I never planned on becoming a financial advisor. In fact, if you had asked me in high school, I probably would have laughed at the idea. But life has a funny way of laying a foundation before you even realize what’s being built. And looking back now, I can see exactly how those early foundations were laid.
My journey into this profession started with my dad. He read an article in Consumer Reports (his favorite magazine) about financial advisors and suggested I look into it. At the time, I thought the role was all about crunching numbers, which didn’t sound like the best fit for me. But as I started interviewing advisors, I learned something that changed my perspective entirely: this career is about people. The technical knowledge is important, yes, but what matters most is listening, building relationships, and helping people make decisions that shape their lives.
That realization opened a door I’ve been walking through for the past 20 years.
The Early Lessons I Didn’t Recognize at the Time
Looking back, I can see how much of my upbringing and early work experience prepared me for this path — even if I didn’t know it then.
In high school, when many of my friends were working at a local supermarket as cashiers and baggers, my mom insisted I do something different. She worked with my accounting teacher to help me land a job in accounts payable at a local engineering company. I didn’t understand her insistence at the time — until years later, when I learned the backstory.
When my parents first immigrated to the United States, my mom’s first job was at a grocery store. She was pregnant with my brother and worked tirelessly to help our family get established. But she wanted better for me. That’s why she pushed me to take a different path, to learn something new, and to take a step toward a future with more options. That small push, away from what everyone else was doing, gave me early exposure to business, systems, and the discipline of details.
A Different Kind of Legacy
Perhaps the most important lessons came from home. My mom was the entrepreneur in our family. She built a daycare business out of our house so she could work while still being home when my siblings and I returned from school.
My mom never advertised her business. She didn’t have a website. Yet she always had a waiting list. Why? She didn’t just run a daycare; she created a community built on trust and love. Generations of siblings, cousins, and family friends came through her doors who all loved her like a mom and saw her as a grandmother to their children.
As her business grew, she pulled me in to help. I managed payroll and even set up a 401(k) for her employees. At the time, it just felt like helping my mom. Looking back, I see how much those little projects foreshadowed my future career.
Discovering What It Really Means to Be an Advisor
When I began seriously considering this career, I interviewed advisors at big broker-dealers and independent firms. Their advice was consistent: “You’re too young to start out on your own. Go somewhere that will train you, build your client base, and then you can go independent.”
That advice made sense, but what struck me most wasn’t their career paths — it was the way they talked about their clients. Over and over, I heard stories of long-term relationships and of being there through life’s biggest milestones. What I had assumed would be a job focused on spreadsheets was, in reality, about walking alongside people through both celebrations and challenges.That realization gave me a sense of purpose. Financial advising wasn’t about selling products or managing numbers in isolation. It was about relationships. About listening. About finding solutions that fit each unique client and family.
Building SMB: Carrying My Mom’s Legacy Forward
When I founded SMB, I wanted to create something different from the culture I had experienced early in the industry. I built an all-female team intentionally, knowing firsthand how isolating the traditional financial services world could feel. I wanted to create an environment where women could thrive — as advisors, as team members, and as clients.
In many ways, what I built at SMB reflects what I saw growing up in my mom’s daycare. She never thought of herself as running a “business”; she thought of herself as caring for families. That’s exactly how I see our work. We don’t just build financial plans; we build relationships that last across generations.
Over the past 20 years, I’ve been privileged to walk alongside clients through so many chapters of life:
- The birth of children and grandchildren.
- Career advancements, pivots, and sometimes unexpected job losses.
- The excitement of retirement and the fear that sometimes comes with it.
- The loss of loved ones and the grief that follows.
- Travel adventures, personal milestones, and new beginnings.
In all of these moments, one thing has remained constant: mutual respect. Our client relationships are built on trust, care, and a genuine desire to help.
What Two Decades Have Taught Me
Two decades in, the lesson is simple: success in this business isn’t about products or performance charts. Those things matter, of course, but they’re not the heart of the work.The heart is people. It’s showing up consistently, listening without judgment, and being a steady presence through whatever life brings.
My dad deserves credit for planting the idea of this career, but my mom deserves far more credit than I’ve given her over the years. By watching her lead with care, build trust naturally, and create a business that families depended on, I learned what it takes to build something that lasts.
Looking Ahead
Twenty years have truly flown by. I’m proud of what we’ve built at SMB and feel enormous gratitude. To my parents, for the roles they played in shaping me. To my team, for sharing this vision and making it a reality every single day. And most importantly, to our clients, who have trusted us not only with their money, but with their hopes, fears, and dreams.
The financial services industry will continue to evolve. Technology will change. Markets will rise and fall. Strategies will adapt. But what won’t change is the foundation my mom showed me all those years ago: relationships built on trust, respect, and genuine care.
That’s the legacy I hope to continue for the next 20 years and beyond.