Our Team
THE PEAK WEALTH TEAM
PRESIDENT & FOUNDER
Peter Newman
PhD, CFA®
Peter Newman founded Peak Wealth Planning in 2014 to provide bespoke advice to a select group of families. Prior to founding Peak Wealth, Peter managed the treasury and investments at the University of Illinois System for two decades. He also spent 15 years as a real estate investor and developer. As a real estate investor, he learned about minimizing taxes and constructive use of debt.
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Peter has experience growing and protecting pools of capital. At the University of Illinois he grew the endowment from $250 million to $700 million and increased operating cash from $700 million to $2.5 billion. From this experience Peter learned how to create investment portfolios using unique building blocks (selecting from thousands of managers) to meet specific goals. Peter applies his unique background to help the Peak Wealth Planning clients achieve their specific goals and enjoy peace of mind.
Peter grew up in an entrepreneurial construction family in the Northeast. He currently resides in Chicago, IL and frequently visits Winter Park, CO. Peter enjoys skiing, vegetable gardening, and remodeling homes in unique locations.
CLIENT CARE COORDINATOR
Afton Swenor
Afton Swenor brings nearly a decade of experience in customer service and operations within fast-paced telehealth startups to her role as Client Care Coordinator at Peak Wealth Planning. She is dedicated to creating a seamless and thoughtful experience for every client, leveraging her systems-minded approach to solve problems and streamline processes.
Afton holds a degree in Health Education from Northern Michigan University and began her career developing wellness programs for General Motors employees. Her passion for helping others thrive continues to guide her work today.
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Based in northern Michigan, Afton enjoys running, hiking, traveling out west, and spending time by the water with her pets. She also has a keen interest in tarot, blending wellness, purpose, and connection in all that she does.
OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
Melissa Tyler
Melissa Tyler was previously an Executive Assistant at Fortune 500 companies, where she worked with teams in Finance, Corporate Properties, and Healthcare. She earned an A.A. in English Literature from Casper College in 1999 and a B.A. in Communications with a Minor in English Literature from the University of Denver in 2001.
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As the Client Care Coordinator for Peak Wealth Planning, Melissa is committed to providing high-level customer service with a focus on ethics, integrity, and positivity.
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Melissa lives in Raleigh, NC. In her free time, she enjoys reading on her back porch, gardening, embarking on fantastic road trip adventures with her daughter, and spending weekends with her family.
FINANCIAL PLANNER
Nathan Gale
Nathan is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with a Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning from Kansas State University.
Prior to joining the team at Peak Wealth Planning, Nathan served as a musician in the U.S. Army and Navy. During his sixteen years in the military, he had the privilege to serve as the Command Financial Specialist and discovered his love for helping people overcome their financial scripts and fears, identify and prioritize their financial goals, and efficiently maximize their resources to live their best lives.
Nathan lives in Chicago with his furry family of EIGHT!! He loves traveling, good food and wine and is a die-hard Chiefs and Royals fan.
CFP®
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Carmen Egolf
Carmen Egolf comes from a background in design and education. For 15 years she worked with clients and more than 1,000 students, identifying their needs and motivations so she could navigate each towards a path of success.
As marketing director for Peak Wealth Planning, Carmen develops marketing strategies, performs research and analysis, and creates media assets and campaigns. Carmen received her M.A. (2009) and B.F.A. (2003) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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In her free time, Carmen is a content creator on YouTube. She also enjoys hiking with her family, reading to her son Sebastian, walking her neighbor's dog, and doing sun salutations.