My inspiration for becoming a wealth manager goes all the way back to my college days at Lewis and Clark College where I graduated with a B.S. in Business. My guiding light for both financial services and my college education was my campus advisor. He had recently retired as a senior fixed income vice president at the largest brokerage firm in the United States.
With his encouragement I was fortunate to land a part time job at Dean Witter while still in college. I was the daily courier delivering and returning sometimes millions of dollars of bearer bonds and other securities to and from banks, the Federal Reserve branch, and other brokerages. I also gained experience in cashiering, margin, and clerical functions.
Between my college advisor and my work experience I got my first full time job the day after graduation at E.F. Hutton. Initially I was in the Portland office, then transferred to the NYC HQ before returning to Portland, all the while working in both retail and institutional fixed income roles.
Over the next 18 years in the wire-house environment I excelled in high net worth equity portfolio management and institutional municipal and fixed income underwriting and management. While the knowledge and experience helped my career, I have watched how institutional and bank firms tend to only work for their own benefit - not for their customers' best interest and benefit.
So, when my third wire-house company was bought out, it served as a catalyst for me to act. I knew I could provide a better experience for my clients by truly sitting on the same side of the table with them.
Over these years I have built out a boutique advisory practice that functions as family chief financial officer. We use the resources of a contract major banking back office to provide concierge service to high net worth clients and institutions. We function as a hub for coordinating an advisory team of professional relationships including tax, legal, trust, and asset management. This team approach provides a roadmap for sustaining and enhancing family wealth.