What are the most rewarding aspects of your job and why?
Although I have been working with clients for 25 years as a financial planning professional, guiding my clients through the planning process never gets old. It is very rewarding to help clients achieve their goals and dreams by creating and implementing a comprehensive wealth plan for their lifetime as well as their legacy.
Who do you look up to or admire in business and why?
I had the amazing opportunity to join a startup financial education company in 2000. I was working in the trust department for a large bank when I met Liz Davidson, the founder and CEO of Financial Finesse. I had no intention of leaving my comfortable bank job for a brand-new company with no track record and no official job posting or job description. Liz was just beginning to formulate the concept of unbiased financial education as a for-profit business, and her passion was contagious. I did not quite know what I was getting myself into by joining a startup, but the ability to seize a ground-floor opportunity for something I was also passionate about drew me in. Liz was a great leader with a clear vision for the future. We mapped out the ideas for the company’s initial products and services by literally starting with a pencil and blank sheet of paper because that is all we had.
What has been the high point of your career so far?
Joining SlateStone Wealth, an independent registered investment advisory (RIA) firm, as a partner has been the high point for sure. Although I spent much of my career working for large financial institutions, I really valued the entrepreneurial experience I gained in my five years at Financial Finesse. I always knew that I wanted to get back to something smaller and more innovative, where I could have direct influence on the growth of the firm. Now is the perfect time in my career to be building out wealth planning services for SlateStone clients. I have the distinction of being a “senior-level” wealth advisor, but I am still young enough to enjoy my career and working with my clients for many, many years to come.
Do you have any secret talents or abilities that people would be surprised to discover?
My secret talent is baking. In the early years of my childhood, we lived in a townhouse with my grandmother right next door. She was always busy in her kitchen, and I learned a lot from her. Along with my mom and sisters, we have recreated many of my grandmother’s recipes, which were just “in her head” and not written down. My cousin is a professional chef, and he serves some of her specialties at his restaurant, with a favorite being banana cake with chocolate frosting.
