40 Under 40
Posted June Nineteen, two thousand seventeen by Ben Carlson
The financial industry gets a bad rap. It seems very few people trust “Wall Street” anymore following the financial crisis. I get it. Much of it is deserved for greedy behavior and a lack of self-awareness about the treatment of clients.
But many of the problems in the investment world stem from poorly aligned incentives and ingrained organizational cultures. It’s not all bad actors. Most of the people working in finance are good people in bad situations they most likely have a hard time getting out of. Switching the way things have always been done is not an effortless task.
I am, however, optimistic about the future of the industry. The youthful people I interact with in this business want to do things differently. They want to be successful but they don’t seem to be looking out purely for themselves or a paycheck.
I don’t know if this optimism is misplaced or how successful the next generation will be in this endeavor but I’m hopeful we’ll see meaningful switch in how things are done and how clients are treated in the financial services industry in the coming decades.
For the last few years, Investment News has put out a list called forty Under forty that profiles junior people doing interesting things in the financial advice arena. I was honored to be included in this year’s group. Here’s Ralph Ortega explaining what the forty Under forty is about:
The InvestmentNews forty Under forty project offers a close look at some of the standout potential in the financial advice industry by spotlighting often unrecognized youthful talent doing remarkable things. The key attributes InvestmentNews’ editorial staff looked for among more than eight hundred nominations we received this year were: accomplishments to date, contributions to the industry, leadership and promise.
But it’s not just about the future. Our forty advisers and related industry professionals are making a difference now. Their stories will entertain and inform, as well as illustrate the best of what this profession can be.
Honorees in the class of two thousand seventeen are every bit as astounding as those in last year’s class, the class of two thousand fifteen and in our inaugural class. We had a rough time narrowing the pool to just forty — and that’s good news. Despite ongoing challenges of recruiting youthfull people into the industry, this latest class and their encouraging stories display the promise of the future.
It’s a thick honor to be recognized along with so many of my accomplished peers in the investment world.
Check out my profile here and be sure to check out the rest of the list of my fellow forty Under forty members. I’m in good company.
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