Jeanne MacRae
In Her Own Words
I was born and raised in a small farming community in south central Minnesota.My childhood was the wonderful 60’s kind. It was filled with Girls Scouts, teaching swimming, camping, student council, class officer roles, National Honor Society, teaching catechism, being in operettas and playing the lead in “Anne Frank”. When you are in a small town, you can really get involved in lots of different things.
I have sought out that full community involvement throughout my life. My career has been very fulfilling. I like to say that I have always had jobs involving body parts; legs, eyes, teeth and the heart. My first adult job was with L’eggs Pantyhose when they launched the product in the 70’s. It was a rocket ride of increasing responsibilities. L’eggs was a huge success and provided amazing career opportunities.
I was a single parent of one son and we were transferred throughout the Midwest — three times in thirteen months when he was in kindergarten and first grade.
Antarctica Friends
We were truly fortunate to be transferred to Seattle in 1979. We fell in love with the green trees, blue water and mountains surrounding Seattle before the plane even landed, having been in the brown and white of flat Omaha for two years.
Because we loved the area, I stopped saying “yes’ to transfers. This led to needing to leave the company if I was to stay professionally challenged. What I knew by this time was that I needed a higher level of stress than some to stay “alive”. I joined a contact lens firm (the “eye” body part) and went back to college fulltime to finish my business degree (which I did with President’s Honors). Then, I was recruited into the dental industry (the “teeth” body part) where I was the Vice President of the Western region for a national dental lab company. The challenge was that some of the labs that the company had acquired in a group were losing money. My job was to make “my” labs profitable or find a buyer. The Washington labs were made profitable, the Oakland lab was sold and the Denver lab was stabilized. While I enjoyed the business side of the dental industry, the product left me “numb”—so to speak. Helping companies make money is good as it produces jobs for people but I felt there had to be more that I could contribute in life.
Here is where my “aha” career moment happened. I examined and studied what I liked, what I was good at and what I would like to grow old doing for a living. I knew I was good at bottom line management (making companies money), conflict management, planning and strategy. I wanted to do that for individuals. It was logical to become a Financial Advisor. In 2000, I joined Prudential Securities, which gave me excellent training, experience and grounding in many areas. I believe in educating oneself in their expertise and attained my CFP® (not easy!!) and CRPC® which helps me serve my clients better. When Prudential Securities became Wachovia, I moved to Merrill Lynch as I did not want to work for a bank. Then Merrill Lynch became a bank…hmmm. Through and because of the unprecedented ground shift in the financial world in late 2008 and early 2009, I went searching for my final professional home. I found it. I intend to be there for my clients through the years as this is one “job” that is deeply meaningful, keeps one stimulated, and you only get better at it. I joined Robinswood Financial as I am very clear that they provide the client with the best of all worlds: commitment to client first, superior advice, lower costs and long term relationship goals.
Traveling to novel places and countries has always held an appeal for me. The more fully “in” a culture, the better. In February 2020, just before the beginning of the pandemic which, in the US first hit Kirkland, I was returning from Antarctica. That adventure was so amazing and hard to describe. I did get to sleep in a small tent overnight on “land” (hear “ice”) and did get to put on my swimsuit and get in the ice-cold water. Sadly, the pandemic slowed all world travel down for a few years. I have one continent left – Australia – which I will experience in 2023. Then…well, it is a big world!!
Meanwhile, I will enjoy the wonderful Northwest and time with my family. My son is grown with a family of his own; an amazing wife and two talented adult women. I advise them, as I do other career seeking people, to figure out what they love to do -where they lose their sense of time because they get so absorbed in the task or activity – and then find a career centered in that task or activity. Then they give their unique personal gift to the world and live happily and well. I have found mine, professionally and personally. I am truly a fortunate person.
I joined Robinswood Financial as I am very clear that they provide the client with the best of all worlds: commitment to client first, superior advice, lower costs and long term relationship goals.