Meet the Team: Erin Huff

Learn Big is one of our core values at YeskeBuie. We believe that meaningful relationships (both with Clients and eachother) are forged through asking questions with an open mind.

Today, we’re excited to introduce Erin Huff, one of our Financial Planning Interns, who is dedicated to showing up with a positive outlook and an inquisitive spirit. Whether she’s observing Client meetings, learning more about the practical side of placing trades, or engaging with curiosity, she’s showing up The YeskeBuie Way.

YeskeBuie: Hi, Erin! We’re looking forward to learning more about you through this Meet the Team spotlight. Could you tell us a little about yourself and what brought you to YeskeBuie?

Erin: Hi, of course! To start, I’m a rising senior at Virginia Tech and a Financial Wellness Peer Educator, so I host financial literacy workshops with Hokie Wellness to teach people about financial literacy and help them get in better positions. Educating people about financial literacy is a passion of mine. I feel like a lot of what people struggle with regarding finances can be solved through a conversation, and that’s what I’ve been working towards in school and through my professional activities.

So, when I went to the FPA meeting where Yusuf presented, how he spoke about Client focus and YeskeBuie‘s Live Big^®  philosophy resonated with me  — how Clients are people first before numbers. It sounded like a firm where I could see myself fitting in. The core values aligned with what I want to do once I graduate. I connected with Yusuf, and then he connected me with the team that runs the internship program, and that’s how this came to be.

YeskeBuie: Your work with Hokie Wellness is such a great cause, and it feels like you have a sense for what Client service looks like.

Erin: Yeah, a little bit, for sure. I discovered that program because I saw the Peer Educator information on the Hokie Wellness Instagram. I thought it would be such a great thing for me to participate in if I want to be a financial advisor one day. I’ve been having a ton of fun with it for the past year — it’s been great!

The position offers so many training opportunities, like motivational interviewing and how to navigate sensitive topics with people. It’s learning that applies to YeskeBuie, too. Like the first time you meet a Client, you’re asking them to be very vulnerable and it matters how well you can listen and be present. I’ve learned a lot of lessons that I plan to apply to my professional life when I graduate and get my CFP^®. It’s really been a great experience all around.

YeskeBuie: Amazing! So, when you think about working with Clients, what kind of difference do you want to make in their lives? You’ve talked a little bit about financial literacy and trust building, which are two very important skills. What does that look like for you moving forward?

Erin: When I actually become an advisor, my goal is that to build confidence in both Clients and in myself. When they’re looking at their investments or they’re looking at their insurance plan, I want them to feel comfortable asking questions. The reality is most people don’t have all the answers, and they may be hesitant asking about what they don’t know. I want to be a bridge to that information. I would like to build a comfortable space for Clients to be open enough to ask anything that comes to their mind, even if they feel like it’s a common sense question. Because, truly, it’s not always so straight forward.

YeskeBuie: That’s fantastic! This is a great space to learn about how to help feel comfortable asking questions. Building off of that, what’s something that you look forward to learning more at YeskeBuie that you think sets us apart?

Erin: I think the advisors at YeskeBuie do such a great job of building those Client relationships first, before planning for all the other technical stuff. There’s a lot of talent in that. There’s an intangible thing that I think people just have or they don’t, and I feel like I’ve seen it in everyone on this team, especially when observing Client meetings. It seems like it comes out of everyone on the team so naturally. That’s really special. I want to learn how to show up like that in the absolute best way I can.

That’s why I chose YeskeBuie. Having that touch — having that kind of je ne sais quoi, if you will — with Clients where they can just come in the office and feel comfortable, that’s why I think it’s such a special firm, because that is the priority.

YeskeBuie: What a great way to describe it. Since we’ve ventured into talking about skills, what’s the technical skill that you’re looking forward to developing during your internship that you hope will make a difference for Clients in the future?

Erin: On the technical side, I really want to get better at understanding trading. When I’ve had conversations with some of the advisors where they’re talking about trades and raising cash, it reminds me of when I was in high school and I took French class. We would do the speaking test where I knew what all the words meant and I recognized them from my textbook, but when said in a string, it would take a few seconds to figure out. By the end of the summer, I would love to feel confident that I’m comprehending and understanding what they’re saying on a conceptual and practical level. Everything from raising cash to the tax elements. I’m really excited to get even more familiar with that process.

YeskeBuie: A learning mindset is so important, and that’s a great goal for your internship. What is something new that you’re bringing to the team that you’re proud of?

Erin: I’m hesitant to say it’s a new thing, but I’ve been told by some of my friends that I’m radically positive. I’m the type of person who tries to see the positives in every situation; I want to bring that positivity into the office. I think when you look on the bright side, you manifest positive things happening in your life. I hope bringing that to the office will add to the firm and help Clients.

YeskeBuie: Absolutely! A positive spirit readily welcomes joy. It’s the whimsy of life, right?

Erin: Yes! I started saying “whimsy maxing” last week and I love it.

YeskeBuie: That sounds like it fits perfectly into Live Big^®. So, along with that positive outlook, you’re a young professional in financial planning. How has your perspective as a student shaped the way you’re planning to approach your work here?

Erin: I feel like, in being an intern, I’m a student first. I’m here to apply the skills that I’ve learned in college, and I’m learning the practical side of financial planning because I’m seeing financial planners do the work in front of me.

As far as task management, I’ve been organizing things the way that I do in school — creating a schedule and blocking out time for myself to get tasks done. The way I’ve been taking notes is very similar to the way I do in school, too. And how I formulate the questions that I ask of the professionals surrounding me is also similar. I look at this similar to another class that I want to ace. Taking notes, doing projects, asking questions — it’s all comparable. Being a student informs every single thing I do in my internship, and I think approaching my internship that way is how I’m going to maximize my growth.

YeskeBuie: We love to see you jumping in two feet first with an open mind!

Erin: Thank you! Part of it is because I come from a dance background. I was a competitive dancer from seventh grade to senior year of high school. I remember a while ago one of my teachers saying that, when you’re taking a dance class, you are taking from the teacher and you’re also giving to the teacher. It’s both. So when it’s your time to chime in or ask a question, it’s a return of what the teacher’s giving you in the class. That is how I approach most lessons; it’s a give and a take. I ask myself, “How am I going to engage with this to get the most out of it?”

YeskeBuie: So, as somebody with an inquisitive mind, who is just entering the financial planning profession, how do you see that as an advantage when connecting with Clients?

Erin: It’s an advantage because when you’re a Client, that’s a learning process. You’re learning about the advisor, but you’re also learning about how the advisor is planning to manage your finances and about your finances, yourself. As a student, I’m able to say that I’m going through this journey with Clients. I think that’s a powerful thing, because I can connect to a Client and say, “You’re trying to understand this. You’re learning. I’m learning, as well. Let’s do this together.”

That’s another special thing about YeskeBuie. Everybody’s learning. I see everyone recommending books and articles to read. In the NorCal conference notes meeting with the Financial Planning Team, they talked about the different sessions and new materials they encountered.

I think learning is a journey you go on with each Client. To be closer to their level, I think that adds something to the service I’m able to provide.

YeskeBuie: Incredible! Now, to close this interview out, would you like to give us a fun fact about yourself? Do you have any fun summer plans coming up?

Erin: My go-to fun fact is that I have a twin sister. We’re fraternal. We don’t look anything alike, and it’s very funny. I look exactly like my dad. My sister looks exactly like my mom. People ask us if we’re related all the time. It’s quite crazy, and it’s amazing. Having a best friend from day one is having someone in your corner all the time.

As for summer plans, I’m going to Blacksburg, Virginia in a few weeks. And then I’m going to Las Vegas at the end of July because my cousin’s getting married. My mom loves golf, so we’ll definitely hit a golf course out there. I’m looking forward to it!

YeskeBuie: That sounds like so much fun! Thank you, Erin, for taking the time to sit down with us. We’re excited to see the everything you accomplish at YeskeBuie!