Balancing work, life important

Mariah Acap has always been self-motivated, interning as early as age 15 and becoming a real estate agent as a “hobby” during college. But as she enters the financial advice industry full-time, this recent graduate of Towson University is a little worried about what she’s heard about the demands of the profession.

“I have been told a lot that pursuing this career takes 100% of your time and effort,” Ms. Acap said. “I am a family-oriented person, and I want to incorporate work-life balance and build a successful career.”

Ms. Acap, 22, began as an adviser assistant at Buttonwood Financial Advisors in Baltimore this month after graduating in May with a degree in business administration and a concentration in finance.

One reason she chose to work full-time for Buttonwood after interning at the firm over the past year is seeing her bosses incorporating a great work-life balance, she said.

She is on a career track at the firm to become a full-fledged financial adviser within four years, and she wants to attain the certified financial planner designation by the end of her second year.

“Ultimately, I’d love to own my own firm, but at the same time, growing within Buttonwood and becoming part of their firm as a senior adviser would be great, too,” Ms. Acap said. “Our values are in line together.”

WORKING WITH CLIENTS

During her internship she prepared paperwork for client meetings, sat in on them and took notes. She’s looking forward to working even more with clients as a full-time employee, she said.

Ms. Acap has been interested in finance since she was young and her mother exposed her to the industry. She watched her mother, currently director of the U.S. Capitol building, help plan inaugurations and deal with the finances involved in extensive Rotunda repairs.

As a hobby, she and her mother attained their real estate licenses after Ms. Acap finished high school.

Although she always knew she wasn’t interested in pursuing real estate as a career, the experience of showing homes built Ms. Acap’s confidence and helped her “become in tune with client needs.”