Thomas Roberts, AIF®, MBA

Founder and CEO

What sets Tom Roberts apart as an advisor? Beyond his drive to guide others as they work towards financial success, Tom takes great joy in being a mentor and an educator.

Tom was pursuing an MBA at Columbia Business School after a 20-year career as ____ when he was exposed to the financial services industry. Recognizing the wealth of challenges and rewarding opportunities the role of financial advisor could bring, he took the leap of faith when Salomon Smith Barney offered him a position in 2001.

Five years later, Tom founded Pinnacle Advisor Group, an independent planning-based advisory firm that champions transparency, honesty, and fiduciary responsibility. Best of all, he now had the flexibility to prioritize educating his clients, thus enabling them to make informed decisions supporting investments and retirement plans.

Tom recognized that the sums of money involved in retirement plans can easily equal the assets used to run a small business. His challenge was to figure out how to empower his clients to manage those assets as the CEO of a company and not as passive participants in an industry made complicated by buzzwords and jargon. He set about developing a college-level educational program available to Pinnacle's clients. Then, he structured his business model to allow regular conversations in which he could mentor clients in life aspects ranging from managing careers to dealing with the fear brought by volatile markets.

Tom understands that everyday life is filled with countless responsibilities and distractions and that retirement planning may seem an intrusion. However, as the son of Depression-era parents, he grew up in a blue-collar home and saw the impact of his community not preparing sufficiently for retirement.

After putting himself through Bloomsburg State College, he combined hard work with lifelong education to offer others a path toward financial security. Executive education at the Wharton School, the Booth School of Business in Chicago, and the University of Syracuse supplemented 30 years of training in strategic coaching and personal development.

On the personal side, Tom has been married to his wife Cheryl for 35 years, and they have three wonderful children. At 50, he competed in his first of five Ironman triathlons, each covering a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run. Tom has run four marathons and one 50-km ultra-marathon. When not training for the next competition or enjoying his family, he's active in various civic organizations, such as being a board member of The Courtney Anne Diacont Memorial Foundation and a former board member with the Eastern PA Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Small Business Council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Bloomsburg University Alumni Association.

Diana Colahan, CFP

Client Service Director

As Client Service Director and Certified Financial Planner, Diana wears many hats at Pinnacle Advisor Group. Her daily interactions with clients include transitioning new individuals to the firm as well as assisting the financial advisors in the implementation of retirement plans and strategies. She also oversees client service processes and our compliance functions.

A Lehigh Valley native, Diana received her Associates in Business Administration from Northampton Community College before transferring to Lehigh University to complete a Bachelor’s of Science in Business and Economics. During her junior year at LU, Diana was hired as an intern to support a team at Smith Barney. There, she was exposed to retirement planning, investments, and the impact of a good financial advisor. In 2006, Tom invited Diana to join him at Pinnacle Advisor Group, and she happily accepted the opportunity to help him build a meaningful business.

Diana’s life outside of the office is just as busy as it is at work. Much of her free time is spent with her husband of over 10 years, Trevor, and their handsome dog, Jameson. Each weekend is filled with family events, theater productions, and Trevor’s hurling competitions. Her personal hobbies include ballet, ballroom dancing, yoga, and exercising at the gym. She is also active in the Lehigh University Home Club (previously President), Allentown Hibernians, Arts Quest, The Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley, and Young Professionals of the Pennsylvania Ballet Company.

Diana’s parents met when her father was stationed in Spain with the United States Air Force but moved stateside early in their marriage. Diana is bilingual. The exposure she had to other languages and cultures while growing up fuels her passion for international travel.

TWR

Pinnacle’s Client Development Strategist.

After graduating from Bloomsburg University in 2008, Tom left eastern Pennsylvania for Denver, Colorado where he began his time in the industry with Jackson National. He enjoyed 8 years of service in the financial services industry before transitioning his career to the technology sector in 2017, absorbing as much as he could during his time with Gusto - an innovative web-based payroll and benefits company. In late 2019 Tom began having conversations about a potential role within Pinnacle Advisor Group and after defining an exciting outlook for the future of the business, the decision was made to join Pinnacle’s Team in 2020. As we all know, the world as a whole changed in 2020 and Tom’s presence in the business was immediately felt as he helped the team technologically navigate the difficulties in maintaining a small business during the pandemic.

Since entering the work force, Tom has wisely aligned himself with companies who have a foundation in sound leadership with a forward thinking approach to business. The experience, the training & development and the innovative minds he has surrounded himself with, have allowed him to bring a diverse perspective to Pinnacle Advisor Group. He has obtained his Series 6, 63, 7 and 66 licenses and is constantly seeking to broaden his spectrum of knowledge.

During his 12 years in Denver, he met his wife and they brought two wonderful boys, Will & Jack, into the world before returning to Pennsylvania in 2021. Free time is typically spent with his family – fitting in exercising and skiing as he can. He’s also exploring new roles within his community, primarily involved with his children’s school and sports. His passions include woodworking, music, food and sports. He and his wife try to get to a few concerts each year, which they usually pair with some of the best local cuisine they can find. Music has played a large role in Tom’s life and he constantly seeks out new music while trying to catch his favorite bands live as often as his schedule allows for it. He has been playing guitar since the age of 13 and enjoys finding circles of friends to play music alongside. As an avid Philadelphia sports fan, he cherishes his time supporting the Phillies and Eagles alongside his two boys, bringing them to games whenever the opportunity presents itself. Family is his most important priority and he considers himself very lucky to in his own words “have a seemingy endless well of loved ones and support in my life.”

AMY

Amy is part of Pinnacle’s client services team, bringing her organizational and life skills as detailed support to the client process. Pinnacle coaxed Amy out of retirement to fill that role on a part time basis.

Amy served as a critical care nurse for decades after earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She transitioned to pharmaceutical sales for another 18 years putting her medical knowledge to work in a different capacity.

Amy brought her unique communication skills and rapport with people to the family atmosphere at Pinnacle in 2019, where she had been a client since 2015. Amy became widowed in 2020. After going through the retirement transition herself – and the curveball of losing her husband of over 40 years – Amy is particularly attuned to the importance of each person being uniquely prepared for their later years. Amy has two adult children, a daughter and a son.

She fills her free time with her large community of friends and family, fitting in as much golf as time (and weather) permits.