Jamie Susanin of Brinker Capital - Effective Mentoring and Proactive Tax Management

In this episode, Rusty and Robyn talk with Jamie Susanin, portfolio manager at Brinker Capital Investments, LLC. At an early age, Jamie was already learning about the basics and even foundational skills in finance from her then-advisor grandfather. While Jamie was in sales, one of the (toughest) first clients she served was her grandfather.  There was pressure, but most of all there was a lot of mentoring and guidance. Currently, Jamie is part of the Tax Management Team at Orion- Brinker. Applying what she has learned from her mentor-grandfather, she helps clients keep unrealized gains invested within their portfolio through effective tax management. Jamie discusses with Rusty and Robyn the impact of investing in yourself, the importance of having a mentor, and the true value of tax management. Key Takeaways [01:16] - The rise of long-term interest rates. [01:56] - The current state of labor markets. [06:01] -  How Jamie Susanin started her journey into the world of finance. [08:05] - Who are Jamie’s key mentors? [10:50] - Removing the intimidation factor in the workplace. [11:00] - Why perception is different from reality. [13:13] - What it’s like having your grandfather as a client. [14:35] - How to kickstart your career in the investment industry. [15:36] - Finding ways to creatively invest in yourself. [18:02] - How the industry can create equal opportunities for men and women. [20:01] - Why learn about finance early on? [24:57] - What is direct indexing? [27:25] - The true value of tax management. [28:13] - Tax alpha vs. tax savings. [34:17] - How Jamie stays on top of her health and performance. Quotes [15:44] - “What’s very important is this concept of investing in yourself. And that looks different for different people and you can go about it in different ways. One of which is pursuing a designation or postgraduate education or something along those lines. But there are other soft skills that are really important in the industry as well.” - Jamie Susanin [10:18] - “It can be hard in the industry to feel comfortable asking questions and challenging things. And having someone to go to for these seemingly dumb questions got me comfortable being someone who continually asks questions and challenges what's going on. That was so helpful for my professional development. And it's definitely something that I've carried into when I'm considering being a mentor for other people as well.” - Jamie Susanin [29:09] - “The other part of that tax savings number that's very important is the upfront tax savings when we do that tax transition of a portfolio. So the fact that a client comes to us, we're able to keep a lot of their unrealized gains invested within the portfolio—that's a value added to them since day one.” - Jamie Susanin Links  Email Jaime Brinker Capital Investments Carson Group Tax Managed Solution - Orion Household Surveys - Census Bureau Current Employment Statistics - Bureau of Labor Statistics Where Is The Love by Black Eyed Peas Dartmouth College Bank of America GlaxoSmithKline Stocks Wall Street Journal Podcasts Connect with our hosts Rusty Vanneman Robyn Murray Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts 0077-OPS-1/13/2022