Why did I decide to become a financial advisor?
When my husband and I first visited a financial advisor, he presented our financial plan mostly to my husband, even though I earned over half of the income and managed our household finances and investments. I left aghast at being ignored, primarily because I was a woman, and sad that other women were having this experience.
I’m interested in economics, the psychology of decision making, and strategic planning. For many years I used these skills to work in brand marketing and strategy, but a few years ago, I decided to pursue becoming a financial planner with the mission to help women feel capable and confident with their finances. Too many women ignore or approach their finances with trepidation partly because the industry portrays it as confusing and hard. Statistically, women are excellent investors!
What experiences do you bring to your work helping clients?
In my previous career in nonprofit and corporate brand management. I delved into why we make the decisions we do. I learned that much of how we make money decisions is tied to unspoken childhood experiences, cultural expectations and deeply held beliefs that we don’t consciously recognize.
I love helping people recognize their decision-making patterns and making sure they are aligned with their values. While the math of financial planning is important, understanding the motivations behind financial decisions often leads to the most meaningful and lasting outcomes.
I believe in living life with intention. I took a sabbatical to travel through Europe with my husband and toddler son. Our family is deeply invested in our local, diverse faith community where I serve in leadership. Having worked in the nonprofit sector, I champion innovative approaches to solving challenging social problems, like the work of Give Directly.
What’s one of my favorite things I’ve helped a client change in their life (financial or otherwise)?
During a client meeting, a mom in a demanding professional job shared that she wanted to spend more time with her kids. Financially, she and her husband could easily afford for her to work fewer hours or step back completely. Yet she was struggling to make the decision. She wasn’t questioning whether she could afford to do it, but what it would mean to let go of a role that had defined much of her adult life.
We met for lunch and talked through the challenges and risks of such a big change. I shared my own experiences of taking a step back to have more time with my kids, including the benefits and tradeoffs of doing so. We were able to create a timeline to give her time to adjust to the idea and begin the process to broaden her identity from the career that took up most of her time to think about other interests and passions that she could pursue outside of paid work.
