Contact Us
Telephone:
509-248-4589
Toll-free:
866-264-2834
Office Location:
24 North 2nd Street
Yakima, WA 98901
Kathy Miller Parrish
Managing Partner, Senior Financial Advisor
Retirement is not just about your investment account. It should include planning for a healthy life in retirement and a plan to leave a meaningful legacy for your family or corporation. In wealth planning for private clients and both profit and non-profit corporations, Kathy utilizes planning programs that take important objectives into consideration. Whether you are saving for retirement, a college education or a second home, we take your values and needs into consideration.
Kathy has been an independent advisor since 2001 and her background includes extensive experience in asset and pension management. She graduated from WSU in 1981 and utilizes her degrees in finance and economics to analyze the global and domestic economies. This allows her to better guide her clients through good and bad markets. She believes every client is different and every financial plan should reflect those differences.
Kathy is actively involved in the local communities of the Yakima Valley. She is the past Chairperson of the Yakima Valley Visitors and Convention Bureau and has served on the boards of Safe Yakima Valley and Southwest Rotary. She is past president of the Toppenish Chamber of Commerce and Toppenish Rotary. She is currently an active member of Southwest Rotary and serves on the board of Community Living; an organization that enables individuals with developmental disabilities to live and thrive in the community.
Connie A. Falon, CRPS®
Senior Financial Advisor
In 1981, Connie started her career in the financial services industry in banking. In 1992, she entered the investment industry, and she continues to offer a wide array of investments and planning choices through her affiliation with Commonwealth Financial Network. Connie has a long history of delivering high-quality retirement services to her clients. She works with both personal and corporate accounts, and works hard to provide what is called “The Exceptional Client Experience” with the level of service she provides.
In July 2011, Connie joined Ascend Financial Group as a Senior Financial Advisor. Connie is also a Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist® (CRPS®) and has a certificate from the College of Financial Planning as a financial para-planner. She has also completed executive education at the Wharton School of Business.
Connie has been nicknamed the “Ultimate Volunteer” and has earned the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. Connie is listed as one of the pioneers in her contributions for establishing Pacific Northwest University of Heath Sciences (PNWU) and a mentor to some of the students at the University. She is currently on the board for Northwest Harvest, West Valley Fair and on the advisory board for Heritage University. Connie is also involved in the Yakima Downtown Rotary, Camp Prime Time, and Washington Wine Country. She has previously served on the boards of the Salvation Army, Mt. Adams Health Foundation and Yakima Valley Business Network.
Joleen J. Smith
Operations Manager
Joleen began working for Kathy on a part-time basis as a personal assistant in 2004 while attending Central Washington University as a full-time student. Joleen graduated from CWU in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in education and a minor in ECE. In addition, Joleen has completed the FINRA Series 7 Registration Exam and the Series 63 Uniform Securities Agent State Law Exam, which are held through Commonwealth Financial Network®.
In January 2008, Joleen became a full-time employee and now serves as the Operations Manager for Ascend Financial Group. In the 17 years that Joleen has worked at Ascend Financial Group, she has had the opportunity to learn much from the vast experience of Kathy and Connie about the securities industry and enjoys the supporting role she has within the firm.
Joleen has had the honor to serve on the board of the YWCA of Yakima—whose mission is to eliminate racism and empower women—and in various other roles, including a stint as president. She completed her six-year commitment to the YWCA in June 2017 but is still an ardent supporter.