Xena Financial Planning

Financial Advisor to Women in Tech

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Xena Financial Planning Xena Financial Planning

Seattle, WA

Serving Clients Nationwide

Financial Advisor to Women in Tech

10 Certified Advisor Reviews™

5 out of 5 Stars

503.714.7357

Website

Primary Advisor Locations

Locations

📍 Portland, Oregon

Book Intro Call

Compensation Methods

Fee Only
Percentage of Assets Managed

About Xena Financial Planning

At Xena Financial Planning, we help women in tech and their families navigate financial life transitions with purpose, joy and agency. Our firm is based in Portland & Seattle but the practice is 100% virtual. We work with clients all over the United States to provide fee-only advice.

Take control of your finances

We work together to navigate all that life is throwing at you, from managing your company stock to setting up a structured charitable giving plan. Spend more time doing what you love and less time worrying about your finances with a strong and dynamic financial plan in place.

We focus on women and members of the LGBTQ+ community who are in the tech industry and receive equity compensation, typically in the early to mid-career stages. We especially love to work with people who are passionate about giving back to their communities and care about the future of our planet.

How we can work together: Ongoing financial planning

An ongoing working relationship means you aren’t overwhelmed by a “one-off” hundred-page financial plan, and allows us to calibrate the plan as your life inevitably changes. We work best with clients who are curious and want to be engaged in the planning process and who are seeking a long-term, collaborative relationship.

About you

Tech employees are busy. Believe us, we get it. The last thing anyone has time to do is research how their equity compensation works or evaluate investment options. We’re here to help you sift through the details, develop actions items and then hold you accountable to them. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, so we focus on one item at a time.

In addition to helping you manage any ongoing challenges, our goal is to make all this financial stuff more accessible. No idea what the difference is between whole life insurance and term life insurance? Wondering what the heck an index fund is? We will break it down in “plain English”. We don’t think there are ANY stupid questions.

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Who We Serve

Baby Boomers
BIPOC
Corporate Executives
Dual Income Family
Gen X
Intergenerational Families
LGBTQ
Living in Retirement
Single Women
Technology Professionals
Women in Transition
Women Professionals

Wealthtender® is a trusted, independent financial directory and educational resource governed by our strict Editorial Policy, Integrity Standards, and Terms of Use. While we receive compensation from featured professionals (a natural conflict of interest), we always operate with integrity and transparency to earn your trust. Wealthtender is not a client of these providers. Testimonials may not be representative of other clients’ experiences and do not guarantee future performance or success.

Truly outstanding

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™

Feb 5, 2026

James came highly recommended by a friend, and I cannot recommend him highly enough. I've been a client for several years, through major transitions, and James has been a truly exceptional advisor through it all. I had worked with another financial advisor before James, and I always came away from meetings feeling unheard and more confused. My experience with James has been the exact opposite - I feel heard and I have a sense of clarity. A few things set him apart in my mind: His clear communication style - I always come away feeling like my questions were heard and answered in a way that made sense to me. He breaks complicated jargon down into plain English. His emails are short and clear - my favorite! His patience - He patiently explains concepts and recommendations to me as many times as I need to feel confident in my understanding. His down to earth style - James is a human being and talks to me like I'm a real person too. He started out by understanding what I value, to inform our planning. He doesn't make me feel bad for not being a financial expert myself. He helps me figure out what I need to worry about and what I can let go of. His respect for my values - I highly value simplicity, and I really feel that James has heard that and is helping me keep my financial picture as simple as possible. When we discuss financial options, he always points out which path will move me toward that goal. I feel so much more confident in my financial planning with James on my side and have already recommended him to several friends.

Relationship to Financial Advisor: Client as of Feb 5, 2026

Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.

Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.

Katie

The Best

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™

Feb 4, 2026

As someone who has been self-employed for the past thirteen years, James and his team have been invaluable to my success, helping me establish retirement accounts, pay off student loan debt, and begin investing for the first time. James has been extremely supportive, very communicative, and quick to respond to any questions or concerns I might have. I cannot recommend him highly enough. Hiring him has been hands down the best financial decision I've made for myself, especially as a small business owner.

Relationship to Financial Advisor: Client as of Feb 4, 2026

Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.

Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.

Cayly

Danika helped me move from overwhelmed to thinking big!

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™

Jan 15, 2026

I highly recommend Danika and the entire team at XENA Financial Planning. I began working with Danika with a specific goal: to improve my financial literacy around my compensation and develop a clear understanding of my net worth. In the two years since, I've made major strides thanks to her support and education. What sets Danika apart is her ability to take financial concepts that once felt inaccessible and make them click using plain language. She never makes me feel judged for what I don't know. Instead, she presents options clearly and helps me arrive at informed decisions. She also keeps her finger on the pulse of the market and legislation and is proactive about explaining how shifts might impact my personal situation. I'd recommend Danika and XENA to anyone looking for a team that is empathetic and informed. She's helped me fundamentally reframe my relationship with money. Where I once approached finances with fear and intimidation, I now feel confident managing my own financial life and thinking bigger about the future.

Relationship to Financial Advisor: Client as of Jan 15, 2026

Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.

Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.

Lyanne D

Professional and approachable with personalized plans

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™

Jan 14, 2026

From the first outreach we had with James his response was extremely approachable and friendly, while also being a true professional and setting expectations. Often times in the financial planning world, advisors can be too cold and calculated, or solely focused on how much money you can bring over, but was not the case here. After having an exploratory call and explaining our scenario James outlined how he would approach everything and was never pushy to move "all of our money" over as many planners attempt to do, but rather showed us all of the options him and his team could provide. After working with James for almost a year now and throwing him a few unexpected curveballs that life has come up with, he is a constant solid consultant and provides us with what the plan would do if XYZ happened, rather than his "opinion" of what we should do with our life. It's been a huge value add and stress reducer to have that third party professional advice as we navigate life with a growing family and all the things that come along with it. We wouldn't be able to achieve the things we are, with the reduced level of stress, without James' partnership.

Relationship to Financial Advisor: Client as of Jan 14, 2026

Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.

Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.

Josh Hayden

Best financial decision we've ever made

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™

Jan 13, 2026

My husband and I have been working with James since 2019 when we were relative newlyweds, and I can safely say working with him has changed our financial lives forever. He finds ways for our income to work harder for us, and has been alongside us on the journey the whole way, from selling a house and learning how to invest, to welcoming our two sons and saving for their future, to crafting a financial plan that will help us retire without burden. Most importantly, he connects with us as humans and helps us uncover what our values and goals really are, not just for retirement but for *today*. I have referred several of my friends to him (and they are now devoted clients), and would recommend James to anyone looking for a better, happier path forward.

Relationship to Financial Advisor: Client as of Jan 13, 2026

Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.

Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.

Laura Powers

Empowered in my financial literacy!

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™

Jan 13, 2026

I came to Danika at the recommendation of colleagues who have worked with her and thank goodness I did. I had been working with a financial planner and an investment broker who were condescending and talked down to me as a woman consistently telling me they'd "just take care" of my money and "not to worry" when I'd ask them questions so I could learn. Working with Danika is a complete change from that experience. She empowers me to learn, includes me in decision making and ensures that my investment portfolio aligns with my values. I've learned so much from her, feel confident in making decisions and am never afraid to ask questions so I know I understand decisions we are making. What a refreshing take on financial planning compared to the traditional "finance bro" approach!

Relationship to Financial Advisor: Client as of Jan 13, 2026

Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.

Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.

Julie

Brilliant, warm, trustworthy

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™

Jan 13, 2026

Working with James has helped us so much. I know we have someone in our corner that works carefully with integrity to do what we need to achieve our goals for stability both in our present and future. He has incredible skills at translating the possibilities and scenarios our funds create (or may not create given the volatilities involved). He then builds them out and keeps us informed along the way. They have user-friendly online tools and responsive communications systems. I can't recommend James and this team enough.

Relationship to Financial Advisor: Client as of Jan 13, 2026

Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.

Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.

Heather Blackbird

Thoughtful, reliable, engaged financial advising

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™

Jan 13, 2026

My husband and I have been working with Danika for almost a year and she has already been invaluable in so many ways. She has helped us get a handle our existing accounts, set up new investments based on our values and priorities, ensured we have the right level of insurance, and have a will in place, and more. It is so reassuring knowing that we have an expert on our side, helping us make the right moves thoughtfully, and keeping us on track. Danika and her team have been a delight to work with.

Relationship to Financial Advisor: Client as of Jan 13, 2026

Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.

Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.

Kassia

Proactive, pragmatic, and handles complexity

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™

Jan 13, 2026

Danika has been great to work with. My financial situation is complicated—international considerations, equity compensation, real estate projects, lots of moving pieces—and she's one of the few planners I've talked to who actually seems to enjoy the puzzle rather than defaulting to generic advice. What stands out most is how she's always thinking ahead. She's literally planning, not waiting for things to happen and reacting. Detailed meeting notes with clear follow-ups, reaching out before big financial events rather than after, and actually digging into problems that don't have easy answers. Her team is also responsive when things need to move quickly. What makes me happiest about working with her is that she's pragmatic. It all starts with what I want from my life, and then we work backwards from there. Not the other way around. If you're looking for someone who can handle non-standard situations and thinks through tradeoffs with you rather than at you, she's worth talking to.

Relationship to Financial Advisor: Client as of Jan 13, 2026

Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.

Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.

Juan P B

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™

Sep 23, 2022

I love working with Danika Waddell at Xena. She takes a process that can feel daunting and overwhelming—managing finances and planning for the future, be it retirement or something more near term—and makes it feel manageable, understandable, doable. She's smart, warm, well informed, patient. She's great at explaining the esoterica intrinsic to financial planning, talking me through my options, making sure I understand, helping me make informed decisions. I feel very comfortable asking questions, whatever they may be. I come away from my conversations with Danika feeling encouraged and confident that I'm doing the right things to manage my finances and plan for the future.

Relationship to Financial Advisor: Client as of Sep 23, 2022

Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.

Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.

Jacqueline Volin

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