Sterling Wealth Management is a fee-only private wealth management firm created with the individual in mind…their own personal family office. When I founded the firm in 2004, it was with a desire to be a “beacon of light” in the financial services industry, to elevate the conversation around true wealth, client service, and technical excellence. I love creating and growing a group of likeminded professionals that are the third party steward for our clients, working closely with each client’s unique team of professional advisors.Being the oldest child of a middle-class family in the Chicago suburbs, I was the first person in my extended family to go to college. Graduating from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign with my Finance degree, I began a professional journey of intimate involvement in all levels of managing the financial lives of affluent families and individuals. I am now the “personal chief financial officer” for my clients, specializing in helping them create tailored financial plans to help guide them through life’s transitions, such as transferring wealth to the next generation, loss of spouse, divorce, retirement, job changes or sale of a business. Being a positive voice within the financial services industry and giving back is important to me. I am an adjunct instructor at the University of Illinois in the Certified Financial Planning program, as well as a guest lecturer on various financial planning, investing and business topics. I am an active member of the nationally recognized wealth management study group, Family Wealth Advisors Council, and co-author of Caught in the Middle: How Does The Sandwich Generation Woman Not Get Squeezed?Community is very important to me. I give of my time as Board Chair of the University of Illinois Employee’s Credit Union, and Board and committee member of various non-profits in our area. As a mother of two, I also enjoy being actively involved in the local school community.