Thoughts from the Desk of the COO

If it’s felt like your ears have been burning this year, it may be because Yusuf, Lauren, and I have been thinking about you. About how to support you, connect with you, and serve you a little better every day. This Client Big focus isn’t new to YeskeBuie, but we do hope you continue to feel it.

Here’s a look at what’s been filling my task list, notebooks, and calendar so far this year in service of the standard you know and trust from YeskeBuie.

Growing Our Presence

YeskeBuie has been building a more consistent and engaging presence through social media this year. Over the past several months, we’ve been intentional about refreshing our Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn platforms by sharing team milestones, spotlighting Give Big opportunities in our communities, highlighting professional events, and giving you a window into our values.

The warm response from Clients and colleagues has been a confirming reminder of why this work matters. What I’ve come to appreciate is something one of our Founding Partners shared in a leadership meeting: our team is doing meaningful, values-aligned work every single day, and our social media is putting a spotlight on what was already happening.

Planning Space for Connection

Three webinars are in the books for 2026, covering topics ranging from navigating market volatility to Medicare and ACA planning. Two more are on the horizon, including our cybersecurity webinar on September 2 and a final markets and planning check-in this fall. We’re also deep in the planning stages for our two in-person events honoring Elissa’s and Dave’s retirement and our relationship together. Both events – July 16 in San Francisco and August 6 in Vienna, VA – are designed to celebrate the foundation that Dave and Elissa built, the legacy they leave with all of us, and the future we get to build together. Lastly, we plan to close the year as we have for the past five with our virtual holiday gathering in December.

Each of these events takes real planning, and making sure every one of them reflects the standard of excellence you deserve is something I take personally. These gatherings are one of my favorite ways to invest in the relationships that make our work so special.

Welcoming New Faces

There is something energizing about a team that keeps growing. This summer, we’ve welcomed Client Support Specialist Austin Sanchez, who is already contributing to the smooth day-to-day experience our Clients count on, along with interns Erin Huff and Euli Toussaint, who are getting a front-row seat to what financial planning looks like in practice. Getting to know each of them and watching them settle into the rhythm of this firm and the values that define it has been a genuine highlight of the season.

Supporting Our Independence

Being an independent firm is a deliberate choice that shapes everything we do and how we spend our time. Oftentimes, it also means wearing a lot of hats! On any given week, I may be working on initiatives to manage operations, oversee compliance, handle accounting and HR functions, and steward our firm’s marketing and communications efforts, among other things.

Independence is worth protecting, and part of protecting it is making sure that everything on our desks, from the smallest tasks to the most complex projects, reflects our commitment to serving you without compromise.

Everything Else on the List

The list never really empties, and I mean that as a point of joy. I am responsible for editing every issue of TheLiveBigWay^® Digest, continuing to advance initiatives like our rebranding project, and looking for ways, large and small, to improve your Client experience. I also invest time in industry surveys and third-party recognition programs that spotlight us as a standard setter the profession. And behind all of it is the quieter work of keeping our team supported and our operations running smoothly – managing benefits, planning our annual retreat, and tending to the many details that allow everyone else to do their best work for you.

Some of these items are quieter than others, but they are the infrastructure that support our financial planning team so that they can fully focus on you.

From the sticky notes to the calendar to the dozen open tabs, this is the desk, this is the work, and this is exactly where I want to be. All of it, always, in service of you.

Here for you,