Featuring UW-Madison Economics Alumni
Scott Rewey, CFP
As a senior client portfolio manager at Okabena, Scott’s clients are high net-worth families. He relies on his expertise from over 20 years of investment experience to help multi-generational families manage and protect their wealth, trusts and foundations. He grew up in Madison and has a Bachelor’s in Economics and an MBA in Finance both from UW-Madison
Scotts professional career includes working as a Managing Director for the Royal Bank of Canada’s investment banking division in the capital markets in Europe and the U.S. He also has experience working on Wall Street in the early 2000’s and through the financial crisis of 2008.
Since Scott first graduated from UW-Madison, the world of finance has changed a lot, but in many ways it is also the same- particularly with the importance of making and building connections in-person. Scott encouraged students to start building their network now saying that, in general most people are happy to take a few minutes out of their day to talk with a student. “It is important to reach out to your networks; whether it is friends of your family or badger alumni. Just be respectful of their time and make sure to send a follow-up thank you note”. If you are not sure about how to navigate this process, talk with a career advisor.
Scott also shared advice to students about social media saying “Don’t focus on the highlight reel.” People get rejected all the time, they just aren’t shouting it from the mountaintops. Work hard and stay the course even if it seems like everyone else is landing internships or succeeding when you’re not. You’re just not seeing their struggle to get there.
Talking about the world of private wealth management Scott shared that across the country in many markets, a number of wealth advisors are retiring or are planning on retiring in the not-too-distant future. There will be a lot of opportunity for those who want to get into the business. Scotts advice is to “Get out there”, adding that “There is a lot of opportunity if you are willing to work hard and learn.”