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A first-generation college student, Sydney Woodward didn't come from a wealthy background. But something about wealth management's blend of finance and personal touch resonated with her.
Six years into the profession, Woodward has found a way to become a passionate advocate for underserved communities, president of the Financial Planning Association's San Francisco chapter and the "queen of pro bono"
"I grew up in a family that was lower middle class, and so the examples I had for a job were more about money," said Woodward, a financial planner at the firm. "Your work was just a way to pay your bills."
She discovered financial planning after attending a finance class at Virginia Tech and learning about the profession's connection between analytical work and people-focused service. It aligned with her desire to help others.
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"It came easily with financial planning because I have so much passion in giving back to people, which is what it is at its core," Woodward said. "A lot of my values just perfectly fit within what it means to be a good financial planner: service and curiosity and vulnerability and trust-building."
After college, she first joined a wealth management firm near Chicago that specialized in families with disabled children. She moved to San Francisco to join YeskeBuie in July 2021, but quickly missed having an
"I really wanted to be able to help people like my family, and so I started off with volunteering with Foundation for Financial Planning," Woodward said. "I then got involved in FPA at the San Francisco chapter and became the director of pro bono, and created events annually around providing access to free, no-strings-attached financial planning opportunities for members of the community that otherwise wouldn't have access."
On top of pro bono work, Woodward represented YeskeBuie at FPA California's Advocacy Day in Sacramento, where she met with legislative staff about financial literacy in K-12 education,
She also led YeskeBuie's financial literacy initiative with Junior Achievement, which helped educate high school students in Northern California on foundational financial topics, and has taught students in under-resourced communities how to set themselves up for college and have long-term financial success.
"Being a leader is not about how smart you are, but what you can do to show up for others, and the way that you handle challenges and failure and other people's vulnerabilities," Woodward said. "I show up every day and support the people that I get the privilege to work with, both my team, the San Francisco FPA community and our clients."
In 2024 and 2025, Woodward collaborated with the Foundation for Financial Planning on a case study spotlighting her leadership in building firm-wide pro bono initiatives at YeskeBuie. The study has been presented nationwide.
Since she started at Yeske Buie, every single member of the firm's financial planning team is now involved in pro bono planning, said Lauren Mireles, co-CEO and chief operating officer at YeskeBuie. She said Woodward is a go-getter.
"She's taken her life by the horns and is in control and is telling it who's boss," Lauren said. "That is not easy to do because she's really growing and she's doing so many things all at the same time. She's so passionate and excited to do new things and to expand her passions to the team."
