Celebrating “mi comunidad” during National Hispanic Heritage Month
Each year from September 15 to October 15, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month to celebrate the diverse backgrounds of American citizens of Latin American, Spanish, and South American descent. At Vanguard, we focus on attracting, retaining, developing, and engaging Hispanic/Latino crew members and celebrate the diverse cultures they represent through our crew resource group HOLA (Hispanic/Latino Organization for Leadership and Advancement). Operations Manager Evelin M. shares her experience bringing HOLA to fruition and how it has influenced her Vanguard journey: Once HOLA was officially launched, I was very eager to get involved with one of the committees. The group made me aware of the Spanish food restaurants in the neighborhood and non-profit organizations supporting the Hispanic community. When I meet with other HOLA members I make sure to recommend these places.
When I started working at Vanguard in the Acceleration into Financial Professional (AFP) program eight years ago, I remember asking my manager how I could sign up to join the Hispanic crew resource group (CRG). I had interned at two other companies and expected that a company like Vanguard would already have one. I was surprised to find out that a Hispanic group did not yet formally exist. My manager connected me with another crew member who was leading an informal group in the Malvern office. A spin off group was also created for all of the people of Dominican descent who work at Vanguard. I immediately connected with other crew members who had similar backgrounds and they offered suggestions for how to acclimate to Vanguard. Before long, HOLA was born.
HOLA created a safe environment for me to learn and grow in my career. I was an analyst in the Fund Financial Services (FFS) department with aspirations to become a supervisor. My involvement in the committee ultimately helped me prepare to be a people leader. I applied to join the leadership development committee and got accepted. My experience within this committee helped me increase my conceptual thinking and relationship management skills. It also gave me opportunities to network outside of my department and site, which helped me build my business acumen. As I became a supervisor, it was very helpful to apply what I was learning from HOLA in my role. For example, I needed to apply my ability to think strategically (and globally) on an ambiguous project where my team worked closely with our Scottsdale office.
My involvement in HOLA has given me more confidence to challenge myself and aspire to do more. My HOLA network helped me prepare as I transitioned from the Finance division to the International division. My interests began to shift toward helping with attraction so I became an HOLA Ambassador after 2 years in the leadership development committee. It is really beneficial to have the opportunity to change my involvement within the CRG. After I graduated with my MBA and had more availability, I wanted to be more involved. Next, I joined the Attraction committee to serve as a relationship manager with organizations that Vanguard partners with, such as ALPFA and Prospanica. Having the opportunity to network with these organizations and meet college students and professionals who may be interested in working at Vanguard has been an exciting and rewarding experience.
Looking back at my involvement with HOLA, I am very happy with what I have gained. HOLA has provided a platform for me to give to others and receive. There were multiple HOLA leaders who conducted career coaching sessions with me, fostered my development and inspired me. I also pay it forward and help other HOLA members in their professional development. I feel much more comfortable bringing my authentic self to work and also speaking in Spanish. My HOLA experience is even more applicable now that I am in a department supporting the Latin America and Caribbean region. The support from the HOLA CRG really helped me as I transitioned from multiple roles and responsibilities in my Vanguard tenure. I highly recommend everyone get involved in at least one CRG to foster their professional development—and to find their own “comunidad.”
-Evelin M.
More careers blogs you may have missed
Vanguard Women Break Down Investment Acumen Myths And Perceptions
In this blog, we recap an event hosted by Vanguard’s crew resource group Women’s Initiative for Leadership Success (WILS) where they had a panel discussion with three female senior leaders in Investment Management to help breakdown investment acumen myths and misconceptions.
Read about how Tiffany found her home away from home in Vanguard’s Black Professional Network (VBPN).
Read Michele’s story of finding her “family” in Vanguard’s employee resource group Leadership and Engagement for Asian Professionals.
Vanguard Leadership Development Programs’ Case Club Event
Learn more about Vanguard’s Leadership Development Programs in this blog about a case club event that brought all of our participants together for a day long case study and presentation.
Inclusion – It’s More Than a Policy
Hear from crew about their thoughts on LGBTQ+ inclusion at Vanguard, and learn about the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index—and how we stacked up.
Fighting for my daughter. Advocating for myself.
My mom loves to tell anyone who will listen, that from the moment I could crawl, I was running toward something. I was a head strong child, full of energy, always ready to tackle a new adventure. What I couldn’t have known then was that this enthusiastic approach to life would prepare me for what was to come. While working for a large bank, ready to take on a new phase of my career, a friend of mine encouraged me to check out this place called Vanguard. Boy, am I glad she did! You see, my interview was scheduled when my daughter was just six weeks old. I was told I’d need to come in to the Scottsdale office, and should prepare to spend 4-5 hours on site. Like most moms away from her child for the first time, I sobbed in the car. Doing my best “superman pose” to build confidence, I wiped my running mascara and walked into the building. I broke all of the rules in that interview. I talked about my daughter. I was candid about why I was pursuing a new career with a new company. There was no posturing or positioning. They got to see the real me. Knowing this was not a “best practice” approach, I was very confident walking out that there was no way they’d hire me. Two days later, I was offered the job! I was thrilled, and singularly focused on launching a career at a company I believed in, never considering what was about to happen next. Dylan was just a baby when I began my career at Vanguard. She became the light of my life, and taught me what unconditional love can be. She is quite possibly the most charismatic (and strong willed) person I’ve ever met. She is filled with a love for life and adventure. She is also quick to tell you when she wants something, especially when you aren’t delivering. She has an incredible desire to be heard, and always has a story to tell. But as she missed milestone after milestone, I learned what it meant to be a mama bear and a fierce advocate. We were at the end of our rope searching for answers. Dylan had been suffering from seizures, aggressive behaviors, and was severely behind developmentally. After years of searching, we finally found a doctor who agreed that there was a problem and the new chapter in our lives began. We had finally gotten our answer – Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation – or NBIA, a life threatening degenerative disease with no treatment or cure.
My priorities shifted again as I balanced what had become a highly demanding career with my role as a mother, an advocate, and a partner to my husband. As the feeling of hopelessness began, I had to push it aside. I became the Chair of the NBIA Disorders Association, where I combined the talents and skills I’d learned as a Vanguard professional along with my uncontrollable desire to help my daughter, and put them to work so that I could make a difference for Dylan and all those affected by an NBIA disorder. I was so focused on my daughter and maintaining my professional momentum that I was distracted from what was going on with my own health. Something was very, very wrong.
Change is rarely easy, but I knew now was the time to take the leap into a formal leadership role and also prioritize taking care of my health. While it was a very difficult decision to step away from the Relationship Manager role I loved, I knew the demanding travel schedule was putting a strain on my family and on my body. I’d been supported in such incredible ways during my journey, and knew my path would one day lead me into leadership. I applied for, and was offered, the role of leading a team of high-net-worth Sales Consultants in our Retail division.
As I prepared to transition into my new role, I took some time off for the holidays. Each year we visit my dad where he lives on a mountain and enjoy a beautiful white Christmas. I had suffered from increasingly challenging elevation sickness (or so I thought), which had become progressively worse each year. This time it was so bad, I could not stop from passing out over and over again. Worried, my husband packed us up and got us off the mountain and I immediately began to feel normal (or as normal as I can be). Although feeling better, a persistent cough kept me from sleeping. I went to an urgent care doctor, who thankfully paused to ask questions, learned about my extensive travel habits, and ordered an x-ray. Although he thought it was likely pneumonia, he directed me to the ER to rule out a pulmonary embolism.
Five days later, I went home with a diagnosis that scared the hell out of me (what are the odds that both Dylan and I have rare diseases?) – lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), an extremely rare lung disease that affects approximately 3,000 women around the world. This disease causes my lungs to be riddled with “innumerable” cysts which obstruct my airways and make it impossible to breathe normally. I was told I would need supplemental oxygen 24/7. I was told I wouldn’t be able to travel by plane. I was told that a double lung transplant was inevitable, and soon. I was overwhelmed.
My world had just shifted. What was I going to do? I’d just accepted this new job. Would they even want me now? Terrified, I called my new leader to share the news. I braced myself for his reaction and disappointment. It didn’t come. What I thought would be an awkward discussion, wasn’t. He quickly subsided my worries. He barely knew me, yet reassured me that he hired me for a reason, and that reason hadn’t changed. He showed me that he genuinely cared about my wellbeing, both in his words and his actions, even after I had to tell him that coming back to work wouldn’t be easy. I’d now be on oxygen 24/7, would be taking drugs that would make my immune system obsolete, I’d have countless hours of tests and appointments, and I might need a transplant that could take me out of work for months or more. My new leader didn’t flinch. He said “Ok. We’ll get through this together. Focus on you. I’ll focus on getting you back to work,” and he did. That day my new leader embodied what it means to be a leader at my company, Vanguard. This approach to leadership isn’t formed by rules, policy, or procedure. It is formed by culture–a culture of authentic caring for others, demonstrated with both words and actions.
Then the reality set in for me. I was going back to work, in a new department, and I’d be wearing oxygen…on my face. Nowhere to hide. I was terrified! How many times was I going to have to tell the story? I’d barely begun getting comfortable with the idea myself, let alone trying to comfort those around me. I’d begun experiencing the stares when my family was out. Would these new colleagues stare or judge me, thinking I had done this to myself somehow? Would they think I was contagious and avoid me?
Just as I began to question if I’d made a terrible mistake, I received a call from my local senior leader. She let me know she had planned a New Year’s celebration in her home for the leaders in our group and asked if I would join. My first reaction? Not a chance. I told her I was afraid of people’s reactions. Instead of minimizing my concerns, she empathized. Caring as always, she asked how she could make it comfortable for me. So I went, and guess what? Everyone was wonderful. This party was exactly what I needed. These people got to see my new reality for the first time in a social, and very safe, setting. The result? When I returned to work, it was old news. They’d already asked their questions, and I was quickly getting comfortable in sharing my story. We had moved on and the tube on my face was old news. Amazing. What I learned here was twofold: how important the role as a leader can be for people, and that when you have the courage to open up about what you need, people willingly and enthusiastically offer their help.
It’s been over a year since my diagnosis. I’ve begun to truly accept my new reality and have found my rhythm. I still require oxygen 24/7, and am working to find solutions that keep my oxygen levels high enough to continue doing the activities I had once taken for granted. While I could spend hours fixating on the countless activities I can no longer do, or worrying about what I may become exposed to that will put me in the hospital, I re-center myself and focus on being present in the moment and find joy in the things I CAN do. The joy of being a mom, the joy of being a wife, and the joy of working for a company and leading a team that I love.
Dylan is still my sweet, charismatic little girl, trying desperately to be understood and fight her own disease. I am still the mama bear fiercely advocating for her every need, and learning to advocate for my own. I’m in a role and part of a business that is thriving. I have a stellar medical team, and am afforded the opportunity to speak at conferences with my doctor, raising awareness for all rare disease patients. Transplant isn’t something we expect next week or next month, or next year. My circle of friends, while much smaller, is stronger than ever. I’m home every night to cuddle with my daughter before bed. For now, I am grateful for every moment and I’m grateful for all of the people who have been there and offered support, encouragement, and sometimes a swift kick in the behind. When the tough days happen, and they do happen, I repeat my mantra, “Keep on keepin’ on.” I put a brave face on for the world.
My advice to others facing their own battle? Be candid about what you need. Work for a company that values you and where you can be part of a community that will support you along your own journey. Remember that you have the power to find joy in even the worst situations. Finally, take a breath, put one foot in front of the other, and “Keep on keepin’ on.”
-Meg T. D.
For more information about LAM, check out thelamfoundation.org and for more information about NBIA Disorders, check out nbiadisorders.org or NBIAcure.org.
If you’re seeking a supportive environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our career opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
Vanguard women break down investment acumen myths and perceptions
Vanguard’s crew resource group WILS (Women’s Initiative for Leadership Success) recently hosted a panel discussion with three female senior leaders in Investment Management to help breakdown investment acumen myths and misconceptions. In this blog, we recap the event and share how these discussions drive professional development and offer ways to improve this important skill-set. Three panelists take the stage, each representing a different area of focus in Vanguard’s Investment Management group: U.S. Equity Investment Risk Management, Global Rates and Fixed Income Strategy, and Product Planning. Each share their diverse career journey – some had long investment management careers outside Vanguard, others spent time on our Client Services teams or in rotational programs. But all three were anxious to help the women and men in the audience overcome their struggles with the often intimidating world of investment management.
First, it was imperative that the panel define what encompasses Investment Acumen – how does it differ for those focused squarely and deeply in Investment Management from those whose leadership interests are more general?
Seeking deep investment acumen
Two of the panelists expressed the importance of specialization in Investment Management. Their career advice for those who are pursuing this path is to go deep on what interests you most. Develop conviction and an opinion in that area, pursue courses and/or certifications that will increase your knowledge and expertise. They conveyed that specialization is a great way to distinguish yourself.
General investment knowledge
It is also important to have foundational investment acumen for anyone working in Financial Services and at Vanguard. Prior to her current role, one of the panelists had spent the majority of her career in leadership and strategy roles, where she had a strong focus on developing crew. This leader shared that she was keenly tuned in to her learning style. She knew that it was important for her to deepen her investment acumen, so she sought a role to close what she felt were some gaps in this area. She also reinforced the importance of knowing yourself, “I have an all-in learning style so I knew an immersive experience was right for me.” For others in similar situations, she encouraged the audience to think about what unique strengths you bring to the table. How might you lean into those as you’re learning and contributing to a new group?
Final thoughts
The panelists also shared their thoughts on how women in Investment Management can be perceived, and the unique challenges they have experienced in overcoming conscious and unconscious bias. The fact is that currently there are significantly fewer women than men in investment management. In everyday settings, women need to adopt strategies to make sure their diverse thoughts are heard. When any group of people is outnumbered, they tend to be heard less and more likely to get interrupted and dismissed.
These panelists advise us to keep swimming against the current. Seek to understand the dynamic of whatever group you’re in and develop a strategy for how you can fit in. It is important for each of us to be ourselves, while fitting into the environment as that self and on our own terms. A great foundation is to build your acumen and credentialize yourself as a valuable voice in the room. Everyone in the room was already doing that very thing – attending sessions like these builds acumen and strengths that enable crew to stand out.
Finally, the panelists recognized the opportunity each leader in investment management has to “represent women well.” Without diverse thinking, how can we meet the diverse needs of our clients?
-Janet M.
If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our career opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
What differentiates us from other data science teams?
“Data scientist” has become a top career choice, but with all the buzz surrounding this term, lots of questions arise such as: Who are they? What do they do? Well, here’s your opportunity to hear my perspective as a Data Science Manager at Vanguard! To me, a Data Scientist is anyone who can solve business problems by: You may have already done those tasks, but what differentiates a modern Data Scientist from a more traditional one? Increasingly, we seek candidates who can manage large volumes of unstructured data and navigate sophisticated mathematical structures while taking advantage of powerful technology.
Here are some common questions we’ve received from candidates:
1. What’s it like to work at Vanguard? Vanguard is an investment management company and our core purpose is “To take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly, and to give them the best chance for investment success”. Vanguard’s unique ownership structure — the company is owned by its funds — means there are no conflicts of interest. So we always ask: “Are we doing the right thing for our investors?” whenever we make any decision, whether it’s about a product launch, sales, or marketing. Working at Vanguard is great because crew alignment to the mission naturally leads not only to success for our clients, but also to a great work culture.
2. What kind of problems do you usually solve? I work in the Center for Analytics and Insights at Vanguard. We help our internal business partners serve their clients better by providing analytics-driven insights to support the client life journey. This includes winning new clients, onboarding them, and deepening engagement in the relationship to retirement and beyond. My data science team uses mathematical, statistical, and machine learning approaches to answer business questions related to financial professionals, institutional investors, retirement plan participants, and investment products.
3. Will I have an opportunity to grow my career? I’ve been at Vanguard for 10 years, and I can confidently say that I have grown professionally as well as personally during my tenure. I didn’t start my career as a Data Scientist, yet many growth opportunities were given to me to be prepared for my current role. Vanguard provides various opportunities to grow professionally, with a range of Data Science roles at different levels, support for ongoing learning, and opportunities to rotate to different teams. Vanguard can help you reach your goals. You should continuously push your own limit — individuals who have growth mind-sets will thrive at Vanguard.
So, what differentiates us from others? The entire company works toward one simple and clear goal of doing what’s best for our clients. We solve some of the company’s most complex and challenging problems using a mix of math, stats, and computer science skills. We bring diverse and innovative ideas and share them in a fun and collaborative environment. What else could you ask for as a talented Data Scientist?
-Mirim L.
If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our Data & Analytics career our opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
How MLT gave me pride, purpose, and fulfillment
Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) is a nonprofit organization that specializes in coaching, mentoring, and supporting Black, Latino, and Native American professionals from college to business school and beyond as they climb the corporate ladder. In this blog, Antonia S. shares her experience with the organization and what she gained from their partnership.
Why did you choose to participate in MLT?
Why MLT? Well that’s an easy one! I realized very early on in my college career that I needed more personalized coaching and mentorship as I tried to navigate my future career. MLT was more than that for me. It’s a family of professionals I can go to for guidance and advice on everything from career choices to my next travel adventures. They have helped me at every personal and professional turning point in my life.
What surprised you about the experience?
Once MLT family, always MLT family. One of the most initially surprising experiences as a member of MLT is how much other MLT alumni will go above and beyond to advise, help, support, and motivate you personally and professionally. While it is encouraged from the organization, I believe we find great pride, purpose, and fulfillment in being able to promote and uplift each other whenever and wherever possible. As a collegiate MLT 2010 Career Prep Rising Leader, I had no idea what opportunities, networks, friends, and family I would gain almost 10 years later.
What do you hope to gain from your relationship with MLT?
As a MLT Career Prep and Professional Development alum, I have already gained so much from MLT. As I transition post-MBA, I look to extend my relationship with MLT by giving back to the organization in the form of mentorship and recruitment. At this point in my life, my goal is to help grow and strengthen the MLT footprint to ensure we continue maximizing our impact across the world. We are only as strong as our alumni base, so it’s important to keep connected with other MLT alumni, ensuring we are doing what we can to further diversify and enrich organizations in need of top notch Black, Latino, and Native American talent.
What are your goals for the future?
My goal is to continue making long lasting impressions on families and communities that need it most. I will marry my education, operations, and leadership development background with my newly acquired financial literacy and advisory skills to help organizations and families better plan, grow, and save for their future and generations to come.
What have you learned from working towards an MBA?
It’s not what you know, but what you do with what you know, how you impact others with what you know, who you know, and do not know and mostly importantly how you manage the connections and drive change with each of these factors.
We all struggle with something – what have you learned from your challenges?
Faith, confidence, and grit go a long way and cannot exist without each other. In the last two years, I’ve lost a parent, experienced an injury during a trip to a foreign country, and survived a highly competitive recruiting season at an equally competitive school. Through all of that, I am reminded that one’s mindset is the foundation to weathering any storm. With faith, confidence, and grit at the forefront you can make it through anything.
What advice would you give those searching for a career?
One of my favorite Instagram comedians once said, “How is the sky the limit when there are footprints on the moon?” My first thought was that this guy is hilarious and how does he think of this stuff? My second thought was that this question promotes a very real message of how self-limiting we can be when dreaming big and setting high goals for ourselves.
One of the biggest life lessons I’ve learned is that you can never dream too big. Getting into Wharton was not an easy feat and I could not have imagined myself a graduate of their MBA program 10 years ago. However, now as a Wharton 2018 graduate, I know this will not be my biggest accomplishment but a stepping stone to something far greater than I could imagine.
If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, learn about our MBA career opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
The family I never expected
June has always been one of my favorite times of the year. Spring has brought an annual feeling of renewal and the excitement of summer is peeking around the corner. One of my favorite sights is that of hopeful graduates in caps and gowns walking through the Philadelphia streets full of pride and promise for the future. Seeing them takes me back to my own graduation, when I was preparing to leave the relative comfort of my MBA program to embark on a new adventure with Vanguard. I still remember the unique blend of nervousness and excitement as I left the graduation ceremony knowing that everything was about to change.
I grew up in the Midwest, specifically Detroit, Michigan. Until I accepted the offer to join Vanguard, I had never lived anywhere else. I always had the benefit of a big, close-knit network of family and dear friends, who supported me during my academic and professional journeys. When moving day arrived, I remember backing my car out of my mom’s driveway, tearfully waving good-bye, and thinking, “Who in the world is going to help me unpack all of this stuff?” It was my first realization that I was on my own.
My first few days at Vanguard were so wonderful, that I had little time to spend on my anxieties about the transition. Everyone was so welcoming and willing to answer absolutely any question. My new leader took great care to encourage me to take my time learning the ropes. Regarding her expectations of me as a new manager in her organization, she said, “Just go out there and be yourself. People will see what I see and they’ll know you’re here to make things better. You’ll figure out the rest.” It was in that moment, when I was encouraged to just be me, that knew I had made the right decision.
In the weeks to come, things continued to go well. I had found my stride with my new team, and I was starting to speak the language in this vast new place. Though I was finding my footing, something was still missing. I had been in Philadelphia for a couple of months, and I was really longing for family. The absence of their special kind of support was tough at times. It was the only thing that stopped me from feeling I’d found the absolute perfect place for me. But then something happened to change everything. Another African-American woman in my department suggested I sign up for the Vanguard Black Professional Network (VBPN). In what seemed like no time at all, my inbox was flooded with invitations for coffee, lunch, and dinner. I saw an email from the head of VBPN asking about a dozen leaders to all please reach out and make sure I had everything I needed. Once these offers started flying in, I realized what had been missing during my transition. There were things unique to my experience as a black woman new to the Philadelphia area that I hadn’t even thought to ask for help with up to that point. I suddenly had recommendations for where to live, where to socialize, and where to have my hair done. It was like I stumbled upon 20 long-lost cousins with all sorts of advice! Slowly the gap I felt started to close.
In addition to leveraging my new family to get myself acclimated to Philadelphia, I found incredible value in the new professional relationships that I forged. Within 6 months I had a handful of mentors who served as sounding boards on professional matters large and small. Over time I solicited their feedback on presentations, asked for opinions on jobs I considered pursuing, and sought encouragement when I knew I’d made mistakes. It was the same support I’d found from friends and family back home. I came to realize that I had indeed found family at Vanguard. As time marched on, I joined the VBPN leadership team and have made it my priority to expand this feeling of “family” to our diverse and ever growing membership.
Years after I first arrived at Vanguard, I now look at the work that VBPN and our other Crew Resource Groups are doing in the name of inclusion for everyone: professional development programs, networking opportunities, cultural celebrations, and much more. I’m filled with pride to think of all that Vanguard leaders and crew are investing to make our company welcoming and supportive to all. I only hope that everyone involved fully appreciates the impact their work has on people like me. They really did help me find a new family. I’ll forever be grateful.
-Tiffany H.
If you enjoyed this post, check out more from our #LifeatVanguard Blog. And if you’re ready for a more rewarding, engaging, meaningful career, search our opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
Vanguard’s support in my family’s adoption experience
Vanguard has an inspiring mission to help investors of all types, and I’ve been happy to be a part of it for more than ten years. I have also found Vanguard to be a place that values employees with families of all types. I experienced this during the adoption of two of my children. Adopting a child can be a challenging and very expensive process —agency fees, social worker costs, legal and government requirements, and many other things add up. We benefited greatly from Vanguard’s Adoption Assistance Program, which reimbursed a significant part of these costs. Additionally, the Parental Leave benefit provides six weeks of paid leave for all parents, including adoptive parents, which was incredibly helpful to not only finalize the adoption, but also for us to be able to spend time together at home as a new family. Me and my new daughter
I have used Vanguard’s Adoption Assistance Program twice. My wife and I had adopted our oldest daughter as a baby when I first joined Vanguard, and we also had a biological son, but felt we had room in our family for one more.
We knew there were some children who were older or had special needs and were still waiting to have a family of their own. Last year, we adopted our seven-year-old daughter from China.
She didn’t speak English at the time of her adoption, but the orphanage caretakers told us through translators how happy she was to hear the news: “…she looks so excited, she keeps saying, I have a mom and dad!” Can you imagine being seven, without a mom and dad, then finding out you do have a family, and they are coming to take you home?
We spent two weeks in China and took our older two children, then 10 and 11, along with us to meet our daughter and bring her home. Our new “mèimei” (younger sister) was shy at first, but quickly showed that she had a size 10 personality in a size 7 body. I can still picture her marching through the busy city of Guangzhou cheerily calling out to hotel staff, “Nǐhǎo!” (hello) with her family struggling to keep up with her. Spotting a moth on a window, she shouts to her new family, “Jiě jie! Guò lái! Nǐ kàn!” (Sister, come here, look!)
The process was challenging, requiring a lot of trust and faith from her, us, and others, that somehow it will all work out right. In many ways, we pursue things in life that are difficult, and they often end up being worth the effort more than anything else. This is one of them.
First meeting her
During my leave and return, I also experienced an incredible demonstration of support from my work colleagues and management team who were happy along with me and had so many words of encouragement and ensured a supportive and flexible environment as I took time away to go bring our daughter home.
I appreciate that Vanguard values employees holistically and recognizes families can be formed in various ways, not only in traditional ones. By supporting adoptive parents through the Adoption Assistance Program and Parental Leave Policy, Vanguard makes it possible for more people to choose adoption. For the crew members who have room in their hearts and homes to be a family to a child who needs one, I hope they will use Vanguard’s benefits and any other resources to adopt.
-Perry B.
If you enjoyed this post, check out more from our #LifeatVanguard Blog. And if you’re ready for a more rewarding, engaging, meaningful career, search our opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
Why I started a book club with my daughter
Has the universe ever given you a sign? An unmistakable, it’s-time-to-act type of signal? Well, as I was sitting at Vanguard’s Leadership Symposium in Philadelphia last fall, a topic hit my radar for the third time in the span of a few months. And since good things come in threes (right?), I committed then and there to take action – and my kids and I are glad I did. Yup, in this Vanguard blog, I’m talking about my kids. Let me explain… I started my Vanguard career in April 2001 working in our Legal department in Malvern, PA. A lawyer by training, I was initially our “intellectual property guy,” though over the course of 9 years, my responsibilities grew and evolved until I was leading our Corporate Legal Services group and reporting to our General Counsel. Because Vanguard encourages its crew to have a breadth of experiences, I had begun exploring leadership opportunities outside of our Legal department and outside of our PA campus. So in 2010, I moved to Vanguard’s Institutional business and, at the same time, my family and I (wife, four kids, one dog) moved to Scottsdale, Arizona. I’m very grateful to Vanguard for the fantastic opportunity to grow! Moving outside of my comfort zone work-wise and moving across the country were huge changes for us as a family. In many ways, these shared experiences of change brought us closer together.
Of course, I’ve always been involved in my kids’ lives – reading to them, playing games, doing yard work together, teaching them to drive (two so far!), etc. And I’ve coached all four of them on various youth soccer teams – I’ve lost count, but something like 18 teams overall. My work at Vanguard was always flexible enough that I could do these. But as the kids were growing older, I was getting worried that I was missing something. Enter Stew Friedman…
Stewart Friedman is a professor at Wharton and author of several books on the topic of having a richer life by integrating elements of home and work. I’m summarizing, but his view is that you can do real-world exercises that improve performance and increase your leadership capacity by better integrating all parts of your life. It’s a powerful and motivating message. I knew Vanguard wanted me (and all its leaders and crew) to have a richer life. I remember receiving this message three distinct times – at a Vanguard executive development program, during a conversation with other Vanguard leaders, and at the Leadership Symposium (where Professor Friedman himself presented!). It was time to act.
One of the things I did was ask each of my children to write down a handful of things they would like to do with me, just the two of us. They all came up with fantastic ideas, fun and interesting things – why hadn’t I done this sooner?!? My 17 year-old daughter, Maddie, had a few ideas – among them were to learn about money and investing, and for the two of us to read a book together and then discuss, like a book club. So with Stew Friedman’s guidance, we “integrated” these two ideas and decided to read a book together about money and investing!
Maddie and I read The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko. Though written in the mid-1990s, its core lessons still ring true – the keys to financial independence involve living within your means, being frugal, and spending time on budgeting and planning, among others. They were great lessons for Maddie and helpful reminders for me. And wonderfully aligned to Vanguard’s investment philosophy and mission as an organization.
Here’s what Maddie had to say about the experience: “I’ve had a lot of fun doing the book club with Dad. When he asked what we could do together, I thought of books because we both like to read, and thought about financial things because I don’t know a lot about it and he works at Vanguard. Now, not only has he taught me about managing money, but we’ve had some meaningful and grown-up conversations beyond that, too. It brought us closer together and, to me, reinforced the value of reaching out to those you love.”
It worked so well that Maddie and I are now on our 3rd book, Mindset by Carol S. Dweck. We are having a wonderful time exploring and connecting over these books – and discussing life in general. I’m a lucky and super-proud dad, and I’m glad for the opportunity to reflect on that with Father’s Day just around the corner. Thank you universe (okay, really thank you Stew Friedman and Vanguard) for giving me that unmistakable sign!
-Matt W.
If you enjoyed this post, check out more from our #LifeatVanguard Blog. And if you’re ready for a more rewarding, engaging, meaningful career, search our opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
How LEAP made me feel at home
My parents emigrated from the Philippines to the United States before I was born. My siblings and I are the lucky recipients of their courageous American dream – for their future children to become the first generation of American-born children in the family. They settled down in New York City, in Stuyvesant Town, on New York’s Lower East Side. As a young girl, I always knew I wanted to work amidst the hustle and bustle of NYC. But limited income, spread across a growing family, meant my parents had little savings for me to attend undergrad without incurring significant debt. I buckled down and was fortunate to earn a full-ride scholarship towards an undergraduate degree that allowed me to achieve my dream – and experiences across a variety of different NYC institutions: a Japanese investment firm, a publicly-traded global investment bank, and UK-based index company.
Needing a career move
My life transitioned when I gave birth to my daughter. She made me pause and look at everything in a new way. Unfortunately, my time with her was limited – this time in my career often had me traveling cross country, entertaining client relationships or commuting over one and a half hours to-and-from the office.
Then along came Vanguard. Now, I had been an investor in Vanguard funds for years. And I was Vanguard’s key account manager while at my last firm. But I never truly got to know the culture until getting to know the crew. Could it be true – a company that cared as much for its people as it did its clients? It was refreshing to hear that employees would be empowered to make decisions with a different core mission in mind, one which had a sense of purpose, of thinking beyond short term gains.
So we took the leap. I joined Vanguard and relocated my family to the Philly suburbs. It wasn’t easy. I didn’t foresee how much I would miss my family, how much my daughter, and only child, would miss her weekend play dates with cousins. I found it hard to network with crew whose relationships spanned over the course of years of family ties, neighborhood block parties, and high school relationships. I didn’t follow the Phillies or the Eagles, and I didn’t know what a tomato pie was! Only with the support of my husband could I have ever made the move. For the first time, I was out of my comfort zone – the figurative and literal new kid in the neighborhood.
Finding my Vanguard family
By chance, shortly after joining Vanguard, I attended a full-day conference sponsored by the Crew Resource Group “Leadership and Engagement for Asian Professionals” (LEAP). The inaugural event – focused on connecting, inspiring, and elevating crew of Asian descent – was motivating to see. Hundreds of crew members who, like myself, were transplants from different cities worldwide gathered together to celebrate our shared culture. The energy and the vibe of foreign-born or second-generation immigrants who work hard to embrace the opportunities they’ve been given is palpable if you’re familiar with it – I was inspired and reminded of the resilience my parents faced as transplants into NYC. But hearing leaders speak to the value of inclusion, of diversity of cultures, and of thought, I knew I made the right choice coming to Vanguard. I reached out to the LEAP leadership team after the conference to volunteer my time – and give back the sense of community and inclusion LEAP gave to me.
As we look back on Asian/Pacific American Heritage month, three years after being an audience member, I am proud to be one of a 100-crew member volunteer group that dedicated over six months of their hard work, creativity, and time to put on our third, now global LEAP conference. I am proud of working for compassionate leaders who genuinely support crew in their desires to give back, through Vanguard’s Crew Resource Groups (CRGs) or community-based programs. And I am proud to call Vanguard home.
If you enjoyed this post, check out more from our #LifeatVanguard Blog. And if you’re ready for a more rewarding, engaging, meaningful career, search our opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
Vanguard pushes to increase diversity
Omar S. heads the U.S. Investment Grade Taxable Research effort at Vanguard and was selected as a Toigo Fellow while getting his MBA at Columbia Business School. In this blog, he shares what the Toigo Foundation means to him as well as a recap of a recent event.
As an advocate of efforts to enact change and build diversity, the mission of the Robert Toigo Foundation© – to “foster the career advancement and increased leadership of underrepresented talent in Finance and allied industries and to create mechanisms for greater inclusion from the classroom to the boardroom” – resonated with me right away. Vanguard’s promising partnership with the Toigo Foundation combines my connection with the organization as an alum with my desire to drive a more inclusive environment in the Finance industry. Vanguard recently hosted the opening events of Toigo MBA Catapult – an annual event hosted in Philadelphia that offers an opportunity for the 250+ Toigo MBA Fellowship finalists to learn more about financial services firms as they pursue careers in finance. The event incorporates industry panels, workshops, as well as a career expo.
During Catapult, I was one of three panelists in the Investment Management Career webinar, where we talked about our respective career journeys, including my journey at Vanguard. We heard from Vanguard leaders, including CEO Tim Buckley and CIO Greg Davis, who shared their personal Vanguard stories, their perspective on the markets and the importance of diverse thought and talent. Additionally, the audience had the opportunity to learn more about careers in finance, particularly at Vanguard, whether it be full-time positions or prominent MBA programs.
The evening reception was a great way for participants to connect and hear testimonials from crew across various Vanguard divisions and learn how Vanguard is much more than an investment management firm. For Vanguard crew, it served as an avenue to learn the past, present, and future aspirations of an impressive group of applicants with deep, varied experience across the top business schools in the country. I often tell people that, financial assistance aside, the more valuable aspects of the Toigo Fellowship throughout my MBA experience were the small, intimate gatherings with leading corporate sponsors. I’ve long felt it offered a chance to have meaningful connections and conversations with potential employers, and these impactful discussions increased the chance to secure summer internships and full-time positions. We worked toward replicating that experience at Vanguard for the Toigo finalists, and I believe we succeeded.
The second day of Catapult saw several panel discussions and afforded Vanguard an opportunity to not only continue engaging with Toigo, but also for staff panelists for the Investment Management, Social Impact Investing, Emerging Markets, FinTech and Foundations & Endowment panels to hear perspectives from those on the front lines in those specialties. The day also included a Career Connections segment, where Toigo members heard insights from the co-head of Vanguard’s MBA Development Program and two current MBA rotation candidates. Vanguard’s final day of involvement included a Career Expo and Career Coaching Panel where we could, again, talk more to Toigo Fellow finalists and alums about Vanguard’s MBA opportunities as well as our culture, philosophy, and exciting growth.
I was humbled by everyone’s willingness to help, and the coordinated effort between Human Resources and the businesses solidified a great few days with Toigo and served as a foundation from which we can certainly grow. I thought it was a wonderful collective effort and we received a lot of positive feedback.
-Omar S.
If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, learn about our MBA careers opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.