Episode 276: Claiming Your Seat at the Head of the Table with Stacy Devine, CIO of RPTC

Stacy Devine knew from a young age that the field of finance was for her. While other kids were playing, she enjoyed balancing a budget. She even loaned her sister money and charged her interest. She later took an accounting class in school and was hooked. She pursued her CPA and started her career at Ernst & Young as a certified public accountant.

Today, Stacy finds herself as the Chief Investment Officer of RPTC, a private trust company for a single family office in Chicago. With all of her accomplishments, it might be hard to believe that Stacy was always underestimated and had to prove herself over and over again. She took this as an opportunity to build her courage.

She finds great strength from her solid network of support (including her husband and friends) to keep finding the courage to claim her seat at the table. When Stacy needs to make a decision, she always tries to discover what are the opposite opinions. She’ll seek out other points of view and then see how they affect her convictions. She also knows the importance of just stopping what she’s doing and having fun with her family because there will always be a million things to do. She has learned to give up on perfection to have more balance in her life.

Join us as Stacy shares her wisdom as a leader in her field.

Visit gobeyondbarriers.com, where you will find show notes and links to all the resources in this episode, including the best way to get in touch with Stacy.

Highlights:

[02:59] Stacy’s path to finance [08:47] Asking for what you deserve [14:23] Making important decisions [16:44] Creating an open environment for debate [18:30] Taking a break from work [22:59] Building relationships [27:42] Staying grounded [31:05] Continuing to grow professionally and personally [32:01] Lightning round questions

Quotes: “Community has been essential throughout my career.” – Stacy Devine

“It’s important for me to really see both sides of an argument and understand it, and then I can challenge my view to have much better convictions in the decisions I’m making.” – Stacy Devine

“I’m basically an introvert pretending to be an extrovert.” – Stacy Devine

Lightning Round Questions:

What book has greatly influenced you? - “Cloud Cuckoo Land” by Anthony Doerr

What is your favorite inspiring quote or saying? - What makes you different will make you stand out. You will be remembered.

What is one word or moniker you would use to describe yourself? - Yin/yang.

What is one change you've implemented that made your life better? - I stopped reaching for perfection.

What power song would you want playing as you walk out onto a stage? - “Unstoppable” by Sia

About Stacy Devine: Stacy Devine is the Chief Investment Officer of RPTC Inc, a private trust company for a single family office in Chicago. Prior to joining RPTC, Stacy was a Managing Director and Head of Investments for the Midwest and Canada Regions of Citi Private Bank, working with a range of ultra-high net worth families in the U.S., Canada and Asia. Before Citi, Stacy was an investment advisor at Barclays (Lehman) and a member of the Portfolio Advisory Group at Goldman Sachs, covering the Midwest region. Prior to her focus on ultra-high net worth individuals and family offices, Stacy was a senior sell-side equity analyst with Deutsche Bank and First Analysis Corporation, specializing in environmental and industrial service sectors. In this role, Stacy was ranked as Wall Street Journal’s #1 All-Star Analyst for two years running and was recognized in Institutional Investor’s 2001 All American Research Team. She started her career at Ernst & Young as a certified public accountant. Stacy holds a BS summa cum laude from Drake University and an MBA with honors from Kellogg Graduate School of Management. In the Chicago community, Stacy is a member of the Advisory Board for Invest for Kids. She is also a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Chicago.

Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-devine-cfa-0259646/