Meet the Team: Kacie Fawls

In 2021, Yeske Buie welcomed new faces and new energy to our growing team, and we’re using this space to make virtual introductions to help you learn more about how these team members are working to serve YOU. In this space, we introduce you to Kacie Fawls, Assistant Financial Planner in our Virginia office.

If Kacie’s name rings a bell, it’s because she worked with our team as a Financial Planning Intern in 2020. Both Kacie and Yeske Buie felt that her passion and goals were in alignment with the needs of the firm, and it was an easy decision to welcome her back to the team in a permanent role. Kacie graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Finance, and prior to joining the firm, she worked as a Finance Intern for the Defense Logistics Agency, an agency within the Department of Defense, where she wrote official procedure documents to improve the agency’s internal controls.

To give you a deeper understanding of who Kacie is and how she hopes to serve YOU, we share the following interview-style narrative – enjoy!

In your role as Assistant Financial Planner, how do you assist Yeske Buie’s Clients?

• During my initial training period, I’m mostly working behind the scenes by supporting the lead advisor with whatever needs to be done to provide the best service to our Clients. For example, I have been completing and posting informational reports to our Clients’ Client Private Page^®, taking notes during Client meetings, and soaking in the Yeske Buie culture and learning how I fit into that. My favorite project thus far has been helping one of our Clients through the process of selling their company shares to better diversify their portfolio. Being able to be part of this process from the beginning to end and seeing how our policies for mitigating risks during diversification has been fascinating!

How did your role as a Financial Planning Intern with Yeske Buie in 2020 prepare you for your role as an Assistant Financial Planner?

• Being an Intern last summer allowed me time to get to know my team members before coming on full time. I knew who I would be working with and their personalities, which made me even more excited to begin this summer! I was really excited to continue to deepen my relationships with the team. Work wise, I knew I would be able to jump right back into things after having a brief reminder of all the systems and policies that are in place. I think having done the internship last summer allowed me to catch back up in no time and begin tackling higher priority tasks such as doing work for Clients and answering the phones.

What aspect of financial planning intrigues you the most and why?

• I love that financial planning does not rely on a one size fits all model – every Client situation is unique and as financial planners, we must use a variety of tools to identify the optimal recommendation for a Client. I enjoy playing with different formulas to accomplish the Client’s Live Big^® goals and to show them how their resources can be utilized to achieve their goals and what they value the most.

What impact do you hope to make at Yeske Buie and in the financial planning profession?

• I want to help people – no matter how small of a helping hand I can offer, I want to offer it. This is one of the reasons I got into this profession; to figuratively hold someone’s hand during the tough times, to help alleviate stress, to make someone’s life easier in any way I can. I have a passion for helping people, and this profession allows me the opportunity to manifest that passion.

What Yeske Buie worldview aligns with you most and why?

• It’s definitely a tie between Give Big and Live Big. I come from a religious background in which both of those worldviews are held in high regards, aligning almost perfectly with my values. To have my own worldviews incorporated so seamlessly with the firms’ values is truly a dream come true.

What do you enjoy doing what you aren’t working?

• Lately, I have been really enjoying going on walks, whether I am listening to podcast or sharing the time with my husband. I have also been jumping back into reading and more recently, and I have been exploring cooking without a recipe!

What is one of your Live Big goals?

• Right now, my next Live Big goal that I am working towards is purchasing a home with my husband. We look forward to having a yard, painting, decorating, and being able to hang items on the wall with nails and not command strips!