Five Star award winner Melanie Colusci, CFP®, AEP®, CEPA®

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

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Melanie Colusci, CFP^®, AEP^®, CEPA^®

President

Bridger Financial Group

381 Mansfield Ave Ste 400

Pittsburgh, PA 15220

Office: 412-733-4039

mcolusci@bridgerfinancialgroup.com
www.bridgerfinancialgroup.com

Professional Approach

About Melanie Colusci

I am the Founder and President of Bridger Financial Group. For over 20 years, I have had the privilege of helping individuals, families, and business owners create sound financial roadmaps for their future.

With a commitment to providing trustworthy guidance, I take a holistic approach to helping my clients organize their financial life. I help them identify possible gaps in their financial plans and I use key strategies to help create a solid foundation for my clients to address their financial goals.

My mission is to build lasting client relationships and to empower and guide each client toward making informed decisions that align with their personal financial vision. Working collaboratively with CPAs and other advisors, I create customized financial plans for my clients in Pittsburgh and beyond the region. I enjoy educating my clients on helpful strategies, topics, and products that align with their unique situations and goals.

I am an award-winning author and have written two widely regarded business books geared towards female professionals. I enjoy working with other women entrepreneurs as clients. As a longtime business owner myself, I understand the hurdles and challenges specific to women entrepreneurs. Business planning for women business owners is one of my areas of focus within Bridger Financial Group.

I am a proud native of Montana and have appreciated calling Pittsburgh, PA "home" since 2008. Back in Montana, I worked as a financial services professional for several years, and in 2003 I earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™* designation. In 2016, I earned the Accredited Estate Planner™ designation and am a member of the Estate Planning Council. Bridger Financial Group was founded in 2016. My most recent designation is the "CERTIFIED EXIT PLANNING ADVISOR" in 2024.

I am multi-year Five Star Wealth Manager** award winner. Five Star Professional conducts market research to define and promote professional excellence to assist consumers in selecting a service professional. I have been featured in both The Wall Street Journal and Forbes Wealth Managers Black Book magazine.

My husband and I enjoy raising our three sons (and four cats) in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. Our family continues to enjoy a nature-inspired lifestyle and spend our free time camping, swimming, and playing outdoors as often as possible.

See Accomplishments

This award was issued on 06/01/2025 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 09/18/2024 through 02/28/2025. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1965 Pittsburgh-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 211 (11 % of candidates) were named 2025 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2024: 1,854, 231, 13%, 6/1/24, 9/12/23 - 3/29/24; 2023: 1,818, 233, 12.8%, 6/1/23, 9/12/22 - 3/31/23; 2022: 1779, 252, 14%, 6/1/22, 9/27/21 - 3/25/22; 2021: 1814, 234, 13%, 6/1/21, 9/7/20 - 4/23/21; 2020: 1886, 224, 12%, 6/1/20, 9/16/19 - 4/10/20; 2019: 1667, 251, 15%, 6/1/19, 9/17/18 - 4/12/19; 2018: 1653, 227, 14%, 6/1/18, 9/28/17 - 4/17/18; 2017: 1133, 277, 24%, 6/1/17, 9/27/16 - 4/11/17; 2016: 1064, 423, 40%, 5/1/16, 10/7/15 - 4/19/16; 2015: 1494, 442, 30%, 6/1/15, 10/7/14 - 4/19/15; 2014: 1721, 458, 27%, 6/1/14, 10/7/13 - 4/19/14; 2013: 1777, 545, 31%, 6/1/13, 10/7/12 - 4/19/13; 2012: 1863, 493, 26%, 6/1/12, 10/7/11 - 4/19/12.

Click to access BrokerCheck

Securities and investment advisory services offered through Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC. Registered Investment Adviser. Member FINRA/SIPC. 800-873-7637, www.htk.com.

Bridger Financial Group is independent of HTK. HTK does not provide tax or legal advice. Always consult a qualified tax advisor regarding your personal tax situation and a qualified legal professional for your personal estate planning situation.

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Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria - required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP's consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP's consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client's experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria - considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager's future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients' assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.