Welcome back to another episode of “Don’t Retire… Graduate!” I’m your host, Eric Brotman. Our podcast aims to guide you to a fulfilling and passionate retirement by asking you the important question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
In our “Diary of a Financial Advisor” segment, we interview financial advisors about their unique journeys and their dedication to helping others succeed financially. Today, I’m thrilled to introduce Claudia Glover, a chair of our investment committee and a highly credentialed CFP, who will share her professional and personal journey with us.
Claudia has a wide array of experiences in the financial industry. Originally inspired by her father, who immigrated with their family and taught her the values of discipline and saving, Claudia embarked on a path in finance that has led her to become a trusted advisor and the chair of our investment committee at BFG.
In this episode, Claudia shares her inspiring journey into the world of finance, which began by watching her father’s disciplined financial management. After graduating from college, Claudia knew she wanted to enter the finance field. Her career has been non-linear, starting as an associate, moving onto a fixed income trading desk, and eventually managing a growth and income SMA at Wells Fargo. Transitioning from the large corporate environment of Wells Fargo to the more intimate setting of BFG was a culture shock, but one she has embraced wholeheartedly. Claudia talks about her “why”—helping clients reach milestones—and how this drives her every day. We also discuss Claudia’s accountability partnership within BFG and how it has benefitted both her and me. Finally, we explore the impact of financial wellness programs on both Claudia’s career and the lives of the clients she serves.
5 Key Takeaways:
- Claudia’s Inspirational Journey: Claudia was moved to enter finance by observing her father’s disciplined financial habits. This demonstrates the significant impact parents can have on their children’s financial literacy and career choices.
- Career Path & Experience: Claudia’s career has been diverse, ranging from assisting a team of advisors to managing a growth and income SMA. Her varied experiences have equipped her with the knowledge and skills to effectively support her clients.
- Transition from Large to Small Firms: Moving from Wells Fargo’s massive organization to the more personal environment at BFG was a notable shift. However, it offered Claudia the opportunity to engage more deeply with her clients and understand their financial situations on a personal level.
- Importance of Accountability: The concept of having an accountability partner at BFG has been a significant factor in personal and professional growth for Claudia. Monthly meetings to discuss goals have helped her maintain focus and drive.
- Financial Wellness Programs: These programs allow financial advisors like Claudia to reach a broader audience, offering personalized financial advice and guidance. These programs can profoundly affect the financial health and understanding of participants.
I hope you find this episode not only informative but also inspirational. Claudia’s journey is a testament to how diverse experiences and a heartfelt commitment to helping others can lead to a fulfilling career in financial services. Join us next week for another engaging episode, and in two weeks, meet another advisor in our “Diary of a Financial Advisor” series.
If you enjoyed our show, please subscribe and leave a rating on your favorite podcast platform. Share this episode with friends and family so they, too, can join the journey to financial freedom. Have a topic or idea you’d or idea you’d like us to explore? Post it on our Facebook page or tweet us at Brotman Planning. Until next time, remember: Don’t retire, graduate!
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Eric Brotman [00:00:00]:
This is Eric Brotman, the host of Don’t Retire, Graduate, a podcast that asks you what you want to be when you grow up so you can graduate into retirement with a purpose and a passion. Welcome to our Diary of a financial advisor segment, where we interview financial advisors about their professional journeys and their passion for helping others succeed. Today, I’m pleased to be joined by my fellow BFG or Claudia Glover, who is the chair of our investment committee, a CFP with a variety of designations and, and, and credentials. And I’m glad you’re here. Thanks for being here.
Claudia Glover [00:00:32]:
Glad to be here. Thanks, Eric.
Eric Brotman [00:00:35]:
So I want to start by saying that, this is you, in fact, your maiden voyage. So we’re gonna go easy on you. It’s your first time. So I’m not gonna ask you any questions that are, that are designed to really rock the boat, but we are gonna have a little fun today.
Claudia Glover [00:00:47]:
Okay.
Eric Brotman [00:00:48]:
And, and I wanna start with what was your journey into being a financial advisor? Because we all have totally different paths. So what was your path?
Claudia Glover [00:00:57]:
Well, it started, really growing up and watching, you know, I don’t know if my dad knows this but just watching everything he went through to be able to provide, what we had as a family. You know my parents immigrated to this country when I was very young and just watching him be able to manage, really save in a very disciplined way was was really impressive to me. So when I got out of college, I knew I wanted to be in finance and and being an advisor and being able to help guide people through their own journeys is is really what drives me.
Eric Brotman [00:01:33]:
And none of us have a linear path to get where we are. So your world prior to being at BFG had a a couple of different stops on it. Tell us a little bit about that.
Claudia Glover [00:01:43]:
Yeah. A little bit. So I, you know, I started off like most people as as an associate, just kinda helping a team of advisors and realized how much there really was to learn within the industry. So I I kind of decided to to go a number of different directions. I I worked on a fixed income trading desk where I learned about, the importance of interest rates and and inflation and the Fed, I ended up working after that with the advisory services team, with our chief investment officer and helping to manage portfolios. By the end of my time at Wells Fargo, I was, you know, managing, a growth and income internally managed SMA. So I have a a ton of experience, but really the reason I did all that was was to learn as much as I could so that when I’m having conversations with clients, I’m I I know what I’m talking about.
Eric Brotman [00:02:32]:
So when you say SMA for our audience who doesn’t know what an SMA is, that’s a separately managed account.
Claudia Glover [00:02:37]:
Fair.
Eric Brotman [00:02:37]:
So you were essentially managing a portfolio for a large group of clients. Correct?
Claudia Glover [00:02:42]:
Correct. Yes. So, yeah, clients could buy into the portfolio. It was my responsibility to do my research, vet the position, make sure it met the investment policy statement of the portfolio, and also support the financial advisors, you know, throughout the company in in understanding what we were doing and why we were doing it.
Eric Brotman [00:03:01]:
So you went from a very large institution to what one of our, shareholders once dubbed a rinky dink organization, which was hurtful, but she had also come from a very large organization. And I’m gonna, I’m making sure that I call her out on that when she’s in this hot seat. But, you went from a, organization with tens of thousands of people to 1 with 20 something. What was that like for you?
Claudia Glover [00:03:25]:
Was a little bit of a culture change. You know, the I will say the one nice thing, at my previous, position was I was working with a team. So from that perspective it was similar, but the way that we, get to know our clients, the way that we are able to really understand the ins and outs of their financial world is is really only something we dreamed of doing at Wells Fargo. You know, this idea of financial planning, and doing due diligence and getting to know clients was was something we talked about, but really difficult to do at such a large size. So it’s it’s really been nice.
Eric Brotman [00:04:01]:
So if I had to put you on the spot, which I can’t wait to do, and I had to ask you, what is your why? Why do you do this for a living? Why is this the way you wanna spend this chapter of your adult life? What does that look like?
Claudia Glover [00:04:15]:
Well, my why is is really watching people make it through those milestones. So, you know, I always say, you know, we we have a number of different meetings every week, but having those meetings with people when they finally retire or finally pay that last college tuition payment, is it’s really such a an emotional moment for the person going through that and being able to be the one that got them through that journey. I mean, that’s that’s my why. The the everyday is fun, but those those big moments and, you know, that that’s why I do it. It just keeps it drives me every day.
Eric Brotman [00:04:54]:
So Claudia won’t admit this, but I’m going to once again, put her on the spot because it’s fun. But anytime there’s a project at BFG, she’s fallen told that we need her in that project. Like I’ve never seen anyone be on every committee and subcommittee of the subcommittees than you have. And, and first of all, I thank you for, for all those hats that you wear. And second of all, I apologize for all those hats that you wear. But, but your voice is just such an important one in the, in the room because of not only your institutional experience, but also your, the thoughtful nature of the way that you, that you digest information and that you’re, you’re less likely to make a knee jerk reaction or to come up with a, a decision prematurely. You really do sort of take all of that into account. And I imagine that’s partly why clients enjoy working with you because you’re, you’re not there to sort of bark orders.
Eric Brotman [00:05:45]:
You’re there to listen and to, and to sort of assimilate all of that information and, and, and integrate it. So that was not so much to put you on the spot, but to compliment you, What are you most looking forward to? We’re we’re heading into 2025. As we record this, the, the election hasn’t happened yet. So by the time this goes out to the, to the world, the election will have happened, whether we have a final result or not, who knows, but 2025 is just getting started. So while I don’t need a new year’s resolution, I would love to know what you’re most looking forward to in the year ahead.
Claudia Glover [00:06:18]:
Wow. Tough question. You know, honestly, continuing in in my journey, I feel like I’ve spent a lot of my career and my life helping other people on their journeys, but, 2024 was the beginning for me for, you know, focusing time on for myself and and some of my personal goals. And what I’ve realized is it it helps me to be better in every other way. So I’m I’m excited to kind of continue to, find myself and and grow and challenge myself in in different ways.
Eric Brotman [00:06:52]:
So I understand BFG has a a program for accountability. And every, every person who works in the organization has an accountability partner who sort of holds their feet to the fire. Can you talk a little bit about the, the accountability partner, the long straw or short straw you drew for that, for that and, and how that’s been a part of your journey?
Claudia Glover [00:07:12]:
Yeah. It’s been it’s been a big part of this year, and so Eric and I have the the pleasure of being accountability partners. And, you know, I think one of the things that we we talked about at the beginning of the year was holding ourselves accountable to not only personal goals, and professional goals, but we meet every month and and talk about that. And it it really has been helpful to, you know, sometimes I think we we tend to focus too much on 1 or 2 things and lose sight of the big picture, so I think the the accountability meetings have have been really helpful.
Eric Brotman [00:07:42]:
Well, I, I will confess they’ve been more helpful for me maybe than they’ve been for you because I’ve gotten a whole lot out of that. So we’re, we’re short on time. I do wanna take a moment to, to talk about the impact that financial wellness and the financial wellness programs that we’re working on, have played a role not only in your professional journey, but in the, in the financial lives of so many people we’ve touched. Can you just chat about that for a moment before we close?
Claudia Glover [00:08:07]:
Yeah. Absolutely. So through the financial wellness programs, we really get to, you know, touch more people. It’s, working with, companies and their employees and helping them to understand their their benefits and, you know, we we spend 45 minutes to an hour, with people talking to them about anything. And we recently just did one in DC a couple of weeks ago and the number of different people and different stories that I I really got to work with was exciting. So I think it’s it’s an incredible way to be able to spread the word about financial planning and, you know, really help people where they need it the most at that time.
Eric Brotman [00:08:45]:
Well, we are we are gonna close. The next time you’re on diary of a financial advisor as a part of Don’t Retire Graduate, I’m gonna ask you for some stories. Obviously anonymous stories, but things that you’ve seen that are either really big successes and wins or really, swings and misses. And, and so, you know, as, as we build our diary, we’re going to start with these introductions, introduce all the various, advisors and members of the team. And you, you were first, you, I don’t know if you volunteered to be first or if this just happened. You did not volunteer.
Claudia Glover [00:09:17]:
I’m always volunteered.
Eric Brotman [00:09:19]:
Well, I appreciate it, Claudia. Thank you very, very much for, for being first and well done.
Claudia Glover [00:09:25]:
Thanks.
Eric Brotman [00:09:26]:
Wanna thank all of you for listening today. If you enjoy our show, please subscribe, leave a rating on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your friends and family so they can join you on your journey to financial freedom. If you’d like to send us a topic or idea we can discuss in a future episode or don’t retire graduate, please post it on our Facebook page or tweet us at Brotman planning. We’ll be back next week with another engaging guest. And in 2 weeks on the hot seat with another entry in the diary of a financial advisor. For now, this is your host, Eric Brotman saying, don’t retire, graduate.
Unnamed Voiceover [00:10:03]:
Securities offered through Kestra investment services LLC, Kestra IS, member FINRA SIPC, investment advisory services offered through Kestra advisory services LLC, Kestra AS, an affiliate of Kestra IS. Kestra IS or Kestra AS are not affiliated with Brotman Financial or any other entity discussed.
