FINANCIAL PLANNER
Sydney Woodward, CFP® holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Virginia Tech’s CFP® Certification Education Track. During her time at school, she was involved in the Financial Planning Association Student Chapter, where she was fortunate enough to attend conferences that allowed her to build relationships with others in the profession. She also worked with Virginia Tech’s Collegiate Women in Business where she organized networking opportunities for young women in her program.
After graduating from Virginia Tech in 2020, Sydney moved to Illinois where she worked as a Financial Planning Associate at a fee-based firm that specialized in planning for families with special needs. This experience gave her a new perspective, solidifying her passion for the profession and highlighted the life-changing power of financial planning.
Sydney joined the YeskeBuie team as an Associate Financial Planner in July 2021. She passed her CFP® Exam in March 2022, earned the CFP® certification in August 2022, and was promoted to Financial Planner in September 2023. She’s currently earning her Master’s in Advanced Financial Planning with a concentration in Estate Planning through Golden Gate University, and is also a graduate of the FPA Residency Program.
In April 2025, Sydney was listed as an Excellence Awardee* for InvestmentNews’ The Osaic Award for NextGen Advisor of the Year, an award that recognizes advisors who have displayed excellence in their first three years as an advisor. Later, she was named the overall winner in her category in June 2025*. In the same year, she was also quoted in Barron’s, sharing about the why the next generation of financial planners are seeking out pro bono work.
Beyond her Client work, Sydney is deeply involved in her professional community. She currently serves as President for the Financial Planning Association of San Francisco, where she leads monthly board and chapter meetings, oversees chapter initiatives and budget priorities, and collaborates with the Executive Team to support the growth, engagement, and impact of the local financial planning community. Previously, she held the roles of Director of Technology and Director of Pro Bono.
Sydney is internally named our “Pro Bono Queen” as she oversees our Pro Bono Initiative, with the oversight of Lauren Stansell. In alignment with her passion for pro bono financial planning, she is an active volunteer for the Foundation for Financial Planning (FFP) where she provides financial planning to those in need across the country. Sydney serves as a mentor for the Community Wealth Council Fellowship, where she gives her time to equip nonprofit leaders with skills, knowledge, and mentorship to build or enhance financial capability programs across the country. Additionally, she represents YeskeBuie though FFPs Pro Bono Ambassador Program, where she plays a meaningful role in shaping the future of pro bono financial planning and advancing FFP’s mission to significantly expand pro bono volunteerism across the profession.
Outside of the office, Sydney loves expressing herself through art. She enjoys painting, drawing, and ceramics. On weekends, you can always find her out in nature hiking with her dog, Avery.
Client focus: Sydney approaches her work with Clients by viewing herself as a guide through the complexities of their financial lives. She believes in building a strong, trusting relationship by truly understanding each Client’s unique circumstances and goals. Sydney’s role is to help Clients articulate their financial dreams, and together, craft a clear path to achieving them.
Current Update: Can you believe that fall is upon us?! For Sydney, that means her annual Gilmore Girls re-watch, pumpkin spice lattes, and end-of-year tax planning!
The team is gearing up for the end of the year and all the analysis that comes with it. They will shortly begin tax planning analysis to determine if any Clients might need to take action before the end of the year on Roth Conversions, DAF contributions, or anything else strategic before 2027. At the same time, a new semester for graduate school has just begun and Sydney is looking forward to diving headfirst into her estate and gift taxation textbook.
Sydney and Tricia recently hosted two of their college friends in San Francisco for a week full of eating good food, hiking, city exploring, beachgoing, and so much more! It was the first time the entire friend group had been together since March 2020, so it was long overdue.
Looking ahead, Sydney will be celebrating her 28th birthday with a visit from her dad. They haven’t made any concrete plans (and let the record show this update is being written within 24 hours of his arrival), but that is the beauty of having family visit – a good time will be had regardless. That said, Sydney does plan to take her dad whale watching in Monterrey Bay, something her dad has been talking about since she took her mom earlier this year. They are hoping to see a few orcas (and, checking back in after the trip, they did)!
*Recipient advisor or wealth manager of an award and/or ranking is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment in the future. Disclosures for Awards and Rankings are available here.