What inspired you to join Bernstein?
Sometime after college graduation, I was looking to make a career change while evaluating a few different options. A close friend of mine who worked at Bernstein explained to me that, “A Bernstein Financial Advisor acts as a coach to clients throughout the entirety of their financial journey. As an advisor, you teach clients about wealth management concepts and guide them through complicated problems to achieve their end goal.” Growing up, there was nothing that sparked a greater joy in me than my participation in sports, so viewing my role as a Coach, more so than a Financial Advisor, clearly resonated with me. Once I joined the firm, it was immediately apparent that this analogy was true and also that the entire organization acts as a team in every sense of the word. The structure of the firm and our unique investment platform inspire teamwork and collaboration, which I know from my experience as a lifelong athlete are paramount to success in any discipline.
What kind of experience do you offer to your clients?
I take a lot of pride in learning every nuance that I can about my clients, and most importantly, about their personal definition of money: what it means to them. In partnering with my clients, I make sure to ask insightful questions that will reveal who they are as people, because wealth, and the significance behind it, varies drastically from person to person. For some clients, wealth is strictly about numbers. Yet, for many of my clients, wealth expands beyond dollars and cents. Instead, in their eyes, money is a tool to accomplish their life’s goals, which may be philanthropic, centered around their family or act as a catalyst for further entrepreneurial ventures. No client is like another, and I pride myself on learning their stories, uncovering and remedying their issues and being someone they can trust to help them execute their personal vision for their life. All of the above is what defines an advisor and makes money meaningful in my eyes.
Which book had the most profound impact on you and why?
The book that has inspired me the most in my life is David and Goliath by the brilliant Malcolm Gladwell. The book analyzes people who would typically be considered ‘underdogs’ in the traditional sense, yet find ways to use their unique situations to create an unexpected advantage. This book transformed the way I think. After reading it, I now think more creatively when it comes to solving my clients’ problems. I understand that small advantages can be found in uncommon places.