My perfectly timed career in finance began in 2008, working with clients at a private wealth management firm. When the recession hit, my curiosity about investment research became an obsession, leading me to work as a valuation analyst performing valuations on small and mid-sized healthcare transactions.

Then, after finishing the CFA program, I moved into working as a Product Analyst at Transamerica, where I analyzed the firm’s mutual fund landscape and eventually stumbled into leading their exploration into ETFs.

In short order, a promotion into Corporate Competitive Analysis led to daily deep dives into the complex inner workings of insurance and investment products. I found the work fascinating: our team’s research helped synthesize key industry developments, countless insurance and investment products, and competitor intelligence for a Fortune 500 C-Suite.

Research and analysis kept me away from the deeply satisfying work of hand-crafting individual value for clients. Constant 3:00 A.M. Sunday morning spreadsheet-filling wore thin, and I returned to wealth management at a bank Private Client Group.

The role was not what I envisioned: Constant managerial “encouragement” pressured me to treat clients like profit centers instead of patients entrusted into my care.

The large steady check wasn’t worth violating my own personal values, so I did something about it. I asked myself: “What would I really want as a client?”

I’d want integrated advice in a team, transparent pricing, and planning that clients actually need.