Tighe Smith has been helping families work to achieve their financial goals for more than thirty years. He has overseen investments through all kinds of markets and has worked for firms both large and small. Tighe has acquired a breadth of experience and depth of knowledge that few other professionals can match. Now, as founder of his own company, River Rock Family Wealth Management, he stands ready to support you and your family with confidence and security.
Tighe received an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Puget Sound and a graduate degree in finance (M.B.A) from the University of Washington. He returned to his hometown of Spokane, Washington, to begin his career with Kidder-Peabody, where he earned a vice-presidency before the age of thirty. There, too, he was on the leading edge of innovation and was among the first wave of advisors to earn a Series 65 securities registration, allowing a more consultative, fee-based approach to asset management, as opposed to one based on commission generations.
Following Kidder-Peabody’s acquisition by GE, Tighe joined Piper Jaffray & Company, a smaller firm with a Pacific Northwest and upper Midwest focus. It was here that Tighe became one of the first advisors to embrace investment planning as an integral part of the advisory relationship. It was here as well that Tighe’s career as a branch manager began, when he was selected to take charge of the Spokane office in 2001. During this time, Tighe consistently aimed at being an excellent top-performing practice within the Piper system. Following a brief period of ownership by USBank, the firm was acquired by Swiss-based bank UBS in 2007.
Tighe was named a Complex Director and managed multiple branches within UBS, all while continuing to manage his own advisory practice. Following the financial crises of 2008 and 2009, during which time he felt the need to focus more on the needs of his own client base, Tighe determined to give up branch management and stepped down from his management responsibilities in 2012.
As technologies improved and regulations changed, he believes the benefits of working for a big firm waned. To better serve his clients, in 2015 Tighe launched River Rock Family Wealth Management, an independent practice working with Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, a non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. Tighe has all of the tools, resources and client services of one of America’s largest and strongest financial institutions in Wells Fargo, but the independence to utilize the resources as he sees fit. With offices in Spokane’s vibrant University District, Tighe is positioned to be a part of the revitalization of this historic and thriving neighborhood.
Tighe and his wife, Marybeth, a public school administrator, are parents of three children. The couple focuses their volunteer efforts on organizations that support children and families. Tighe enjoys road cycling and fly-fishing.
Professional Experience
River Rock Family Wealth Management- Managing Director
Spokane, WA
UBS Financial Services Inc. - Branch Office Manager
Portfolio Management Program Financial Advisor
Spokane, WA
Kidder Peabody & Co - Vice President
Spokane, WA
Education
B.S. Economics, University of Puget Sound
M.B.A., University of Washington
