As a Private Banker, I have a lot of fun explaining my career because it looks different every single day, which makes it enjoyable, interesting, and rewarding, but also not easily summarized in social situations. I admit, while I love what I do, I’m also jealous, on occasion, of the teachers, doctors, and firefighters out there who can say one word and everyone understands what they do immediately.
Sometimes, depending on my mood, I say I’m a Financial Problem Solver, which is three words but much more descriptive of the overall point of my career. People also seem to react positively to Financial Concierge, because of the impression that a concierge is an expert who gets things done.
I recently earned the Certified Wealth Strategist® designation, which requires a mix of instructor-led and self-guided classes, online exams, and a capstone project. I found it rigorous, but such a complement to my career. The training helped to build my skills as a Financial Problem Solver, adding even more depth to my ability to help my clients on a daily basis.
A Day In My Life
So what does a day in “Private Banking” look like? The way we deliver it at First Business Bank, Private Banking is a personalized, high-touch banking experience for business owners and company executives, professionals, and other high net worth individuals. At First Business Bank, we are passionate about making clients’ financial lives easier.
Our clients rarely set foot in our banking office because banking with us doesn’t require it. With online banking and convenient ATMs, they bank wherever they sit. So that means if you’re trying to buy your dream cabin up north, you don’t need to sit on hold with an 800 number to transfer funds. Or play phone tag with an anonymous bank rep at a big bank. No one has time for that! Clients just call or even text me, and I take it from there. All you have to do is pick up the keys to your new cabin!
Part of my job I enjoy most is really getting to know our clients. Typically, we meet at their home or office for convenience, and I like building that rapport. Sitting at a kitchen table with a cup of coffee and getting down to the business of helping my clients – there’s nothing better. While we’re talking about their goals and determining a plan, if we identify a need for investment advice or gaps in their finances, I bring in our Private Wealth Management investment partners who become a part of the account team. We make it easy to work with us to protect and grow personal wealth.
Some people balk because they think moving banks is too tedious. Most of our clients, no matter where they are in their careers, really don’t want this task. Even if they’re retired, they have better ways to spend their time. Our team helps clients transfer automatic payments all the time, removing this hassle. At First Business, it’s just what we do.
Trust and Agility
Among my goals is to be there when clients need me most. For example, one Valentine’s Day, our team helped a client complete the purchase of a ring for his wife. This anesthesiologist called from surgery, as he wasn’t going to make it to the jeweler in time to complete the purchase. We made arrangements for the payment, and his wife couldn’t have been happier.
In another situation, a client needed immediate financing to purchase a luxury RV. At other banks, this would be nearly impossible. But because I work so closely with my clients and we make decisions right here, we closed the details in time to exceed our client’s expectations. Streamlined and simple.
Averting a Closing Crisis
Recently at a mortgage closing coordinated through another bank, their directions for our client to bring a bank check fell through the cracks and the closing came to a halt. Our buyer looked to us in desperation. We knew her, and because we’ve been in this business so long, we know the ins and outs. We arranged for the exchange of the personal check for a bank check from her Private Banking account at First Business Bank while she sat trading stories with the seller. Disaster averted. In fact, with the speed that we remedied the matter, it was as if it hadn’t happened.
Private Banking with experts makes achieving your short- and long-term financial goals as easy as possible. I enjoy getting to know my clients and understanding what is important to them. It’s essential to be able to discover creative, client-focused solutions to problems, and support our clients in helping to make their financial dreams a reality.
And with that, I know I used way more than a few words to describe what I do, but sometimes you can’t encapsulate passion in a title.
