and the Seattle to Portland (STP) ride. He spends time volunteering for various local organizations such as GK Band Booster, Vivace! Choral Program and the Graham Hill Mutual Water Company. These are programs that his children enjoy and it's wonderful to be a part of what they love.

Cherise Glass

Regional Operations Director

Cherise Glass

Regional Operations Director

As the Regional Operations Director, Cherise believes strongly in extraordinary client service. With over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, she understands the importance of continually improving the quality of service we provide. She takes pride in offering a positive experience and her goal is to ensure our infrastructure runs seamlessly for our employees and clients.

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Cherise enjoys spending her time with her husband and son exploring the beauties of Washington state. When she is not in the not in the office she enjoys boating, snowboarding, and training her dogs.

Randy Kim

Wealth Manager

Randy Kim

ChFC®, AIF®
Wealth Manager

As a Wealth Manager, Randy receives the greatest satisfaction when client dreams become a reality. Randy finds when people have a comprehensive financial plan, they make more impactful and prudent investment decisions. He is committed to the fiduciary standards of always putting client needs and interests first. As such, he takes pride in his ability to ascertain his clients’ deepest values so he can better meet their unique financial objectives.

Randy is an alumnus of Boise State University, where he studied marketing and finance. He obtained his Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) and Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) designations from The American College in 1987. He also earned his Accredited Investment Fiduciary Designation ® (AIF®) in 2010.

Born in Hawaii, Randy (aka “Pineapple”) was raised in Boise, Idaho and spent six years in New Mexico before settling in the Puget Sound area in 1992. Active in the community coaching youth soccer for over a decade, Randy enjoys playing competitive soccer, skiing, snowboarding, hiking and fly fishing. He and his wife currently reside in Carnation, Washington.

Max Baer

Wealth Manager

Max Baer

CFP®, AAMS®
Wealth Manager

Max, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP), prides himself on his holistic financial planning process. He enjoys working through complex issues with clients, monitoring their progress, and accompanying them through major life transitions. He seeks to understand his client's priorities, translating these goals into a financial framework that meets their needs.

In his free time, Max enjoys roaming the Washington wilderness in his Jeep and snowboarding with his family on Crystal Mountain. He and his girlfriend Alex are proud parents of a yellow lab named Remington, who loves to explore the local parks and trails. Max is also an avid Washington State University football fan and spent his years at WSU serving as their mascot, Butch T. Cougar!

Tom Bakamus

Wealth Manager

Tom Bakamus

CFP®
Wealth Manager

As a Wealth Manager, Tom looks forward to implementing a strong financial plan and helping his clients create a roadmap to fulfill their personal goals. He specializes in providing comprehensive guidance that includes investment advice, tax awareness, retirement income strategizing, insurance coverage analysis, and more. He understands the importance of using a holistic approach as every client has a dynamic set of goals and values that makes their situation unique.

Tom is a graduate of Central Washington University and is an Issaquah native. He enjoys spending his free time away from the office golfing, snowboarding, and rooting on our amazing local sports teams. He and his wife Christine reside in Ballard, where they enjoy sampling some of the best restaurants Seattle has to offer.

Lincoln Kopetski

Wealth Manager

Lincoln Kopetski

CFP®
Wealth Manager

As a Wealth Manager with over 20 years of experience, Lincoln takes the time to get to know his clients and what is most important to them. He helps design and implement strategies for their short- and long-term goals and guides them through the financial planning process. Additionally, he leverages wealth management tools and technologies to help manage client resources.

Lincoln received his bachelor’s degree in business finance from the University of Phoenix. In 2014, he received his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) designation and his Series 7 license, in addition to being Life Health and Disability Insurance licensed.

He is very proud of the community he works and lives in and often volunteers at the St. Francis House in Puyallup, Washington. Lincoln also volunteers with a local organization that provides fishing and hunting opportunities for first responders, active and military veterans.

With deep roots in Eastern Oregon, Lincoln and his wife are raising their children in Puyallup and enjoy all the great things the Pacific Northwest has to offer. They love good food, experiencing new restaurants and trying microbreweries. As a family, they enjoy traveling, camping, fishing and being in the water with kayaks, paddleboards, and boat.