Whitney Priest

I’ve always been interested in business and math, but after starting out as a business major at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I found that path a bit too rigid.  I wanted to be able to take more electives, so I switched to a liberal arts degree enabling me to study psychology, sociology, political science, and other fields in addition to my business courses. 

I spent my early career in recruiting and consulting services before transitioning to the software industry.  The “customer success” role was still in its infancy, and the goal was to ensure that clients renewed their annual subscriptions in this new Software-as-a-Service business model.  In practice, every day was comprised of a dynamic mix of sales & account management, training delivery, data analysis and problem-solving.  

While I loved the innovation and breakneck pace of working in fast-growing tech start-ups, I was ready for a new challenge. I had always had a passion for personal finance, and after taking a few CFP® education courses for fun, I decided to become more serious about a career change to financial planning.  I took a year off to finish the professional education program and study for the CFP® Exam.  Weeks after passing the exam, I was lucky enough to find an opportunity at Rope Financial.

After 20 years in San Francisco I recently moved back to the East Coast, and now live in Providence, RI with my husband.  When I’m not at work, I enjoy traveling, watching movies, reading books, cooking, wine-tasting, and planning my next Backroads cycling trip.