Tell us about your role at Chevy Chase Trust.

As a Wealth Advisor, I am responsible for advising clients on investment management, financial and liquidity planning, trust administration, and philanthropic planning. I oversee the delivery of services to clients and coordinate with their legal, accounting, and other advisors. I provide holistic and high-touch service and work closely with my clients to understand their unique needs and, utilizing the firm’s expertise and capabilities, design tailored investment strategies to meet those goals.

 

Tell us about your background.

After graduating UVA, I joined a hedge fund, York Capital Management, first in NYC and then in Asia where I helped set up the fund’s operational base and worked with the trader. Next, after obtaining my MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, I joined Bank of America in Credit Research and later a hedge fund, Fundamental Credit Opportunities, where I worked as their sole credit and investment analyst. After that, I worked on the buy-side of Wells Fargo in San Francisco as Director for the bank’s Investment Portfolio, and then at a private equity firm. While I enjoyed each of these investment roles, I most enjoy working with people and realized my ideal position would be one where I would utilize my investment background while working with and helping clients more directly.

 

What made you decide to specialize and focus your career on wealth management?

While I’m grateful for all of my experiences as an investment analyst and am able to capitalize on these skills in my current role, working directly with clients is what I am passionate about, I am a people person. Spending time with clients and designing strategies to meet their goals is what I enjoy most.

 

What’s the most rewarding part of the job? What do you enjoy most about your career?

Working as a Wealth Advisor compliments my prior investment experience and enables me to do what I like most, working closely with and helping people.

In prior roles, my favorite part of the job was always helping a client understand an investment. I love that now I’m working directly with families and individuals and not just presenting to other finance professionals.

 

What makes Chevy Chase Trust different from other firms where you have worked?

We are privately held, and this enables us to make decisions differently. It makes a difference in how we invest in our business and how the company is run. We are not just one piece of a larger business that must make quarterly earnings, and we don’t have to operate within the parameters of a larger institution. This provides a different feel for employees and clients. CCT is a private investment think tank and I have been impressed with how investment strategy and research is communicated across all levels. We are one team of investors, financial planners, trust officers and wealth managers constantly focused on preserving and growing our clients’ assets.

 

Have you had a mentor and what are some lessons learned?

My dad. He is really good at seeing the big picture in business and successfully built and grew his firm. He has always encouraged me to take calculated risks and not be afraid of failing. I want my clients to trust me the way my dad’s clients trust him because his clients know he is always looking out for them. He’s a good listener and is so humble. He enjoys helping people and always tries to do the right thing. He kids around a lot and reminds me to keep things in perspective.

 

What led you to a career in financial services?

I have always enjoyed math and am fairly analytical like my mom, who was a corporate tax attorney. It was her idea that I become an investment analyst because she knew I enjoyed research. She always encouraged me to find a role that complimented what I liked and what I was best at.

 

What are your interests in the community?

My interests are varied – at the moment, I am spending time in dementia research fund raising efforts, female focused organizations. I also volunteer with my church and neighborhood in Georgetown.

 

Tell us about how you spend your time outside of work.

I love to be outside, either on the water or in the mountains skiing or hiking. My family has a home on the Miles River in Easton, MD, and I enjoy spending time there and on the boat whenever I can. I also love traveling and enjoy wine and used to be a blind taster as a hobby.

 

What advice would you give to someone considering a career in investment management/financial services?

It’s helpful to not only understand the different areas within financial services but also to understand what the different roles will entail because your personality type may be better aligned with one area over another. For example, if you are more of an introvert, a role in sales and trading probably isn’t the best role, but if you enjoy writing, researching and digging through financials, you may be well suited to being an investment analyst. Also, it’s important to pay attention to the type of firm, the people with whom you will be working, and what the opportunities to learn will be.

 

Considering all the people with whom you have worked, what are the most important attributes for success?

Tenacity, hard work, humility, and maintaining perspective and focus on the big picture. The successful person is always keeping their eyes open for opportunities, listening, and observing. They are often willing to take on more than their own specific responsibilities and are successful at working across teams. I think it’s also helpful to have an advocate at your company and a mentor either where you work or elsewhere. The advocate is especially helpful at larger firms.

 

How did you decide to study finance and economics?

I have always enjoyed math and been pretty analytical and love the fast pace of the markets and reading about interesting companies.

 

Read Claire Voorhees‘ Bio »

 

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