CONTINUING TO BUILD
JACOB TALLY
A DIVERSE CAREER PATH
I’ve spent 20 years working at a variety of companies. My progression across industries (investments, chemicals, e-commerce, a marketing agency…) and functions (mostly cycling back and forth between various finance and marketing roles) has been intentional. I’ve been drawn to places where I can work on things that are new and interesting to me, and I’ve shown a repeated ability to earn the trust of people who have given me those opportunities (with increasing levels of responsibility). What’s never changed, however, is my passion for financial markets and investing. Books, blog posts, and research, my free time has often been spent educating myself on topics related to personal finance and finance.
Pursuing a Long-held Passion
In my heart of hearts, I have always wanted to be a financial advisor. It’s part of why I chose to major in finance at a liberal arts college in Switzerland for my undergrad. I love working with people one on one, and I’ve always been hard wired to pursue long term goals. Having the dream and making the leap are two very different things though. After I made the decision to pivot, I spent almost a year lining things up financially and building the relationships to try and make it happen.
I researched and had exploratory discussions about joining a number of different firms. But when I heard about what Eric Franklin was building at Prospero Wealth, and met other members of the team who were on similar journeys to my own, I knew I had stumbled on something special. A fee-only fiduciary team guided by sound, data driven methodologies, but also willing to embrace new tools, ideas and processes that could improve the customer experience.
Aligning Career with Personal Values
The chance to join Prospero Wealth as a financial advisor was a milestone and achievement not only of my career, but of my own personal financial plan. I couldn't imagine trying to continue working in startups for another 20 years, nor could I imagine trying to pursue a goal like FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early). I wanted a life that would allow me to live my values of being a builder and entrepreneur (something I’ve loved about working at startups the last 10+ years) while also meeting the needs of my family and community (something that’s been hard to do during that same period).
How My Experience Benefits You
Working at VC backed startups for 10+ years helps me relate to those with similar backgrounds, and has given me a strong foundation in how equity compensation works and strategies to maximize its value. I know what it’s like to navigate ESOP’s, RSU’s and RSA’s. Oftentimes, employees of fast growing companies have concentrated exposure or risk to the companies that they work at as well. Lastly, while personal finance has a tendency to focus on investments and asset allocation, I find that many high-performance career-focused individuals neglect other areas of their financial lives, like estate planning or tax strategies, that are critical pieces of a comprehensive financial plan.
