02 Aug Annie’s Path to Financial Planning
Attorney-Turned-Advisor
Annie graduated from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, then earned her JD degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. After practicing law for three years, Annie joined Nautilus Wealth Advisors in 2014.
Legal Woes
“I knew early on in law school that I didn’t love it, but I’m not a quitter,” Annie explains. “So I was like, I’m just going to keep on keeping on.”
Once she opened her own practice, however, Annie realized it simply wasn’t the life she wanted: “I really disliked having transactional, small interactions with my clients. I hated billing in six-minute increments. I was really unhappy.”
Course Correction
Even though Annie “dreaded going to work,” she was hesitant to admit she needed to change direction. Then she remembered “the best piece of advice” her mother gave her: “No matter how far down you are on the wrong road, if you realize it’s the wrong road, you’ve just got to turn back and find the right road.”
Like the famous Robert Frost poem, Annie chose a road “less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” She advises others, “Don’t be afraid to reevaluate” a career path that doesn’t feel right.
“Most rewarding job on the planet”
At Nautilus Wealth Advisors, Annie knew she’d found her calling. Five years later, she says with a grin, “They’re paying me to do this?” She serves as Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer alongside Shannon T. Pitner, CFP® the firm’s Founder & CEO, who just happens to be Annie’s wise, advice-dispensing mother!
“I love helping people achieve their goals and dreams, pursue the things they want to pursue and help make their life what they want it to be,” Annie says. “I’m excited to go to work every day. It’s really fulfilling.”
Find out more about how you can help the WLA attract more women into the field of financial advising, click here.
