Hayley Wood Bates

At 36, Hayley Wood Bates is both the firm’s youngest planner and on its partner track.

She works with high-net-worth clients, managing about $350 million for 115 households. Although she joined the firm in 2015 as a relationship manager, she was quickly promoted to a junior advisor role, then full financial advisor, and has since helped the firm grow its practice from $350 million to $1.2 billion.

Philanthropy and education are both essential causes for Wood Bates. She manages the Signature Fund for Giving, a roughly $2 million charitable fund at the firm, which has distributed $1.8 million since its inception to help underserved youth.

What drew her to the profession was the concept of wealth being a major component of people’s overall security, she said.

“I always felt a cause to serve in some capacity. This career provided that opportunity,” Wood Bates said. “What’s really important to me is the building of a plan that’s authentic to the person.”

For one client, that meant being able to fund the college educations of 10 grandchildren. For another, it meant being able to sail around the world. And for many, it means a change in mindset, “getting to the point at which you’re able to stop having to work, and you get to work” on jobs you enjoy or projects that have meaning, she said.

—Emile Hallez