SPOTLIGHT Interview

~What is your role at CAISSA? (i.e. How would you explain your job to someone new to financial services?)~

I am a Senior Wealth Advisor at CAISSA. I lead the financial planning experience for many of the firm’s client relationships, helping them to better understand the financial decisions before them, and ultimately working to achieve their unique goals and objectives.

~What gets you excited about your work?~

I love creating the “light bulb” moment for clients. There are very few decisions or circumstances in life that aren’t affected by one’s financial situation. Often the considerations involved in these decisions can be overwhelming, with the technical details often too complex to navigate nimbly. I love providing education and insights to clients, making the decisions they seek to make more accessible and enjoyable.

~Why financial services?~

Financial services provides me with the unique ability to combine both the quantitative and the qualitative. I am a “numbers person” by nature and this line of work allows me to help clients understand and evaluate a given set of decisions using data and analytics. This work, however, always starts with the qualitative – what is important to our clients, what motivates them to action, and how we can help them make more informed decisions..

~What is the last test or next test you are working on?~

I completed my CFP certification in 2018. It was a rigorous curriculum that spanned several years, but has been extremely valuable in helping me to provide clients with the best advice.

~How do you pass the time when you’re not in the office?~

I love to travel and eat! I realize these aren’t terribly inspired hobbies, but some of my best memories have been spent doing both. Both offer such great opportunities to connect with family and friends. There is also nothing quite like exploring a new city, and incorporating some delicious cuisine along the way makes it all the more special.

~Where’s your favorite place in the world?~

This is a toss-up between my family cabin in northern Minnesota and Palm Springs, CA. Both are family vacation destinations (depending on the season!) and hold really great memories. Each are places where we can take a break from the grind of our day-to-day lives and relax, unwind, and reconnect.

 

~ If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?~

This is a hard question, as I have had the good fortune to work with, and learn from, many amazing people throughout my career to-date. I recently finished the book “The Ride Of A Lifetime” by Bob Iger (the long-time CEO of Walt Disney) and was really impressed by his story. He started at the bottom of the corporate ladder at the same company he would one day lead as CEO (quite successfully). In addition to his book, I have also followed him over various interviews and always been impressed by his affable nature, warmth, candor, and high standards for success.

~ If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?~

I never had the opportunity to meet my maternal grandfather. He passed away when my Mom was young, therefore I have only gotten to know him second-hand. He built the family cabin that still remains with us to this day, so his presence has been a constant of sorts. Growing up with family cabins on both sides of the family, time spent with grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles was always a constant. It would be wonderful to fill in the missing piece of the family puzzle.

~What was your first or weirdest job?~

One of my first jobs was as an intern at a local radio station – I was to facilitate promotional events sponsored by the the station. One such event was called “Survive It and Drive It,” where listeners won the opportunity to ride a roller coaster at a local amusement park over and over again. The last person to “survive” the roller coaster (remain riding) won a car! For that particular promotion, the listeners ended up riding the roller coaster for days (even sleeping on it!). My job was to “chaperone” the event, making sure nobody still participating in the competition got off the roller coaster.

~ You are being taken to dinner, do you go classic American or fine dining? And where?~

There was a time I would have defaulted to fine dining, but now I generally opt for classic American. There are so many great restaurants in the Twin Cities, that it’s hard to boil it down to just one type of eating experience. With that said, dining out now isn’t just about great food (though that’s part of it), it’s really more about creating opportunities to connect with great friends. Usually that means a more casual setting.