Myles VanderWeele, CFP®

I really wanted to make a difference in my profession. I worked for 10 years in management consultant work before I got into wealth management. It was intellectually stimulating, but it felt impersonal. What I most liked about transitioning into wealth management was the thought that I could make a difference in people’s lives. And that those differences would be meaningful.

My first economics class in college was an eye-opener. It was very intuitive. I remember studying for midterms and seeing how hard it was for most of my classmates. But for me, the struggle didn’t exist. It was a moment when I thought this could be something I should do. I liken it to when professional athletes talk about seeing things happen before they happen. I felt that way about economics early in my life. So I ran with it.

I feel I’m best suited for clients who are early in their careers. They have young families at home, some are worried about their parents, they may be in a dual-earning household, and they’re either buying their first home or selling their first home for something larger to fit their growing family. In other words, people whose lives are at a frenetic pace. I like working with this kind of client because, not only can I relate, but I know how to free up their time and help them avoid mistakes.

If you’re further in your career, you’re likely not going to make big pivots. But if you’re just starting out, the challenges and opportunities are usually more dynamic. You’re asking questions like “what if I left my company and started my own shop?” “What if I just wanted to be an angel investor?” “What if I bought a second home?” There tends to be ongoing goals and they interact with one another — That’s what makes it fun and exciting to me.

I have an obligation to be objective and to use numbers to inform decisions. When clients are at a crossroads, I lay things out for them to help them decide. The second thing is do is rely on history. To give them perspective, I remind them of what they’ve told me in the past about their decisions, their passions, their hopes, and their commitments.

For example, I have a client who works for a tech giant in the San Francisco area. He’s told me many times that he’s burnt out after 10 years in his role. Then one day he calls me and says that he considering buying a house that’s priced at twice the amount of his current home. I remind him that if he wants to do that, it will put a pressure on earnings from a job that he has already expressed that he wants to leave. So part of my job is to keep things in check and to offer perspective.

I have some very close friends in the Bay Area and besides traveling and having dinner together, four of us and our families started a donor-advised fund. Instead of a book club, it’s a philanthropy club. We learn about important issues facing San Francisco. Because we set up our fund with The San Francisco Community Foundation, we think through issues to support as a group and work with an advisor there to help us make decisions.

I have two young kids, aged 7 and 14. We’re all worried about having our kids grow up in a bit of a bubble in this city. San Francisco is such an interesting place, but there’s extreme wealth gaps. All of us want to engage our kids to help make the city better, not just for some people but for everybody.