KATE PETTEE

If anyone can be said to have finance in their genes, it’s Kate Pettee. One of four children of parents who met as members of the equity research team at Standard & Poor’s, she and two of her siblings have pursued careers in finance (the youngest is still in college). After graduating from Villanova University, where she played Division 1 tennis — “and where I really learned about teamwork” — Pettee spent two years as an analyst at J.P. Morgan. The last rotation of the program was in alternative investment sales to registered investment advisers, whose work intrigued her.

“Personal financial advice is a lot more holistic than investments; that and building relationships interested me.” So when she learned of an opening at Beacon Pointe three years ago, she made the move.

Armed with a CFP designation and working on certifications in alternatives and divorce advisory, Pettee says she is developing a niche in ESG investing and recently hosted a national event on Earth Day that educated female investors on values-based investing through her firm’s Women’s Advisory Institute. When not explaining financial topics at work, Pettee explains food and nutrition to children as a volunteer in an after-school program.

— Evan Cooper