My journey as a Financial Advisor

Growing up in a lower income community, financial advice was a concept not frequently discussed, despite its importance. This disparity is what led me to become a Financial Advisor, but most importantly, what led me to pursue my career as a Financial Advisor with Vanguard’s Personal Advisor Services (PAS). Vanguard stays true to its mission – to take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly, and to give them the best chance for investment success – and has been a trail blazer in doing this within PAS. I wanted the opportunity to be able to do what is best for clients from a variety of different backgrounds and levels of wealth, and PAS enables me to do this every day.

Joining Vanguard’s Black Professional Network

Professional development is a large part of why I enjoy working at Vanguard. Crew are always encouraged to continuously develop ourselves as well as those around us. As a member of one of Vanguard’s Crew Resource Groups, the Vanguard Black Professional Network (VBPN), I’ve had the honor of serving on a team within VBPN that has been tasked with creating and facilitating unique opportunities for crew to develop personally and professionally by building expertise.

Fireside chat

Earlier this year, we organized a fireside chat highlighting Vanguard’s advisory business, where leaders discussed how Vanguard is bringing advice to traditionally underserved segments at scale and shared career options and best practices for those interested in pursuing a career within Vanguard’s Personal Advisor Services group. The event featured two of Vanguard’s most prestigious women in advice, Janelle McDonald, Head of Product Management and Strategy for Personal Advisor Services, and Massy Williams, CFA and the Principal and Head of Strategic Operations for Financial Advisor Services.

The event was amazing! Janelle and Massy were able to explain where Vanguard fits within the broader advisory and wealth management industry, as well as provide an overview of the competitive landscape. They also opened up about how Vanguard has maintained its standing in the industry due to the quality of service that we offer at a competitive price as well as the commitment we have made to do what is best for our clients. Massy shared, “Vanguard has been consistent in telling investors to be disciplined, stay the course, and remain committed to their long-term investment plans.” This spoke to me because it is essentially the reason that I love being a Financial Advisor with Vanguard; we are equipped with the organization’s methodology and are empowered to do what is best for our clients to ensure they are successful long-term.

Lastly, one of my favorite moments from the event was being able to hear more about career pathing within Vanguard’s advisory business. Janelle highlighted a wide range of options that are available to crew, from client facing roles, such as Financial Advisors, to product ownership opportunities that help shape how we deliver advice to our clients. There are a lot of possibilities, and that leaves me excited about the future.

Interested in exploring our Financial Advisor opportunities? Click here to learn more.

-Aliya W.

CFA® is a registered trademark owned by CFA Institute.
Advice services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc., a registered investment advisor, or by Vanguard National Trust Company, a federally chartered, limited-purpose trust company.