Defying convention

Beth Jeter Hrubala champions women in a career she says helped her achieve both of her dreams.

There’s an antiquated idea that women have to choose between career success and a fulfilling family life – because, they’re told, when one thrives, the other one suffers.

But Beth Jeter Hrubala didn’t buy that. The strength of her family and the success of Jeter Hrubala Wealth Strategies in Spartanburg and Isle of Palms, South Carolina, are testaments to her thinking.

“I wanted a demanding, rewarding career, but I didn’t want to travel for weeks at a time. I wanted to be at home with my kids at night,” Beth says. At the time, she was working for a multinational company in a role based in Brazil. But it wasn’t giving her the balance she was seeking. That’s when she was approached about starting a career in wealth management. It was an opportunity to build her own business and directly help people achieve their dreams – while pursuing hers.

“Being an advisor is the best career I could ever have,” says Beth. “It fulfills so many important needs we have in life. It’s a service people need. It’s rewarding when you get to help people. And you can make a good livelihood doing it.”

And now, as a leading advisor within Raymond James and a member of the Women Financial Advisor Network Advisory Board, she also helps other women pursue a career that supports their ambitions and their lives.

Growing with purpose

Beth will be the first to admit that hers wasn’t an easy path, but that she believes the more you put into it the more you get out of it.

“There were tough times, complex situations and sacrifices along the way. But success came out of those,” she says. “Someone mentioned to me early in my career that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. And that’s true.”

This is just one of the aspects of wealth management that Beth loves. She says no matter where you are in your career journey, learning is endless and there are plenty of resources to facilitate it.

“You’re always learning. Legislation is changing. The economy is changing. Financial planning capabilities are changing. And people’s lives are changing,” she says.

Beth describes building a business as a science and an art. She focused on sharpening her technical skills, cultivating relationships in the community and establishing a reputation as being thoughtful and trustworthy. And, as she was doing that, people in her social circles were advancing in their own careers.

“Some of them had large liquidity events. They sold a business or inherited money. And we were positioned to help them,” she says. “I didn’t start out 25 years ago like that. I wanted to be the best advisor and wealth manager I could be and began taking on more complex and complicated situations.”

Beth remembers how clients came to her in the beginning for information and analytics. Then the industry shifted, and people came to her to facilitate online trades.

“It moved from information to knowledge. And now clients come for the wisdom. They don’t just want the information or even the knowledge. They want us to be able to filter out all the noise and help them utilize the information to make good decisions,” Beth says.

Advising with empathy

Beth believes women are naturally well-suited to wealth management with its dual focus on immediate tangible needs and abstract future preparation. Her team is proof, she says.

“We’re empathetic but we also have the technical rigor,” she says. “We believe in education, and I think a lot of women want to be educated without being talked to in a condescending way.”

Because of the types of clients Jeter Hrubala Wealth Strategies focuses on, women are naturally drawn to the practice.

“We focus on helping individuals and families, often at pivotal and transitional times in their lives. We’ve become known for helping women when they’ve lost a spouse, sold a business, experienced a career change, or been through a divorce,” she says.

Beth feels it’s an honor to be part of her clients’ journeys. She says when clients come to her during a tough time and she gets to see the transformation from being vulnerable to gaining confidence, it’s an unmatched feeling.

“What I didn’t expect was that I would feel the same way while developing my team,” she says. “I feel a sense of pride when I see my team members experience success and be able to make an impact on someone else’s life.”

Compassion in action

What started as a way to give back to her alma mater at Wofford College, turned into a growing internship program that has already helped more than 20 college students find their way in the career world.

Described as a “labor of love,” the program has become more robust over the years.

Beth takes a three-pronged approach to the internship program: Interns prepare for their Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam, participate in an 8-week virtual externship program put on by Amplified Planning, and come to the office to assist with real-life projects.

About 80% of the interns were women. And while Beth regrets that she can’t hire all of them, she keeps track of where everyone’s landed and about half have found careers in the industry.

In several ways Beth has made it her mission to lift up other women in finance.

“Being on the Women’s Advisory Council, I hope it helps to inspire others,” she says. “I want other women to have role models and see it’s possible. It creates pathways for them to thrive and build successful careers.”

“I want to see more women that are equity owners in practices. I would love to be a part of that – to help women become leaders in the industry.”

When Beth started as an advisor, it was on account of wanting to have a successful career and be present in her children’s lives. Now, it’s come full circle. Two of her three children are involved in the business and get to look to their mom for inspiration on a daily basis.

And this is what she’s most proud of – building a business while raising a family. “That was my definition of success, to be able to have both,” she says.

Raymond James is not affiliated with and does not endorse the above organizations.