Marc Wishkoff joined Chevy Chase Trust as Managing Director in 2009, having spent the previous nine years in business development and relationship management with Citi Private Bank and U.S. Trust Company in Washington, DC. At Chevy Chase Trust, he guides the business development process and is responsible for presenting the firm’s capabilities to individuals, families, trusts, and select non-profit clients. He leads the firm’s Wealth Advisory team and advises clients in the areas of investment management, financial planning, estate planning, and trust administration. We sat down with Marc to find out how and why he pursued a career in wealth management and what he does in his spare time.

 

Tell us about your background.

I have spent most of my life along the east coast of the United States and grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. My parents and extended family members are from New York City and this provided me a big city perspective with the benefits of a small town childhood. I am a graduate of the University of Delaware, and the majority of my career has been spent in New York City and the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

 

From where did your interest in the financial world come?

From an early age, I had an interest in business, banking, and financial markets. I am analytical by nature and was influenced by my father’s interest in the stock market. I can still remember copies of ValueLine Investment Survey and Investor’s Business Daily laying around the house and CNN’s MoneyLine playing in the background during dinner. Several family members had built and run successful businesses and this combination of good examples and broad interest in the stock market led me to study business in college.

At the University of Delaware, I obtained a degree in business administration with a concentration in finance. My career has been singularly focused in investments, banking, and finance.

 

How did your career get started?

I worked from an early age and can hardly remember a time where I wasn’t doing something at least part-time. From the age of 13 and throughout high school, I had jobs after school or over summers. In college, I worked evenings reconciling cash and check deposits for Wilmington Trust and on the weekends was as a waiter at a local restaurant.

In my junior year of college, I interned with Dean Witter for an up-close view of the brokerage industry and in my senior year as a credit analyst for a credit card company. Starting after college graduation, I worked for PNC Bank in the group that did accounting work for the mutual fund industry and worked closely with a New York City based asset manager. I was eventually hired by them directly and moved to New York.

 

When did you move to wealth management?

At Warburg Pincus Asset Management, I was drawn by the intrigue of each private client’s personal story. I worked directly for the partner in charge of marketing and I never looked back. At the end of 2000, after Warburg Pincus Asset Management had been through two corporate reorganizations, I joined an energetic group of people building a wealth management business in Washington, DC.

U.S. Trust had just been acquired by Charles Schwab. I moved to the DC area to help open the Tysons Corner office and market our firm through our parent company’s offices in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. I had great support from dynamic local leaders and was surrounded by a team of people who provided me with boundless help and resources. I worked with Schwab brokers and learned how together we could build the brokerage and wealth management businesses to fuel the expansion of US Trust.

My Chevy Chase Trust experience has been highly rewarding. We offer top-tier, customized, think-tank quality investment solutions to new and long-time clients. It has been personally satisfying to be a part of a capable, driven, and collegial group. As time has passed, I have made a greater impact on our firm’s direction and am pleased to be a part of a growing, energetic, and successful business.

 

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work?

I am blessed with an amazing wife and family and the majority of my time outside of work is spent keeping up with the frenetic pace of a busy family life. We are big baseball fans, are active in local sports leagues, and root for our Washington Nationals. We are also a beach family and enjoy frequent trips to Bethany, Rehoboth, and Fenwick Island.

I am active in the community and have served on numerous non-profit boards. I currently serve on the board of the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia.

 

If you weren’t in wealth management at Chevy Chase Trust, what would you be doing?

That’s a hard one to answer after twenty-five years in one industry! I could see two possible courses. I am relatively handy and enjoy seeing an end-product, so real estate development would be a challenging and fun endeavor. I also enjoy politics and history and would have a grand time teaching one or both topics. This is Washington, DC, after all!

 

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