About
Tom Faley grew up in Dubuque, Iowa watching his parents do everything right — work hard, show up, and sacrifice for their family. The one thing they never had was a plan. And the one person they never found was someone who could help them turn all that hard work into the financial security they deserved.
That stayed with him.
More than 25 years later, Tom is Founder and Managing Director of Crown Legacy Wealth, where he works primarily with tech executives and professionals navigating some of the most complex financial decisions of their lives — concentrated stock positions, equity compensation, retirement income planning, and the kind of tax strategy that helps keep more money working for you. His work is personal by design. Because for Tom, it always has been.
He started his career in 1999 — before most of his current clients had received their first RSU — and spent more than two decades building a practice rooted in the belief that great financial advice isn’t about products or platforms. It’s about trust, clarity, and showing up when it actually matters. Tom holds the CFP®, CRPC™, and AAMS™ designations, and his work has been recognized on the Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors lists from 2019 through 2026, a member within the Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams lists from 2023 through 2026, and he has been named a Five Star Professional Wealth Manager eleven times (2014-2025). He’s proud of the recognition. He’s prouder of the client relationships behind it.
Before finance, Tom served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army’s 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment from 1994 to 1997, earning two Army Achievement Medals and the National Defense Service ribbon. He then joined the Minnesota National Guard while earning his BSB in Finance from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. The military shaped more than his résumé — it instilled a standard of discipline, loyalty, and accountability that still defines how he runs his practice.
Service has always been a constant thread. Tom volunteered with the Special Olympics in high school, served as a Big Brother through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Minneapolis, served on the corporate council and the board of the Seattle Make-A-Wish Foundation, led YMCA Adventure Guides groups, and coached football for the Bellevue Boys and Girls Club. For Tom, giving back isn’t something you schedule into a calendar — it’s just who he is.
But the part Tom would most want you to know has nothing to do with designations.
Beyond the Office
Tom married his wife Jen in 2004, and together they’re raising two boys, Zachary and Cooper — both of whom can now beat him on the pickleball court more often than he’d like to admit. Zachary is off at the University of Arizona, where he swapped water polo for college life, while Cooper, a junior in high school, is still in the pool for water polo and picking up speed on the lacrosse field. The Faley family’s idea of a great weekend involves a boat, a court, or a bowling lane, and usually ends in a debate about whose handicap should really be higher.
Outside of family time, Tom’s an avid boater, a regular on the pickleball court, a committed traveler, and someone who actually shows up for his gym sessions. He’ll take a round of golf any time he can get one — just grade him on effort.
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2026 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors; Awarded April 2026; Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on the time period from 6/30/24 – 6/30/25 (Source: Forbes.com). The Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors rating algorithm is based on the previous year’s industry experience, interviews, compliance records, assets under management, revenue and other criteria by SHOOK Research, LLC. Investment performance is not a criterion. Self-completed survey was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 2025 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors; Awarded April 2025; Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on the time period from 6/30/23 – 6/30/24 (Source: Forbes.com). 2024 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors; Awarded April 2024; Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on the time period from 6/30/22 – 6/30/23 (Source: Forbes.com). 2023 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors: Awarded April 2023; Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on the time period from 6/30/21 – 6/30/22 (Source: Forbes.com). 2022 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors: Awarded April 2022; Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on the time period from 6/30/20 – 6/30/21 (Source: Forbes.com). 2021 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors: Awarded February 2021; Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on the time period from 6/30/19 – 6/30/20 (Source: Forbes.com). 2020 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors: Awarded January 2020; Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on the time period from 6/30/18 – 6/30/19 (Source: Forbes.com). 2019 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors: Awarded February 2019; Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on the time period from 6/30/17 – 6/30/18 (Source: Forbes.com).
2026 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams: Awarded January 2026; Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on the time period from 3/31/24 – 3/31/25 (Source: Forbes.com). The Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams rating algorithm is based on the previous year’s industry experience, interviews, compliance records, assets under management, revenue and other criteria by SHOOK Research, LLC. Investment performance is not a criterion. Self-completed survey was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 2025 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams: Awarded January 2025; Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on the time period from 3/31/23 – 3/31/24 (Source: Forbes.com). 2024 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams: Awarded January 2024; Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on the time period from 3/31/22 – 3/31/23 (Source: Forbes.com). 2023 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams: Awarded January 2023; Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on the time period from 3/31/21 – 3/31/22 (Source: Forbes.com).
This award was issued on 2/1/25 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 5/15/24 through 11/29/24. 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. 3439 Seattle-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 106 (3% 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: 3,339, 260, 8%, 1/1/24, 5/15/23 – 11/30/23; 2023: 2,994, 268, 9%, 1/1/23, 4/18/22 – 10/21/22; 2022: 2,938, 267, 9%, 1/1/22, 5/10/21 – 11/30/21; 2021: 2,938, 284, 10%, 1/1/21, 4/27/20 – 10/30/20; 2020: 2,735, 273, 10%, 1/1/20, 4/1/19 – 11/13/19; 2019: 2,752, 290, 11%, 1/1/19, 4/23/18 – 11/9/18; 2018: 2,452, 266, 11%, 1/1/18, 4/25/17 – 11/6/17; 2017: 1,785, 436, 24%, 12/1/16, 3/26/16 – 11/18/16; 2016: 1,678, 412, 25%, 12/1/15, 5/12/15 – 10/30/15; 2015: 2,023, 530, 26%, 1/1/15, 5/12/14 – 10/30/14; 2014: 2,649, 424, 16%, 3/1/14, 5/12/13 – 10/30/13. 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.
