As Planning Coordinator here at Grace Lane, my job is to guide our clients through the planning process and make sure they have everything they need to stay on track and execute their plans. I genuinely care about the people we help, and it’s essential to me that they sense this from the very first point of contact. I want them to feel that they made the right call.
I remember once that a client of ours, an older single woman, had called in with questions about her monthly distribution. As we spoke we were interrupted by someone she had in her home working on her automatic garage door. I could tell she was frustrated and it seemed clear that the worker was not being transparent in an attempt to upsell her on work that needed to be done. I coached her a little and tried to point her in a direction to help her get to the heart of the matter, and in the end, it all worked out.
It’s a simple anecdote, but it highlights what I mean when we say we are serious about our clients being like family to us. In that moment, that fine lady was like my mother, and I would have done anything to help and protect her.
I moved to Austin from Philadelphia in 2009 and began working for Capital Strategies as Administrative Assistant in 2015. I had spent nine years working in secondary education, and was drawn by the financial literacy work we do through the Retirewise program.
I have worked for airlines, technology companies, and education but only had my own experience in personal finance. Through training and continuing education, most of which was trial by fire, I obtained my Life and Health Insurance license in 2016.
By the end of 2019, our firm had grown significantly, and Greg and Guy were transitioning the firm from Capital Strategies into Grace Lane Financial Partners. I was promoted to Planning Coordinator. This role has set my brain on fire, satisfying my desire to keep learning and moving forward without sacrificing my love for working day-to-day with our clients.
I live in Lakeway, Texas, with my husband Jorge, and we are a happily blended family. As we brought our two families together, we knew the importance of keeping our girls at the forefront of our lives. And so we decided to forego a big wedding, choosing instead to join our families through a small marriage ceremony followed by a three-week trip to the Mediterranean.
You can only imagine how much luggage we had, and there were a few rail trips ahead of us with those bags. We flew into Rome and picked up a regional line to Florence. I can remember tossing twelve suitcases to my husband from the platform to the train while keeping count of four curious little girls with their backpacks. Looking back, it was pretty funny.
During a four-hour bus ride from Alexandria to Giza, our guide made a point to tell us several times that we needed to stay hydrated because the Sahara Desert is extremely hot. We arrived, got off the bus, and the girls looked at us and said, “This feels nice.” True story. You can tell that we live in Texas.
Like myself, my husband loves to explore new places. Any time spent traveling, especially with our kids, makes us happy. My goal is to visit every wonder of the world (I’ve checked off quite a few already), and I keep my bags packed, just in case.
Fast forward to today, and we still take our girls on as many trips as possible – only now we also include their husbands and fiances. Our last big trip was to Vietnam, Thailand, and a one-day layover in Beijing, visiting the Great Wall of China.
All in their twenties, our girls enjoy each other, and we feel grateful to know that they still enjoy spending time with us, too. Every year we rent a house near Murrells Inlet with my parents, our girls, and as many friends and family as will fit in the place. This trip forces all of us to kick back and enjoy each other at the moment: no running, no touring, just fun family time.
Kate is a newlywed and just recently graduated from Sam Houston State University. Samantha graduated with her BSN at Texas A&M School of Nursing. She is a registered pediatric ER nurse in Temple and is engaged to be married. Gaby graduated with her BSN at Incarnate Word University. She is a registered nurse at a hospital in San Antonio. The youngest, Anna, is a junior in Wheelock College at Boston University and will earn her BS in Deaf Studies with a minor in Biology.
