What's your job about?
In simplest terms, my job is about assisting my team with the ongoing management of their client base. The Private Wealth Management (PWM) department at Evans & Partners focuses on providing a high-quality investment advice service to clients, who vary from high-net wealth individuals, family offices, and not-for-profits. The role is quite client-focused and involves providing and implementing detailed investment strategies, regular meetings with clients, handling administrative tasks, and managing ongoing client affairs.
The associate role can vary significantly depending on the team you work with, what specialties they have, and the specific type of clients they work with. The role also encompasses a broad range of tasks; for me, a common day will entail assisting my team with the provision of financial advice to our clients and the disclosure documentation that makes up part of that process. I also assist with implementing our investment strategies by trading on the markets. There is also a lot of administrative work that falls under the umbrella; such as ensuring client information is up to date with our platform providers and banks, or processing internal documentation. I also attend regular client meetings that involve working through client’s ever-changing situations. There is also an important ongoing personal development element to the job; ensuring that you are up to date with what is happening on the markets day to day, and developing both financial markets knowledge and client management skills.
What's your background?
I was born in Melbourne and spent most of my childhood here, however, I was fortunate to live in several places around the world with my family during my adolescence. My family lived in Calgary for a year when I was quite young and with very limited memory of outside of a -52 degree day during a cold winter. We then spent a year in Düsseldorf a few years later, followed by three years in Santiago, before returning home and finishing high school in Melbourne. This was a significant period of my life, we relocated several times in a few years which involved changing schools, making new friends, then packing up and starting over again, which was quite challenging. However, it was also a period of my life I am extremely fortunate and thankful to have experienced; we lived in some amazing countries, travelled to some awesome places and made some great friends.
I have been at E&P in this role for just under three years now. I was always very unsure about what I wanted to do with my career even as I finished high school, but I always loved Economics during my studies. During university, I had a job at an IT company which I enjoyed, but I particularly enjoyed my finance subjects at university, and as I was finishing my degree decided I wanted to shift into the finance industry, which is where I applied for a role at E&P.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Definitely – I think many skills that make an associate good at their day-to-day job go beyond a direct passion for financial markets; organizational skills, attention to detail, good communication, and a willingness to learn. However, for enjoyment of the role and ongoing professional development, I think it’s important to have a strong interest in the area to stay motivated and continue learning.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
Access to the diverse intellectual property that E&P is exposed to; both internally (such as our investment, research, and corporate teams), and externally—some of the smartest finance minds come into the office daily, from fund managers to CFOs of ASX listed companies, as well as our clients. This is something I get a lot of satisfaction out of personally and reinforces why I enjoy being in this role. In my day-to-day role, I most enjoy being part of the investment advice process from top to bottom. I get a lot of great experience within my team to generate ideas, all the way through to implementation. I also have a lot of great colleagues across the business that I enjoy working with and spending time with outside of work.
What are the limitations of your job?
The workload can be administratively cumbersome at times, which is part of the job and can take up a lot of time depending on the day. There is a high level of attention to detail required in these sorts of tasks, so they can be time-consuming, and you want to avoid making mistakes.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student
My advice would be quite simple: Have fun and take advantage of the opportunities to travel and explore your interests. There’s not necessarily a need to rush into anything, your career is a lot longer than your time at university!