Julie Genjac makes lists for a living — for herself, and for financial advisors. Sometimes she adds in points she’s already completed, just so she can cross them off.
“I do that. I admit it. There’s something so satisfying about that,” she says.
Genjac is a managing director of strategic markets at Hartford Funds, where she is responsible for guiding advisors through practice management and educating them on upcoming opportunities regarding investments, retirement planning and charitable giving.
Her advice to her clients: Don’t be afraid to push the pause button on day-to-day tasks to think about the big picture.
“Before you know it, businesses or processes or teams can be created and transformed, and it doesn’t feel like this overwhelming, life-changing process,” she says.
Genjac has had to remind herself of this many times throughout her career. Amid all the career paths available at the time, “I think [asset management] just found me,” she says.
Last year Genjac switched firms, moving from D.A. Davidson, where she was director of practice management and professional development, to her current role at Hartford Funds.
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Women still only account for one-in-nine positions — but clients may benefit from diversity, according to a Morningstar study.
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Many of those selected have focused their careers on helping women thrive in an industry where nearly 90% of the managers are men.
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Although underrepresented in the industry, the odds of women running a passive fund versus an active fund are 1.36 to 1, Morningstar says.
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The decision was difficult, she says, particularly because she was leaving behind relationships she had built at her former firm.
“I thought to myself: I coach advisors every day to challenge themselves to step out of their comfort zone in order to grow. And when I look at myself in the mirror, I need to challenge myself in the same way,” she says.
Genjac graduated from Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls middle and high school in Bellevue, Washington, where she volunteers today. Genjac says she managed a faux portfolio in one of her classes back when she was a student, which sparked her interest in finance.
Amid all the list-making, Genjac says she reminds herself to step back from the next task at hand. “Enjoy every day. Slow down a tiny bit,” she says. “Take five minutes and soak up what you’re experiencing.”
