Financial Independence for Women

Diana has been working with executives, small business owners, retirees, and families since 1998. She has provided tax and investment advice to executives of Fortune 500 companies, with a focus on stock option strategies. She also oversees all aspects of personal financial planning for her executive clients, including income tax, estate tax, investments, and retirement savings. As a component of her family-based financial planning strategy, Diana works with trustees and parents to teach beneficiaries and children how to set a budget, manage money, and transition from family payroll to managing their finances independently. She also works with entrepreneurs to ensure their personal and professional ventures are focused. Diana has earned the Certified Divorce Financial Analyst designation and finds her work with couples during a difficult time very rewarding. By working with one party to ensure long term financial success, Diana can see the impact of her work and advice. Diana especially enjoys working with women going through life and/or work transitions, helping make their transitions easier and empowering them to make careful, educated decisions. In ever-changing times, Diana has worked with members of the LGBTQ+ community and their families to ensure that financial goals are attainable for everyone. Diana is a proud mother of two children, an avid weightlifter and active community leader through her church and various charities. Diana, her husband, and their family love living in Dallas by beautiful White Rock Lake.

I grew up on the Kitsap Peninsula.  In 1989, I attended Washington State University.  After graduating, I came back to the Seattle area to find a job and ended up working as a Buyer for a large northwest department store.  5 years later, I moved on to become a Retail Analyst for a Swedish software company that went under during the Dot-Com bust in 2001.  After that, I started looking at options for a new career choice.

I found my first job in the Financial Industry in 2002 with a local advisory firm in Kirkland, WA and spent 16 years there. I held positions in Client Services, Compliance and then found my happy place as an Advisor.  

In 2019, my daughter Vanessa was diagnosed with cancer at age 16.  I was prepared to take the time off that she needed for her treatment and thought I might have to take at least a year away from work.  After many doctor appointments, we found out that surgery was what was needed to remove the cancer.  After surgery (which was successful), I got the fortunate opportunity to work at Vestory. I was able to get back to work much sooner than I expected, and my daughter is doing great and is cancer-free. 

I find passion in my work by helping others. Things are always evolving in this industry, which keeps things exciting! I am very fortunate to have met some fantastic people during my career.

Life is about relationships and the people you surround yourself with which is why working at Apella has been such a pleasure. I started at Apella after finishing my degree in Finance and Information Systems at UW.  I am an analytical person by nature but am passionate about helping others which is what led me to pursue a career in Finance. Similarly, with industry standards always changing, there is always something new to learn. I spent the first three years at Apella in the operations department, homing in on my organizational and management skills but something was missing… I knew that I wanted to connect with our clients on a more meaningful level. 

Since transitioning into an associate advisor role, I have been privileged to work alongside our talented advisors and, in doing that, I have experienced just how rewarding retirement planning and investing for retirement can be. My professional passion is being able to educate people and provide them with peace of mind as they navigate, what should be, one of the most peaceful and stress-free times of their lives. 

Rebecca Crichton started her ‘Encore Career’ as ED of NWCCA in 2013 after 21 years with The Boeing Company. She refashioned her skills and knowledge as a writer, curriculum designer and leadership development coach to offer programs related to Creative Aging at many venues in the Seattle area. An active participant in the local aging community, she writes regularly for 3rd Act Magazine.