Chelsea Traver, CFA
Founder & Investment Adviser, Evergreen Advice
What are some of your career highlights so far?
The main highlight has to be co-founding an investment advice business specialising in responsible investing. I never really saw myself as a business owner, but I am very passionate about financial advice and knew we could offer people something that they wouldn’t be able to get from other advice businesses. It was a little nerve racking to make the leap but I’m so glad that I did as it’s been successful and very rewarding.
I would be remise if I didn’t say that another career highlight was getting to work in Pune, India for three months. Organising training sessions during the week and exploring the hill stations of Maharashtra with my co-workers on the weekend was such an amazing experience. My co-workers were very interested in the CFA, so I actually ran a session while there on what the designation is all about and how I studied for the tests.
What do you like most about your job/industry?
What I like most about my job is building relationships with people and getting to be their all-around, go-to finance person. If they have a question, they know that they can come to me and even I don’t have the answer, I can find someone that does. It’s really rewarding to know that my clients trust me and that I’m having a positive influence in their life.
In terms of the wider finance industry, I really appreciate that there has been a push in recent years to be more inclusive of different genders and ethnicities in the industry workforce and also in terms of who has access to financial education or advice. There are so many companies and initiatives (including through the CFA Society NZ!) working to close these investment knowledge gaps and I think that is great.
What are your interests outside work?
I enjoy travelling, whether that be internationally or even just a long weekend trip. I’m originally American so while I like to go visit my friends and family in Oregon, I do try to tack on a side trip somewhere fun as well. In the past this has included places like Chile, Argentina, England and Singapore. To keep my carbon footprint down I will offset the emissions from these flights, and while it’s not a perfect solution it works for me.
Can you recommend some good reading and/or viewing?
For those interested in the advice industry the Kitces podcast is great, including his one with Carl Richards (Kitces and Carl). They talk about how to effectively communicate with and serve your clients, run a more fulfilling practice and maintain a healthy lifestyle while doing it. It’s very practical advice but I’ve learned so much from it.
Make a prediction for 2027
I think that by 2027 fund managers will more widely provide in-depth reporting on their fund’s sustainable characteristics. This is already starting with the Climate Disclosure Requirements, but I think this reporting will include other factors as well and it will be really useful for people to see what they are actually investing in.