Get to Know Us

Personalized Solutions

Leeward Financial Partners is a boutique Registered Investment Advisor with a deep background in Institutional Asset Management. We work with select clients to offer highly personalized, cost-efficient solutions for individuals and families located in the Greater Seattle and Bellevue, WA areas.

Lower costs

We bring decades of experience to your portfolio. We identify opportunity, mitigate risk, and minimize the only thing you can truly control – portfolio costs. Our thoughtful, balanced approach, has been sharpened through decades of work with some of the largest institutional clients and consultants in the world.

Complete Transparency

Unlike other financial advisors, we demystify the investment process. We peel back the various layers of fees and suggest more efficient, cost-effective investments. We know how investment products work because we’ve created them ourselves. Now we’re putting our skills managing assets for some of the nation’s largest institutional investors to work for you!

Our Values

“Leeward” was chosen as our firm name given its nautical roots and definition of being “where the sea is not exposed to the wind.” Given our proximity to Puget Sound and our founders affinity with the water and love of boating in the San Juan Islands, it was a perfect fit. The name brings together a confluence of what we enjoy doing, our unique location and nautical heritage, and our mission to “Partner” with our clients and help shelter them from “investment storms” that inevitably appear.

To that end, our clients come first in everything we do. We eliminate the inefficiencies that exist within the wealth management industry to provide hand-tailored solutions. When constructing client portfolios, we look across the entire investible universe to ensure:

Diversity of investment selection

No manager or product bias

Balanced risk mitigation

Minimize investment product fees

Complete transparency

Focused on Clients best interest, always

The Team

Leeward Financial Partners was founded by Jim Ridgeway and Mike Emery. Both are investment industry veterans with deep roots in the Seattle-Bellevue / Pacific Northwest area. For more than 30 years, they have successfully researched, produced and managed institutional portfolios for clients around the world. With a long list of professional accomplishments behind them, Jim and Mike decided to venture into new territory. They launched Leeward Financial Partners in 2017 to offer individuals and families the same elite level of financial advisory services they’d previously only provided to big institutions and businesses. By leveraging their unique heritage, combined with the agility of a boutique-sized practice, Jim and Mike are able to produce exceptional results for their select clientele.

James M. Ridgeway

Founder/Chief Executive Officer

Jim brings 31 years of institutional money management experience to Leeward Financial Partners. His focus has been in the areas of Executive Leadership, Client Relations, Product Development and Marketing.

Prior to co-founding Leeward, Jim spent 12 years at Rainier Investment Management in Seattle. As President of Rainier, he led the firm through a strategic transaction with a NYSE listed financial institution. He chaired Rainier’s Management Committee and led the Board of Directors. Jim was born in Bellevue, Washington and graduated from Seattle University with a BA and MBA in Business/Finance.

Michael D. Emery, CFA

Founder/Chief Investment Officer

As Leeward’s co-founder, Mike brings 25 years of institutional money management experience to the company. He began his investment career in 1995 with Roger Engemann & Associates and later in 2001 for Franklin Templeton Investments, Inc.

Prior to joining Rainier in 2008, Michael was the vice president/small cap equity portfolio manager at Provident Investment Counsel. Mike was a co-head of the U.S. equity team while at Rainier. In addition, Mike oversaw Rainier’s trading desk and sat on its Management Committee and Board of Directors. Mike holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington and a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University. He is a member of the CFA Institute.

Connor J. Ridgeway, CFA

Portfolio Manager

Connor leverages his institutional investment experience to provide Wall Street caliber research and client service at Leeward Financial Partners.

Before joining Leeward, Connor spent five years at Verus Investments, where he was initially responsible for tracking and monitoring client portfolios and producing investment analyses. He then developed into a thought leader within the Strategic Research team at Verus; where he conducted research impacting tactical positioning, published market commentary, and provided consultant-specific analysis.

Born in Bellevue, Connor graduated from Santa Clara University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in finance. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst, a member of the CFA Society of Seattle, and serves as an Associate Board Member for the Seattle Alternative Investment Association.

Elizabeth Cope

Compliance

Liz has partnered with Leeward since its inception and has been working in the financial services industry since 2004. Her engagement with Leeward covers all compliance related issues in a collaborative outsourced format. Liz reviews all documents with compliance implications and runs point for Leeward on all SEC and FINRA fillings ensuring Leeward maintains an impeccable compliance record.

Debra Richman

Accounting & Finance

Debbie has provided outsourced Controller/CFO expertise to a wide variety of firms since 1995. She has partnered with Leeward since its inception and is involved in all monthly/quarterly and year end financial reporting. Debbie brings a strong audit, financial compliance and tax skill sets to Leeward.

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Important

Leeward Financial Partners, LLC is a registered investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Adviser may not transact business in sales where it is not appropriately registered or exempt from registration.

Individualized responses to persons that involve either the effecting of transactions in securities or the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation will not be made without registration or exemption.

Leeward Client Relationship Summary >>Terms and Conditions >>Privacy Policy >>

Contact

We welcome the opportunity to discuss your investment objectives and our wealth management services. Contact us for a complimentary, no-obligation consultation.

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Our investment expertise; your financial dreams delivered

Get to Know Us

Our Values

The Team

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