What inspired you to join Bernstein?
When I was first approached by Bernstein to join the firm over 20 years ago, I was a partner in one of the top law firms in San Francisco, California. I loved the intellectual challenge of helping clients navigate complex legal matters. However, the profession’s focus on maximizing billable hours meant that the price of success was watching my wife and kids sleep. My family is the center of my universe so, that was not a cost I was willing to bear. My pivot to wealth management was perfect because the advisor profession rewards outcomes. Equally as important, Bernstein uniquely designed the advisor role to collaborate with other professionals, such as accountants, estate planners, transactional attorneys, and investment bankers. Working across industries is our strategy for achieving clients' unique financial objectives. As a byproduct of this innovative system, I am able to leverage my legal background to build a successful practice at Bernstein.
What is the most fulfilling aspect of being an advisor to your clients?
My definition of nirvana is becoming my clients' trusted advisor, and someone they feel comfortable talking to about anything. Beyond managing their investment portfolio, they know that they can talk to me about any issue that arises in their life. Significant wealth oftentimes comes hand-in-hand with significant stress and complexity. Besides the assets on your balance sheet dramatically changing, the relationships with the people you care most about often change too. When my clients feel safe calling me to discuss softer issues, I know that I have crossed the Rubicon into their inner circle. Said another way, I define my success as an advisor by the depth of the relationships I have with my clients. My goal is to make their money truly valuable, and establish an advisor-client relationship that is worth its weight in gold.
What passions do you pursue outside of work?
Mentoring young people is the most important activity I have outside of work. A spark was ignited to become a mentor when I had kids and began coaching their Little League baseball and soccer teams. I strongly believe that playing competitive youth sports teaches children important life lessons. The primary lesson that it taught my own kids was how to respond to, and overcome, failure. As my children grew up, I became involved with San Francisco Achievers, a nonprofit that mentors and provides college scholarships to African American boys in San Francisco public schools. I've also acted as a guest lecturer at my alma mater, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA,) in the Benjamin Graham Value Investing Program, part of the College of Social Sciences and Economics.