Kathryn Finn, CIM

Hi. I'm Kathryn Finn, an associate portfolio manager at Dominion Securities. And I started in this business in the mid-'90s. I have to say, so much has changed. My clients were predominantly professionals and entrepreneurs with a 60% to 40% male-to-female split. The business was much more translational-based back then. And over the past 20-some years, my business has evolved into a goal-based planning and wealth management-focused practice.

This has really changed how I approach my time with clients and their families from the onset of the relationship. Quite organically through death, divorce, and transition of family businesses, that original male-female ratio has flipped.

I was recently asked in a meeting what accomplishments I'm most proud of. And quite honestly, it's really quite a few things. I'm a mother of three teenagers. And I have raised my kids while continuing to build my business. And I personally relate to the struggles that entrepreneurs, and especially females, have raising their families and succeeding in business.

I've also had the pleasure of seeing one of my original client's legacies carry on through three generations of his family. His funds today are still paying for his great-grandchildren's education, which is very special to see, how this money has passed on from generation to generation. It was very critical for us to understand how his family dynamics work so that we could put together a multi-generational plan that would see his wishes through.

And all of my clients weathered the 2008 financial crisis. And I'm proud to still serve them today. It was a very tricky time both in the markets, but also personally, as my dad passed away the latter part of 2007. So I was very busy making the "piles," as I call it, for my own family and dealing with the market on a day-to-day basis. That experience really taught me how important it is to always communicate with your clients and educate and help them plan along the way.

I spend a lot of time educating and informing my clients, and women in general, through specific events I've held over the past couple of years. I typically invite 20 women, including current and prospective clients, to learn about topics such as tax planning, real estate, estate planning. And this, hopefully, helps them avoid the pitfalls and gives them some concepts that they need to understand.

Women, especially, need to be empowered, even if they are not the primary individual in their household or company that handles the finances. And our events allow them to really learn about planning strategies that will affect them once the chaos hits, which it inevitably will. It also gives them a chance to meet my team of experts personally so they can start to build their own team for when they need it.

I have a rule with clients that if they're ever thinking about their portfolio or something we've done at 2:00 AM, they need to call me and let me know. My job as their advisor is to make sure that they are never thinking about their portfolio in the middle of the night.

I'm often contacted by someone's lawyer, accountant, sometimes friend when a life event happens. And this is when I pull up my sleeves and go to the person's home and really make the piles for them.

Chaos happens to all of us at some point in our lives. And whether it's because of a death of a loved one, end of a marriage, or even planning what's going to happen to your company-- and going that extra step to help them when they would rather think about other things is something I'm very grateful to be able to do.

I see financial stability as a means to an end and not the end goal itself. So it's important that we develop a plan to make sure that happens. I'm very lucky to do what I do in such a supportive environment. I can't imagine doing anything else. And for that, I'm truly blessed to have a job I love and clients who I look forward to speaking with.

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