A Day in the Life of a Small-Firm Private Banker

A Day in the Life of a Small-Firm Private BankerA Day in the Life of a Small-Firm Private Banker400 a.m. Get up. My day begins early, when I get up and review everything that came in the night before. Since we dont have a massive equity strategy team, Im constantly reviewing outside research on my clients holdings, which we subscribe to. I spend most of my morning reading up to see what the latest thinking is. I stay glued to the TV and PC at home because Im on the West Coast and I dont want to be commuting when the market opens.630 a.m. The opening bell.730 a.m. Once the market is open and Im OK with whats going on, then I shower and get dressed and everything else, and head into work. I got a Sirius satellite radio in the car just so I could listen to Bloomberg radio on my drive in.815 a.m. At the office, client calls. Once I get in the office, its all about the clients. Im on the phone, sending e-mails, planning ahead, doing everything I can to not only meet their needs, but anticipate them.100 p.m. The closing bell. The market closes at 1 p.m. my time, which is great. That allows me to get out of the office and go see clients without worrying about anybodys portfolio. 130 p.m. Lunch with members of the local chamber of commerce. I belong to all the local geschftliches miteinander groups, and Im there whenever they have conferences or luncheons or whatever. Any time I can be in a room with successful business people, Im there. Sometimes its afternoon, sometimes its evening, but whenever.230 p.m. Client meeting at his office. Clients appreciate it when you go to them, and Im there with my laptop and a wireless card so that if there are questions, Im right there in my network pulling up their data without a problem, and theyre still comfortable in their office or home.400 p.m. Back to the office for more calls, e-mails, laying in moves or strategies as needed for the following day.500 p.m. Heading home, which is unusual. If there isnt anyt hing in the evening going on, I can be out of the office by 4 or 5 p.m., but thats usually just one or two days a week, usually Friday. My clients tend to be businesspeople, so we often meet after business hours so they can focus fully on their jobs. And Ill stay late a lot to ride herd on a major purchase or investment that Im working on for a client.