Meet the Team: Gavin Shoults
Gavin Shoults has joined the Yeske Buie team as a Client Support Specialist in our Vienna, VA office. Gavin relocated to Northern Virginia from Tuscon, Arizona, where he was working as a data engineer and was responsible for managing enterprise-scale information systems and providing company-wide analytical insights at the Mister Car Wash corporate headquarters. Gavin looks forward to melding his technical experience with Yeske Buie’s financial planning work. He believes that building strong professional relationships on mutual trust and respect is the cornerstone of successful financial planning.
In this edition of Meet the Team, we learn more about Gavin’s personal and professional journey to date, and how he hopes to work closely with both Clients and planners to provide a smooth and enjoyable client experience. Welcome to the team, Gavin!
Yeske Buie: Welcome to the team, Gavin! We’ll start off by asking you to tell us about yourself.
Gavin: Thanks for the warm welcome. I’m Gavin and I hold a bachelor’s degree in health sciences from the University of Arizona. Prior to joining Yeske Buie, I worked as a Data Engineer at the Mister Car Wash corporate headquarters in Tuscon, AZ. I called Arizona home until I moved to Northern Virginia to work for Yeske Buie, and the move has been the capstone of my journey so far. I had always wanted to live in or near a big city, have a little more hustle and bustle in my life, and live somewhere I enjoyed, and the move symbolized all of this for me. It was a big change from where I was to where I wanted to be, and there were a lot of steps to go from the community that I was into the other side of the country. While there are a lot of small moments along the way that I am proud of, making the move is a culmination of all these goals and feelings, and I consider it one of my biggest achievements to date.
Yeske Buie: We appreciate you sharing that story and, again, we’re happy you’re with us. What was it about Yeske Buie that inspired you to join the team here?
Gavin: I think the biggest factor was the alignment of values. I think it’s common in today’s society for money to be seen as the be all end all. In my view, it’s a means to an end. Accumulating money is not the goal; it’s a way to help you live a full life. What’s important is living within your values. And finding a firm that has that engrained into it – like at Yeske Buie – it really important to me.
Yeske Buie: That’s really powerful, we’re so glad to hear you feel that way. Is there one of Yeske Buie’s core values that resonates most with you?
Gavin: Learn Big resonates most with me. I like the idea of learning, continuous improvement, and that there’s always something more to learn, whether that’s something for your job or a personal interest. Learning is something that I enjoy and go out of my way to do. It’s one of the things I like most about the financial planning profession – there’s always something to learn and by the time you learn it “all,” there’s something new to learn!
Yeske Buie: Great stuff, thanks for sharing. Tell us more about what other aspects of financial planning intrigue you most and why.
Gavin: I like how financial planning, especially at Yeske Buie, focuses on so many human elements. There are so many moving pieces in thinking about a Client’s financial plan, and seeing them all come together, being a part of that process, and factoring in real human emotions is really impactful for me. With my data background, I naturally enjoy working with the technical aspects of financial planning, and yet seeing the mesh of art and science come together to form something amazing is powerful.
Yeske Buie: As we like to say, financial planning is magic! In your experience so far, what do you think is the most important skill that a successful Client Support Specialist needs to have?
Gavin: I’d say organization is the most important skill. Like I said earlier, there are a lot of moving parts in the work that we do – it’s inherent to the profession. There are a lot of things you can plan for in advance but with financial planning, it’s natural that Client needs will arise sporadically. Knowing what to do and when is imperative and it requires a lot of organization.
Yeske Buie: That’s a great observation. How does that feel – I imagine it might feel challenging at times?
Gavin: Sure, it might be challenging, but I find challenges exciting. I like to set big, audacious goals for myself. They help me align my actions with there I want to be, and that helps me identify my next steps. Knowing that I’m working towards my goals motivates me. Being able to go to bed knowing that I accomplished something that brings me closer to a goal I have is very rewarding.
Yeske Buie: What a great mentality to have – thanks for sharing. It’s been great getting to learn more about you. Before we wrap up, let’s see if we can learn one or two more tidbits about you! What might someone be surprised to know about you, Gavin?
Gavin: Hmm, great question. Someone might be surprised to know that I enjoy building high end computer keyboards and systems in my free time. In line with what I shared about Learn Big earlier, I enjoy finding something new to latch onto for a little bit. I can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under 30 seconds, and I can also do some pretty cool yo-yo tricks.
Yeske Buie: Oh, we look forward to seeing those one day! Thanks again for everything you’ve shared today. We look forward to learning more about you as your career at Yeske Buie unfolds.