Pat Phillips, CFP®

I am Michigan-born, Georgia-raised, and California-grown. My Dad gave me my work ethic and my Mom gave me positivity and warmth. Now my own family inspires and grounds me. My kids see that my spouse and I share household responsibilities and our professional goals have equal priority. I studied economics and played varsity golf at Stanford. Golf is a sport about integrity and honesty: there is often no rules official, you call the penalty on yourself. I had a golf instructor and mentor who would be the first to open the shop, but would park in the worst spot. This is how you handle yourself professionally. After the 2008 financial crash, I saw the sense of insecurity people had about their wealth and their job prospects. The lesson is that we have to be independent and save. I wanted to work someplace where I could make a difference. Wealth Architects was only a year old and there was so much passion and energy, and they seemed fun and kind. I wanted to work with people like that.