What has inspired you to stay at Bernstein for as long as you have?
It was clear to me from the first interview that Bernstein was a different firm, with a unique culture and spirit. Everyone I met had an open door policy, embraced innovation, promoted inclusion and found the best marriage between individual pursuits and team collaboration. Now, several decades later, that same culture is what has kept me at the firm. I love that I work for a firm that gives everyone a voice, puts our clients’ needs first and stands behind a commitment to give back to the community. I oversee the firm’s Day of Service where, globally, our employees donate their time and expertise to support causes and organizations that are important to them. It’s a chance to lend support where needs are great and also, to roll up our sleeves and work alongside fellow teammates toward a common goal. Daily, I’m inspired by the work we’re doing to better communities. I feel that our clients, and employees, expect Bernstein to be an active leader of change and impact—and we are.
Who has been the most influential person in your life?
In his short, several years of life, my youngest son has had the deepest influence on me. He has taught me more in that time than anyone ever has. Patience, gratitude, kindness, pure joy and curiosity, along with how to function on far less sleep, are several of the lessons I’ve learned from being a parent. The one trait I admire so much in both of my boys is their pure entrepreneurial spirit. They will try anything with zero insecurity or fear. Their fearlessness is empowering! It’s a daily reminder that emboldens me to innovate, evolve—and as a leader at Bernstein, I hope that it sparks curiosity in others. It inspires me to continue to drive innovation in the work I do at Bernstein, learn from my failures, which we all have, and strive to become better than I was the day before. If everyone could be a kid again!
What’s the best way for people to put their wealth in perspective?
I truly believe everything starts with our values. Those principles are guiding forces in our lives. If you can orient wealth around the things that truly matter, then everything else falls into place. Values form the bedrock of every successful family and wealth plan. Once they are clearly articulated, it becomes much clearer how to share your wealth, invest it—and educate others on where it comes from and how you’d like it to be distributed. I work closely with our clients to help them link their values to philanthropy, their family mission—and between generations. Then, I build strategies and programs to ensure continued success. Seeing this work play out and lead to family unity and happiness on behalf of our clients keeps me excited to come into work every day, and it’s incredibly rewarding.