Russ Cole, ChFC®, CLU®
Russ graduated Cum Laude from Pacific Lutheran University having studied economics and finance. After graduation in 1987, he began his career in financial planning at MassMutual. He remained at MassMutual for 20 years before joining Sage in 2007 and purchasing it in 2008. Along the way, he earned his Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Life Underwriter designations.
Russ’s goal is for Sage to be a financial services firm wholly committed to client-centered financial planning and asset management. He believes strongly in encouraging and partnering with clients for the long-term to help them use their money as a means to achieve their own goals and make a meaningful impact in their lives.
Family and friends are vital to Russ. Married to his wife, Danielle, for nearly 40 years, they enjoy spending as much time as possible with their kids and grandkids. Russ also enjoys staying active through a variety of activities including boating, biking, and hiking.
Jordan Cole, CFA®, CFP®
Jordan started full-time at Sage in 2011 but has been working with Russ since 2005. He attended the University of Arizona and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a major in finance and a minor in history. He has since attained his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and his Chartered Financial Analyst® certifications.
As Russ’s oldest son, Jordan had a front-row seat to life as a financial advisor and decided early on it was the career he wanted to pursue. He was attracted to the real difference an advisor can make in their client’s future and the deep relationships formed over time. He also enjoys the investment research process and spends much of his time at Sage on portfolio construction and management to ensure our models are the best they can be for our clients.
Jordan married his college sweetheart, Julia, and they now have three beautiful children, Kennedy, Ezra, and Adaline. They live in Bothell along with their cat, Solomon, and dog, Rainier. They love hiking, road trips, and watching football.
Michaela Griggs, CFP®
Michaela joined Sage full-time after graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Portland in 2015 with a degree in finance, secondary major in French, and minor in mathematics. She previously was an intern for Sage and continued that work remotely throughout her senior year of college. Since coming onboard full-time, she has attained her licenses and earned her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification. She currently works for the team remotely with quarterly trips back to Edmonds for in-person meetings.
Michaela feels privileged to serve clients by partnering with them to make informed decisions about finances that enable them to live out their goals. She is particularly passionate about helping young professionals develop good stewardship habits early in their careers.
Michaela married her husband, Devon, in August 2019, and the two of them live in Woodland, California with their cat, Goose. Together, Michaela and Devon enjoy playing boardgames, watching movies, and spending time with family and friends. On her own time, Michaela's favorite places to be are out for a run in the sunshine, on the couch poring over a good book, or Disneyland.
Michael Bell
Michael graduated top of his class with Honors from Wyoming Technical College in 1996, having studied Mechanics and Business Management. After a short time as a technician, he realized his passion was business. From there, he went on to operate the family business where he learned, in much depth, business planning, profit and loss, economics, and business cycles. After growing the business and himself, Michael went on to learn the financial services industry and started his career with Northwestern Mutual. Michael has been practicing as a financial services professional since 2014, focusing his time in the risk portion of financial planning. In 2018, he joined the Sage team to be its specialist in that area. Michael currently works for the team remotely, splitting his time between Arizona and Seattle.
Michael's true passion is helping others by adding as much value as he can render to his clients while developing long-term relationships.
Michael has two adult sons and is married to the love of his life, Megan. They have two dogs, Frankie and Chip. While in Seattle, they live aboard a motor yacht and enjoy cruising Puget Sound. They are actively involved in the Seattle Yacht Club and the TollyCraft boating club, never letting a little cold weather stop them from cruising year-round. When not on a boating adventure, they enjoy cooking, music, and traveling.
Michael Helke
Michael began working at Sage in 2014 shortly after graduating from Central Washington University where he majored in finance and minored in accounting. Starting in a behind-the-scenes role, he has since transitioned into the Chief Compliance Officer role and leads in the creation of many of Sage’s processes and procedures. He also takes the lead administration role of the 401(k) plans managed by Sage Advisors.
Michael’s passion lies in operation management and wanting to find new ways to streamline the client experience through the implementation of efficient processes and procedures. He wants clients to feel we treat their money as if it were our own by experiencing quick, accurate, and personal servicing of their requests.
Michael married his wife, Sarah, in 2020. They live in Lynnwood with their daughter, Madelyn, and two cats, Bagheera and Duchess. They enjoy golfing, gardening, and going to their favorite places together, including Leavenworth and Disneyland.
Michelle Anderson
Michelle worked alongside Russ for 10 years at MassMutual as the Coordinator of Agency Services. She later joined the Sage team, working from home with flexible hours tailored around her children’s school days. With over 35 years in the financial services industry, she’s gained experience in many areas, but her favorite by far is customer service.
Michelle enjoys organizing and problem solving with the goal of providing an excellent support system to Sage’s clients. While she does extensive work behind the scenes, she also helps clients directly by phone and online. She views all she does on the administrative side as a means to ensure clients feel taken care of by the team.
In addition to everything she does for Sage, Michelle enjoys reading and hiking. She also schedules as much time as possible to spend with her daughter, Camille, and to visit her first grandchild, Fox, who lives with her son, Connor, and his wife, Peyton, in North Carolina. Michelle and her husband, Chris, live in Bothell with their dogs, Bumper and Leia, and cat, Hero.
Brandon Cole
Brandon started working for Sage in the summer of 2017, a few years after graduating from Western Washington University with a degree from the recreation program.
Brandon is excited to be working on the client services and administration side of Sage. He enjoys the opportunity to work both behind the scenes and with clients to address their needs promptly and effectively. His hope is that Sage’s clients always feel the entire team is working to help them accomplish the goals they have set for themselves.
The summer of 2017 was a busy time for Brandon as, not only did he join Sage, but he also married his college sweetheart, Alyssa. They now live in Bremerton with their children, Georgia, June, and Harrison, cat, Mercy, and dog, Stella. Brandon is a big sports fan, particularly of the Seahawks, Huskies, and Mariners. He’s also counting the days until the Sonics return to Seattle.
Sue Longstreth
Sue brought over 30 years of administrative experience when she joined Sage Advisors' Operations Team in June 2022. She's worked in the hospitality, event planning, and nursery industries.
Sue is enjoying her role as Sage's office manager while also providing support to the Operations Team. As a naturally organized and detail-oriented person, she looks forward to increasing Sage's stellar customer service experience.
Though born in Ohio, Sue considers herself a Pacific Northwest native since she's now lived here for over 40 years. She likes to spend her free time working in her garden, devouring a good book, and getting together with family and friends. She and her husband, Rob, enjoy travelling to upstate New York to visit their daughter, Jac, while she pursues a PhD at Cornell University. They also make time to explore their Shoreline/Lake Forest Park neighborhood on their ebikes.
Grace Cameron
Grace joined Sage Advisors on the Operations Team in October 2022 shortly after graduating simultaneously from Everett Community College with a degree in business administration and from high school.
With a background in customer service, Grace enjoys interacting with clients and learning how she can progress them toward their goals. She enjoys working on the general operations side of Sage and specializes in doing the same for Sage's insurance business.
Born and raised in Washington, Grace loves to hike with her friends and family and to tend to her houseplants, cat, Cheese Fondue, and dog, Truffle. She also loves to take frequent road trips to various state parks with her partner, Alden, documenting their adventures on film.
Nadia Riell
Nadia joined Sage Advisors in 2024 with a focus on office and administrative support. She has a BA in education and a career background that includes the fields of media, publishing, and education, bringing customer service and project management skills to her role with Sage. She is excited to be able to combine her personal interest in finance with helping others reach their financial goals.
A northwest native, Nadia has enjoyed living and working in California and Tennessee but is thrilled to now be calling Edmonds home. She enjoys visiting and catching up with her two children, who are now in careers of their own, and taking outdoor walks with her Chocolate Labrador Retriever, Charly. She is also looking forward to expanding on volunteering, traveling, and continuing to cultivate her interests in the arts.