Today marks my one year anniversary at Ritholtz Wealth Management. Time flies. When I think back to those first exciting days – the media coverage, the reactions on social media, and the thrill of joining a super crew – I am blown away by how much this move has exceeded my expectations. The following numbers don’t do justice to my experiences over the past 12 months. I’ve had more meaningful conversations with clients than I did in my prior decade as a financial planner. My colleagues are like family members, and yes, they are even more amazing in person. Scroll through for some photo highlights from the year.
Here’s a recap of my first year, by the numbers:
1 Blog – The Belle Curve was born in August, 2018
75 Posts – I can’t believe this is my 75th post on The Belle Curve. I may not be as prolific as some of my colleagues, but I am relieved I was able to sustain my pace of writing throughout the first 10 months.
1 New York Times Op-Ed – I am still pinching myself that this happened.
20 New Clients – This is my favorite statistic. I am blessed to work at a firm that receives inbound inquiries from the most amazing people all over the U.S. I have enjoyed getting to know these individuals and families, and I look forward to watching their plans take shape.
2 appearances on The Compound Youtube channel – Technically 3 if you count the video of our firm day of service at GrowNYC on Governor’s Island.
28 Market Moments – I study an event in market history and record a 1-2 minute spot for our Alexa skill every Thursday. We have 5 voices at the firm creating one these these each weekday.
9,000 Twitter followers – I am blown away that this many people read my tweets. I may have lost a few before this post is live by tweeting too many photos of my two-year old son or something else annoying, but my audience has grown consistently over the 9 years I have been tweeting.
34 Financial Plans – I have worked on no less than 34 financial plans his year. These represent 34 sets of hopes and dreams that I am helping come to life. That may sound corny, but it’s true.
400 subscribers – More than 400 people have read The Belle Curve and subscribed to my email list. This is a number I hope to increase substantially next year, but I am humbled that so many people are reading my posts.
1 Graduate Degree – I finally finished my Master of Science in Financial Planning this spring!
5 Speaking Engagements – This is another area I will focus on next year. I love speaking at conferences and moderating panels. I finally had my first speaking engagements in New Orleans, my hometown, this year. Moderating CFA Wealth Management is my favorite gig because I learn so much and see so many friends.
26 Media Appearances – The highlights for me are my first appearance on live national television, my first time on NPR’s Marketplace, Jill Schlesinger’s podcast, the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC show, and of course, my NYT op-ed.
As I take a moment to reflect on the past year, I am forever grateful to Josh Brown for writing the blog post that sparked my interest in joining the firm. He admitted he had failed to hire enough women advisors at the firm. At the time, Dina Isola was the only female advisor at RWM. Today, there are still only two of us. I am on a quest to change that this year. So if you are a woman looking for a new firm to call home, please reach out. I’ve never been happier as an advisor than I am today. RWM is a fabulous place to call home.
We were featured in the 2nd edition of Citywire USA RIA Magazine.
In Barry’s office during our annual in person investment committee meeting in December.
I met Mohamed El-Erian and the CFA Annual Conference, and he told me he likes my tweets!
With Jill Schlesinger at CBS Studios to tape an episode on her podcast – Jill on Money.
My first CNBC appearance with Kelly Evans and Dominic Chu. My heart was pounding from my chest.
Josh really got involved in a creative exercise at our firm summit in Austin, TX.
Bill Sweet has the most amazing collection of vintage U.S. Army tee-shirts.
Ben, Alex, Matt, and Nick enjoying the King Cake I brought to NYC during Mardi Gras season.
In October, some of the crew came down to open the New Orleans office. Here’s Michael enjoying the meat at Doris Metropolitan in the French Quarter.
Catalina, Kris, Nick, and me on the ferry to Governor’s Island for our day of community service.
A copy of this hangs on the wall at HQ. Not my best photo, but I sacrificed for the art.
Michael, Ben, and Morgan Housel having a fireside chat at EBI West in June 2018.
In February, Dan made a trip to New Orleans, and we had dinner at Pascal’s Manale.
After 8 years in New Orleans, I finally rode in a parade. Iris is the oldest all female parading group in New Orleans.
Bobby at the Tower of London. So glad he tagged along for the CFA Annual Conference.
