Shanna Tingom is the co-founder of Heritage Financial Strategies. She has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry and specializes in working with female entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders as well as individuals experiencing life transitions such as marriage or divorce. Her main focus is helping others take charge of their financial future.
After years of struggling to fit into the corporate mold, Shanna made the decision to become an independent advisor. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business from William Penn University and a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix. Shanna currently holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 licenses and the Accredited Asset Management Specialist℠ and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst designations. She considers herself a life-long learner and keeps apprised of changes in the financial industry. She is currently a Candidate for CFP® certification and hopes to complete certification in 2021.
Since opening Heritage Financial Strategies, Shanna has been a regular contributor to Investopedia.com, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance online, and Born2Invest.com. She makes frequent public speaking and guest radio appearances in Phoenix and nationally as well as hosts her own podcast, “Making Money Fun” which can be found on iTunes.
Shanna may be one of only a handful of people who is SCUBA certified in a land-locked state, but she’s definitely no fish out of water. She could walk into a room full of strangers and feel right at home. Shanna loves to laugh and makes those around her comfortable from the get-go. She enjoys traveling with her husband, Eric, and spending time with her two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Oliver and Gidget. Her favorite vacation spots are Hawaii, Jamaica, and Mexico – anywhere with water.
Shanna’s parents live in Mesa. In spite of her best efforts to get them to fully retire, you can find them working part-time when they aren’t traveling. The travel bug is real for this family! Shanna has a younger brother named Marc who lives in Ohio with his wife, Kat, and their two kids, Teddy and Julia.
When she isn’t traveling or working, Shanna, along with her husband Eric, love to try new locally-owned restaurants. A self-proclaimed foodie, Shanna loves to pair food with drinks and conversation with laughter.
Eric is a life-long entrepreneur, starting his first technology company while in college at Arizona State University, where he earned a degree in Accounting. Right out of ASU, he worked for Cooper and Lybrand, which is now Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC) in public auditing. He has worked with private companies as well as large government agencies helping them comply with new rules and regulations and streamlining their policies and procedures.
His past work experiences are part of the reason Eric decided to join Heritage Financial Strategies. He has played an integral part in setting up the technology, data security and integration, so that it meets all FINRA requirements. His work has been instrumental in the success of the business where employees and clients enjoy the latest technological advances. Eric will continue to have more interactions with clients as his role expands to bring new tax and insurance services to Heritage Financial Strategies clients.
When Eric is not working with a client, he can be found enjoying his fur kids Oliver and Gidget or on his road or mountain bike - often riding more than 250 miles in a typical week! He has participated in El Tour de Tucson and the Chino Grinder.
He is a native Arizonan, growing up in Paradise Valley and loves to stretch Shanna’s travel aspirations to be more than beach. He readily admits his favorite vacation spot, hands down is Maui. Part of the reason he loves going there is that he can ride every day, before he joins Shanna on the beach. He loves riding the West Maui Loop and actually rode UP Haleakala!
Fun fact: Eric is an Arizona native, growing up in Paradise Valley and attending ASU. He remembers when the East Valley was a dirt road outside of Phoenix and not a most-wanted place to live.
Shawna joined the Heritage Financial team in 2021 and serves as its Client Service Specialist. She has worked in financial services for the better part of the past decade, most recently with Cambridge Investment Research, Heritage’s broker dealer. Shawna is a problem-solver who pays attention to the details. These traits help her excel in her role managing all new account transfers and processes, fielding questions, and ensuring all associated paperwork has its I’s dotted and T’s crossed.
Joining the Heritage team was a natural next step in her career after having served in various roles at Cambridge. Shawna has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Master's in Science of Administration, FINRA Licenses 7, 66, and 24, a Yellow Belt in Six Sigma, and an RCC Corporate Coaching Certification.
Shawna also knew joining Heritage would be a good fit in part because of its positive reputation. She enjoys the team camaraderie, forward-thinking mindset, and career support and growth she has found at Heritage.
Shawna is very outdoorsy. She enjoys hiking with her husband, son, and two dogs, Scout (a golden retriever) and Charlie (a mixed breed rescue). Shawna’s hardest hike to date was Effigy Mounds in McGregor, Iowa called Little Bear, Great Bear. The steep incline gave her a run for her money but the views from the bluff more than made up for the effort.
Because she’d rather be outdoors than in, you’ll also likely find her in her spare time camping with her family in their pop-up, boating, or swimming. Her favorite place to swim is in Lake Michigan. She loves dipping her toes into its beautiful, cool water throughout the summer, and even though she’s ventured to beaches up and down Michigan’s coastlines, Ludington Beach is her absolute favorite spot.
Peg is responsible for answering the phone and handling questions, or transferring you to the person who can. She can make anyone feel at home, even in a busy office.
Peg has more than 40 years of experience working in both the public and private sector of senior services, where she ran several large senior citizen and multi-generational community centers. Peg joined Heritage Financial Strategies to put her organizational skills to good use and bring some fun into an office environment.
If you can’t tell from her picture, most of Peg’s hobbies revolve around her taking care of her family; cooking, baking or cleaning! She bakes some of her favorites that we usually benefit from in the office. Any kind of treat bar, fruit bread, or cookie, are what you’re most likely to find in the office when you come to see us. And, don’t be surprised if you mistake Peg for Shanna when you call…they sound JUST alike on the phone!
Peg and her husband, Gary, moved to Arizona from Iowa in 2009. They live in Mesa with their and have friends from Iowa in the West Valley, Carefree, and Tucson, that they love visiting. They enjoy keeping up with their son, Shanna’s Brother, Marc and his wife Kat as well as their two grandkids, Teddy and Julia, who live in Ohio. Fun fact: Though they’ve lived in Arizona for more than ten years, she still hates driving on the interstates and avoids them at all costs.
Alden Rowe is a financial planner with Heritage Financial Strategies whose goal is to help you achieve financial peace. He believes this can be accomplished through comprehensive financial planning and careful investing. Alden understands the role of a financial advisor is to coach and educate, just as much as it is to build a plan. He is passionate about demystifying the world of investing and helping people engage with their finances on a deeper level.
He earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Business Administration degree from MIU, in addition to holding financial industry licenses FINRA Series 7, 66, 24, and 3. Alden worked for Heritage’s broker-dealer Cambridge Investment Research for three years before joining the Heritage team in 2020.
Alden uses his extensive knowledge and understanding to help clients get ahead and avoid costly mistakes. Whether it’s understanding the sub-account allocation in their 401k or how much they should be setting aside each month, Alden believes each financial decision should be made by his clients with intention, and he’s simply there to educate, facilitate, and make money fun!
Alden is a fifth-generation financial professional; his grandfather was Dr. Suess's insurance agent. Raised by a scouting family in Iowa, Alden is an Eagle Scout who enjoys being close to nature and adventure. As a kid, his family would take camping road trips across the country. He was especially fond of the natural beauty Arizona and the rest of the Southwest has to offer. He is excited to re-visit the parks with his wife Janae and their rescue Penny. In 2021, Alden and his wife welcomed their first child, Vera. The whole team is excited about this because Vera is the first “Heritage” baby!
Alden and his wife had a small greenhouse in Iowa. While it wasn't practical to bring it 1,500 miles to Gilbert, they are looking forward to the growing seasons in Arizona's climate. An avid reader, Alden enjoys following the market news and seeing how it reacts to the ever-changing political climate. He likes to study history and philosophy books and has a soft spot for anything written by Cormac McCarthy.
Melisa Horn is a highly experienced financial professional with over 30 years of experience working in banks and credit unions. As Financial Coach with Mindful Money Financial Coaching, Melisa helps clients with budgeting and financial education, and is passionate about helping people achieve their financial goals through intelligent planning and guidance. As Brand Ambassador for Heritage Financial Strategies, she Melisa is excited to help Heritage Financial Strategies reach and resonate with those that are seeking help making the most of their money. With a strong focus on customer service, Melisa always goes above and beyond to ensure that everyone receives the highest quality care and support.
Melisa has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from Arkansas State University; she is authentic with clients and team members and highly energetic, caring, and smart. With her vast knowledge of the banking and finance industry, Melisa is always up to date on the latest trends and strategies in financial services.
Throughout her career, Melisa has received numerous awards for excellence. She is known for her ability to forge strong relationships with clients by building trust and rapport. And she is dedicated to helping others achieve their best financial future - whether by completing a personal or professional goal or simply navigating life transitions.
Melisa is passionate about helping people make smart financial decisions that help them reach their goals both now and in the long term. Heritage is thrilled to have Melisa on our team!
Mindful Money Financial Coaching is not affiliated with Cambridge.
Melisa lives with her husband, Gary, a Memphis, Tennessee, Police Sargent in Mississippi. She loves local music and spending time with her daughters, Erica, Shelbi, Meghan, and their significant others.
Melisa and Gary also spend a lot of time with their grandsons, Silas and Liam, and their favorite pastime is Meme and Pawpaw!
Melisa has always been a travel enthusiast and loves to explore new places. She also enjoys spending time with her family, exploring new restaurants, trying new activities, and having fun together.
Whether traveling or simply enjoying a day at home with her loved ones, Melisa lives life to the fullest and always looks for ways to make the most of every moment. If you're looking for an adventurous travel partner or someone who will laugh until she cries with you, Melisa is your girl!
Andrew is here to greet and assist everyone as Heritage's Front Desk and Customer Service Associate. Andrew comes from a variety of clerical and support positions, with a primary background and focus in all things Quality; to him, quantity, efficiency and value are all important in our business and personal lives, but none are as important, or as attainable without quality, first and foremost. He has received numerous accolades over the years and is known to everyone as being a committed and conscientious worker who strives for harmony in the workplace and beyond.
Other than Quality, Andrew believes in staying humble and maintaining human connections through empathetic listening and engaging in personable conversations. Having had numerous jobs in the corporate world (several of which are long defunct), Andrew is a supporter of smaller businesses that can still have a wide-reach and personal touch for their clients, which is why he is extremely proud to be a part of the Heritage team.
Andrew is a Native Arizonan was who was born in Tucson, but has called the Valley home for several years now; he has always loved the small town vibe of Gilbert (even as it continues to push the limits of that term) and is glad to have Heritage to stay Gilbert-centric. When not inside, Andrew loves to soak up the Arizona sun by hiking, visiting the state's various small towns (and ghost towns), and getting sidelined by the sunsets.
Andrew was raised in a family immersed in the arts, and he specifically has an appreciation for sculptures, paintings, and dabbling in photography (who doesn't these days?). He enjoys TV shows and movies, though he rarely makes time to stream-and-chill these days; music has always been a constant, enjoyable distraction, with lyrics always ready to reference and songs playing continuously in his head way into bedtime. When not losing sleep or working, Andrew loves getting to the gym as much as possible and has become an avid Zumba attendee, which is evidenced by his picture, and felt deep into his bones...literally.
