I always enjoyed saving and building up my allowance dollars. My mindset had been focused on the long-term and the future. In that vein, I was always looking for ways to keep my money. I originally wanted to be a doctor but when I was told by my parents that I had to pursue business to obtain a college degree, my views on life changed.

I went to school and graduated with a double major, with one major in a business-oriented field. Upon graduation, I started off in mutual fund accounting but quickly wanted to learn more about the why behind the stock selection process. I then went to business school at Dartmouth College to earn my MBA. There, I focused on finance and obtained a job on the sell-side of equity research as an Associate equity research analyst making stock buy and sell recommendations for a small regional investment bank. After my stint in equity research, I advised technology companies looking for venture capital funding, worked for a private equity company and then worked in corporate finance. Along the way, I earned the licenses to practice as a financial advisor (Series 7 and 63) and I worked part-time as part of a large financial services organization. I realized that earning money by selling products (insurance, mutual funds, annuities) was not necessarily my cup of tea and that I wanted to teach others how to figure out the money game and provide financial counsel, independent of a product affiliation.

I have always been the one many friends and family rely on for financial guidance and I realized it was time to for me to share my gifts with others to educate, empower and encourage them in the attainment of their financial goals. “Lifting as we climb” was my undergraduate sorority chapter motto (Pi Theta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated) and a motto that I live by and hope to put into action as I empower others in managing their money.