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, CFP®, AEP®, CEPA®

Melanie Colusci is the Founder and President of Bridger Financial Group, a Pittsburgh-based wealth management firm specializing in helping business owners, families, and women entrepreneurs turn financial complexity into clarity and strategy.

With over 25 years of experience and as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, Melanie takes a comprehensive, planning-first approach to wealth management. She works closely with clients to align their investments, tax strategies, retirement plans, and estate considerations into one cohesive financial roadmap-designed not just to grow wealth, but to support how they want to live and lead.
Melanie has a particular focus on helping business owners optimize their 401(k) and retirement plans as strategic assets, rather than administrative obligations. She also specializes in guiding clients through major life transitions-including widowhood, business exits, and retirement-helping them make confident, informed decisions during pivotal moments.

As a CERTIFIED EXIT PLANNING ADVISOR (CEPA®) and Accredited Estate Planner™ (AEP®), Melanie frequently collaborates with CPAs and attorneys to deliver coordinated, high-level planning for her clients. Her approach is both strategic and deeply personal-grounded in long-term relationships and a clear understanding of each client's goals.
Melanie is a multi-year recipient of the Five Star Wealth Manager award and has been featured in publications including The Wall Street Journal and Forbes Wealth Managers Black Book. She is also an award-winning author of two business books focused on empowering female professionals and is a strong advocate for women in business.

Originally from Montana, Melanie has called Pittsburgh home since 2008. Outside of her work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their three sons, often outdoors camping, swimming, and embracing an active, nature-driven lifestyle.

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This award was issued on 06/01/2026 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 09/10/2025 through 02/27/2026. 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. 2133 Pittsburgh-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 201 (9 % of candidates) were named 2026 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2025: 1,965, 211, 11%, 6/1/25, 9/18/24 - 2/28/25; 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.

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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.