My role at Plancorp has certainly grown over recent months. I may have finally entered the asset column of the human capital balance sheet. As I have become more familiar with clients, processes and financial planning in general, my task load has grown to include not just preparing client data for meetings but also to providing relevant analyses of income tax issues, estate planning documents and market conditions.
One contributing factor to my professional growth has been the level of expectation from my co-workers. Initially when small mistakes were common in my day-to-day work, my team was (and still is) patient as I progressed, but they never lowered the bar. From the beginning, I was expected to be a contributing member of the team. I have often been given projects which, for me, required a lot of research and critical thinking.
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The variety of tasks and client issues means each day is very instructive. I recently worked with a client who was considering changing his residency to another state. This client wanted to understand the impact this move would have on his tax bill. It was interesting to run different projections, research the varying tax laws and then figure out how to concisely communicate that to the client.
Over these past few months, I feel like I have gone from someone who has felt like a bit of an outsider (natural for someone at a new job) to being a part of the Plancorp team. I feel like I have been welcomed into the culture and that the company is helping me to be successful. I am very grateful to have found a wonderful place to work and am excited for what the future holds.
Sam Honey is a planning associate on Plancorp's wealth management team.
