Kristen K. Gratton, CFP®, RICP®, TPCP®, CPFA®, ChFC®

I grew up watching my dad build a career in financial services, and for years, I was certain it wasn't the path I wanted. That changed around 29, when I started looking for work that would let me make a genuine difference while building something meaningful of my own. I learned the business from the ground up alongside my dad, and what surprised me most was how personal it turned out to be. The turning point was understanding that connecting retirement income, taxes, healthcare, and insurance into a coherent plan looks completely different from managing a portfolio, and that difference is what actually changes things for people. Once I saw that, I couldn't imagine approaching it any other way.

Most of my week is spent in conversations with clients who are figuring out whether they're truly ready for what comes next. One moment I come back to often involves a client who genuinely hated his job but had convinced himself he couldn't retire because he was terrified about healthcare costs before Medicare. We sat down together and worked through everything: his savings, what retirement could realistically look like, and how healthcare fit into the picture. It became clear fairly quickly that he was in much better shape than he'd believed. Before I'd even finished writing the full plan, he walked out to his car and gave his notice. Watching someone move from that kind of stuck feeling to that kind of freedom is exactly why this work matters to me. *This example is based on an actual client experience and is provided for illustrative purposes only. It may not be representative of other clients’ experiences, and results are not guaranteed.

I was born in Ellwood City and have lived in Mars long enough to genuinely appreciate both the flying saucer monument in town and the fact that our school mascot is the Fightin' Planets. Outside the office, I'm usually at a soccer field or traveling somewhere with my husband Bryan and our four kids. I take CrossFit seriously and competed as a Semifinalist in my age group in 2025. Getting up before 5 a.m. to do something hard on purpose before the workday starts turns out to be good training for a lot of things.

• Named a 2026 Top Female Financial Advisor by Investment News. *In addition to assets in managed account programs, InvestmentNews will include defined contribution plan assets, broker/dealer-held brokerage accounts, annuity contracts, and life insurance policy cash values as AUM if they are under the advisor's influence or ongoing oversight.The 2026 $100M Club:  Top Female Advisors was issued by InvestmentNews on 06/17/2026 for the period covering 03/01/2025 - 03/01/2026.  Nominations are accepted from advisors and industry professionals. The ranking is developed based on an evaluation process conducted by InvestmentNews based on weighted criteria: total assets under management* (AUM), AUM growth, and organic client growth. A ranking is tabulated for each advisor in each category and those scores are combined to determine the advisor’s final ranking. All information on nominees had to be verified by their compliance team before it could be accepted. Key Media, the parent company of InvestmentNews, provides adminstrative support for this program. The ranking is not an endorsement or indicative of future performance of the financial adviser. [Compensation was paid for use of marketing materials.] For more information, visit www.investmentnews.com. 

*In addition to assets in managed account programs, InvestmentNews will include defined contribution plan assets, broker/dealer-held brokerage accounts, annuity contracts, and life insurance policy cash values as AUM if they are under the advisor's influence or ongoing oversight.