What It’s Like to Be a Portfolio Counselor at Fisher

What’s your current role, how long have you been in this role, and what’s your day-to-day like?

As a Portfolio Counselor, I help oversee the new client onboarding process. I’m one of the first people a new client speaks with at Fisher. Specifically, I oversee operational details like account setup and transfers, as well as helping build a financial plan. A typical day entails financial planning discussions, portfolio recommendation discussions, post-strategy implementation calls, and following up on numerous operational items. Once the onboarding process is complete, I introduce clients to their long-term relationship managers.

What do you find most rewarding and challenging about your work?

Being able to help families and individuals put a financial plan in place is rewarding. On the other hand, you are dealing with many different types of people. You must make sure to understand their situation and make sure you are always moving the process along. I work in a very fast-paced environment, so time management and efficiency are vital to success.

How have you found your passion, purpose, and voice at work?

One of my previous roles took me away from directly working with clients. That experience helped me realize that my passion lies in serving our clients. I’ve had opportunities to mentor, coach, and lead a team. Those opportunities helped me realize that sharing your experiences can help others.

Let’s talk about your company’s culture. What’s your favorite aspect of it, and how does your company help you succeed?

I love that we have a team-based approach and an open environment. This means we sit beside one another and benefit from learning from each other. Having a mentor and learning from the conversations that were happening around me in my early days was a huge benefit. I wasn’t stuck in a cubicle by myself expected to learn the job. There was always someone on the team ready and willing to help.

We believe in setting our employees up for success. You’ll go through training before you start in your position. There is metric-based accountability, which supports our meritocracy. We are big on promoting from within, so you have opportunities to build your career over time. In the last 15 years, I’ve worked in 4 different positions.

What advice do you have for someone new to your industry?

Apply for the job, speak up when it’s important, and manage upwards. Let your manager know your career aspirations, meet regularly to develop a plan to ensure you’re on track, and don’t be afraid to highlight your successes.

Can you share a little bit about your most challenging work experience and what you learned?

Being a manager was the most challenging of all the positions I’ve held. Until then, I had been a strong performer in my other positions. Six months in, I had a conversation with my new manager. I was not meeting expectations. I had never been a manager, so there were a lot of things I had to learn. With a good understanding of expectations, I proved myself over the next few months and served as an Investment Counselor Team Leader for just over five years. I saw a lot of personal growth in this role, which made it a great opportunity. You’re not growing if you’re not challenging yourself.

Looking back on your career, what would you say is something that you have learned?

Wisdom and experience have taught me that my career shouldn’t define me. Having a work-life balance is important to one’s overall happiness. Your personal life and work life need to be in harmony so you can reach your fullest potential.

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