Honor:  During my time as a paraplanner in the financial industry, I was often urged to pursue financial advising. I LOVED constructing plans and finding ways to make our clients' money work for them, but as an introvert, a full day of meetings left me drained. On top of that, I didn't feel I was a master at client relationships. Despite this, I did consider becoming a full fledged advisor because I didn't see much growth in my career as a paraplanner. I figured if I was going to walk that path, I'd rather it be on my own terms, so I spent one Saturday morning researching independent financial advisors. Within a few minutes, I stumbled upon an old interview with Alan Moore where he talked about starting his own practice. Of course, the conversation turned to XY Planning Network, and I decided if I really was going to commit to financial advising, this was the group to be a part of. I spent the rest of that day analyzing my finances and building a timeline of how to start this journey.

As excited as I was about XYPN, I was still hesitant to commit to a career that I felt just didn't quite fit me. Feeling a bit weary, I decided to follow XYPN on LinkedIn to keep my newfound goal at the top of my mind. Coincidently, XYPN's most recent post was advertising AdvicePay's Practice Management position. I must have read through the description a dozen times before I texted my husband, "What if I applied for a job in Montana?" The job really matched what I was looking for. What attracted me was the ability to reach clients in the way I knew best - by helping streamline financial advisors workflows. I could use my knowledge of the financial industry to help large firms implement the fee-for-service model efficiently and reach younger generations.

 

It of course didn't hurt that the job was based in Montana. Growing up in very-flat-Texas, I fell in love with the Montana mountains after visiting Glacier National Park. It really was a dream come true to become part of this team.

Q: Describe a typical day in the life for you at AdvicePay

Honor: I wouldn't say I have a "typical" day, as some days are filled with meetings, webinars, and demos and other days have no scheduled happenings. The first thing I do is make sure I'm prepared for any meetings I do have, respond to emails and internal messages that may have come in, and prioritize my tasks & projects for the day. Conversations with our Enterprise firms usually center around best practices for implementing AdvicePay and the fee-for service model. It's also a great opportunity to talk through ways we can continue to grow AdvicePay in a relevant way for our customers. Outside of meetings, I'm advocating for our Enterprise users to help the team prioritize new features, creating and streamlining internal workflows so we can efficiently serve our customers, and researching relevant content for the Practice Management blog. As part of a wonderful internal initiative to keep team members up-to-speed with the needs of all users, I jump into support a few hours every other week.

Q: Whether it is unlimited vacation, kegs, or dogs, what is your favorite AdvicePay perk?

Honor: My favorite AdvicePay perk is the flexibility to build a schedule that works for me. I'm an avid runner and I've found the more I can get outdoors to run, the higher my productivity is and the more fulfilled I am. As winter approaches and the sun sets earlier and earlier, it's been nice to go for a run in the early afternoon while the sun is still shining before returning to my work.

Of course, the dogs are definitely a close second.

Q: How does working at AdvicePay challenge you and encourage you to do your best work?

Honor: One way my role is constantly challenging me, is knowing that I play a part in making sure our Enterprise firm leadership teams, their advisors, and their clients are all happy and effectively utilizing AdvicePay. I've been on the advisor-end of large technology initiatives (some that worked and some that still make me roll my eyes in frustration), so I'm constantly thinking of AdvicePay from every users viewpoint. It's absolutely vital I keep myself organized so everyone involved is having a positive interaction with the platform, as I work with firms who have different goals, strategies, and uses for AdvicePay.

Q: What 3 words would you use to describe AdvicePay?

Honor: Adaptive. Collaborative. Dedicated.

Q: What is the first thing you do when you get off work?

Honor: I utilize Bozeman's free bus service, so I use my half hour route to read. When I finally get home, I'll sit on the couch and listen to a podcast while my cat lounges in my lap. It's the only time of day he's affectionate so I try to make the most out of it. He's usually over my being home in 10-15 minutes so I'm free to go for a run or practice yoga to decompress from the day.

---

Stay tuned for more employee spotlights -- they will be featured on our blog and social media.