Women’s History Month Advisor Spotlight: Elana Fine of VWG Wealth Management

In honor of Women’s History Month, we are taking the time to highlight the incredible lives and career paths of some of the women who make up Hightower’s collaborative advisor community. Throughout the month, we will be releasing a series of video interviews with six of the firm’s female advisors, hosted by Hightower’s Chief Investment Strategist and Portfolio Manager Stephanie Link, and posting snippets from those conversations right here on the blog. 

Today, Stephanie chats with Elana Fine, who is chief operating officer at Hightower’s VWG Wealth Management in Vienna, Virginia. A member of the leadership team, Elana oversees VWG’s financial management, client service operations, human resources, professional development, compliance and marketing.

Read on for their conversation, edited and condensed for clarity and length:

Stephanie Link: You really have your hand in everything at VWG, can you tell me a little bit about how you ended up at Hightower? 

Elana Fine: I have had a very circuitous journey in my career. I actually started out in technology consulting at Accenture, went to business school at University of Chicago, and then went into technology investment banking for about six years. After that, I took a very strange and fulfilling turn into academia – that’s often a surprise for folks, as there’s not really a straight path from investment banking to academia. 

I went from working at a firm to leading an angel investor network that was part of the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland. Eventually I became the executive director of the center, and for eight years I worked with hundreds of student and regional startups around the D.C. area and participated in the angel investor network. 

After a while, it felt like it was time to get back into the private sector and leverage my network. At that time, Jeff Grinspoon, who is the “G” in VWG, happened to be on my board of advisors at the center. VWG was looking to grow and needed somebody to help run the business while our advisors worked on servicing clients and growing the business. So I joined the VWG team two years ago, and that’s how I got to Hightower. 

Stephanie Link: I love that. Career paths are not always straight lines – sometimes you take a side street that gives you an even more diverse set of skills and experiences. VWG is very lucky to have you. Was there anything you learned along your journey that has surprised you?

Elana Fine: Two things definitely – first, just how nonlinear my career has been. We always ask kids “what do you want to be when you grow up?” But in reality, life is kind of a series of little decisions that add up to what becomes your career path. I would never have expected any of the paths I ended up taking. They all build on each other. 

The other thing that surprised me is the value of networks. It’s unbelievable – who you know if your network can really help to guide your career. 

Stephanie Link: I am so on board with that, especially when it comes to mentorship. It’s so important to have a network of people who are on your side. 

Elana Fine: You’d be surprised what people notice about you! That’s something to think about, like, taking stock in the people who are observing your career and trying to understand what they see as your skills. You don’t sometimes realize your biggest strengths. For example, Jeff Grinspoon thought I could be a good COO. I didn’t see that in myself or ask him for it, he saw it in me. So my advice is to ask people in your network what they think your strengths are. 

Stephanie Link: Do you have any career advice for the next generation of women in wealth management?

Elana Fine: I have been in a lot of male-dominated fields, and I think the idea of mentorship is really important. It doesn’t have to be a formal mentorship, but just surrounding yourself with people you admire who you want to be engaged in your professional development is so important for young women starting off in their careers. Look for people you can ask hard questions to, who you know will give you honest answers. You have to make the effort. Be proactive about building those networks and finding those mentors. 

To learn more about how Hightower supports women advisors, email us at advisorsuccess@hightoweradvisors.com

Hightower Advisors, LLC is an SEC registered investment adviser. Securities are offered through Hightower Securities, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC.