Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Belshe.
Hi Jennifer, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In a nutshell, I am a mother, an entrepreneur, the partner of a brilliant artist, and a proud resident and business owner in Greenville, South Carolina.
I will begin by telling you a little bit about the journey of how I arrived where I am today, professionally. After graduating from Wheaton College in Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business and Economics and a minor in Art, I began my career at Northern Trust in Chicago in the Personal Trust Services division.
In my early roles, I learned a lot about the operations side of the investment business and quickly excelled and was rewarded with three promotions in my first year and a half with the company. During my time with Northern Trust in Chicago, I was extensively trained in personal trust services and account management. I had direct access to senior leaders in the company and benefited tremendously from the relationships formed.
In 2005, I accepted a client-facing position as a Personal Trust Associate with Northern Trust in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Las Olas) office. In this role, I worked directly with high-net-worth personal trust clients to serve all aspects of their trust and estate planning/settlement needs. During this time, I developed my client relationship and management skills and was given the opportunity to expand my knowledge through trust school, CFP® education courses, and investment training.
In 2006, I relocated to South Carolina, and I accepted a position in the Private Wealth Management division at SunTrust Bank in Greenville, South Carolina. At SunTrust, I worked with private wealth management and personal trust clients to implement sophisticated investment, estate planning, and credit strategies.
In early 2010, I made the leap from my salaried corporate job and accepted a 100% commission position with a small independent investment firm in Greenville. I worked incredibly hard and in 2011 I co-founded Novus Advisors, an independent SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Greenville, SC. What started with the relatively simple idea of providing better, more innovative, and accessible investment solutions to clients, particularly within retirement plans, has evolved into a thriving full-service investment firm servicing individual and institutional clients across the United States.
In 2013, we launched Lafayette Advisors, a joint venture between Novus Advisors, a Greenville, SC-based registered investment advisor, and Wilbanks Smith and Thomas Asset Management, a wealth management firm based in Norfolk, VA. The combined assets of the two firms exceed $4 billion. Lafayette Advisors can serve as ERISA 3(38) or 3(21) fiduciaries for qualified retirement plans. Additionally, Lafayette Advisors offers tactically managed collective investment funds available to retirement advisors across multiple national platforms.
Throughout my career, I have been recognized professionally for my impact in the workplace and in the community. These honors include Greenville Business Magazine’s Best and Brightest 35 and Under (2016), Upstate Business Journal’s one of four women who are defining the future of banking and finance in Upstate, SC (“Primed for Success” 2019), Eugenia Duke Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year (Excellence in Entrepreneurship Small Business Awards hosted by CommunityWorks and Greenville Chamber), SC Women in Business award (Integrated Media Publishing, 2021), Forty Under 40 award (GSA Business Report, 2021), Women of Influence award (GSA Business Report, 2021), Forbes Next 1000 List (Forbes, 2021), and the Phenom award (SC Biz News, 2022).
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As a female in the largely male-dominated investment world, I faced many hurdles. I reached a point in Corporate America where I was told I could not go any higher in the company (my glass ceiling), so I took that “no” and made it my catalyst for success. As a brand-new mom, I left the stability of my corporate job to pursue my dreams. I joined a small independent firm (a 100% commission job) and the following year, I launched Novus Advisors.
Influenced by the obstacles I faced in my own career, I am a strong advocate for women entrepreneurs and female investment advisors. I am currently a member of Women Entrepreneurs, Inc (Upstate, SC Chapter), Female Advisors Network, WIPN, and ForbesWomen Forum. Each of these organizations is focused on inspiring, empowering, connecting, and providing resources to women. I have sponsored multiple events for women entrepreneurs, business leaders, and college students, and have mentored multiple young women.
As you know, we’re big fans of Novus Advisors. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Novus Advisors is an independent, fee-only, SEC-registered investment advisor based in Greenville, SC. We are a team of investment professionals with expertise in investment management, financial & retirement planning, and 401(k) services. Our investment advisors have on average more than 25 years of experience helping clients reach and exceed their financial goals.
Novus Advisors serves individual and institutional clients across the United States. As a fully independent firm, we take our fiduciary role very seriously. We provide financial advice while making suitable choices for our clients tailored to their individual situations and desires. Our team structure allows us to provide specialized advice for every dimension of our clients’ financial lives. As an experienced ERISA 3(38) Investment Manager, Novus Advisors has a vast knowledge of retirement plan structures, portfolio construction for retirement plans, and fiduciary governance.
The Novus Advisors brand focuses on innovation. The word “Novus” is of Latin origin and means “new, innovative, extraordinary”. Since our inception, Novus Advisors has been a company focused on innovation and bringing appropriate investment solutions to our clients. We do not simply provide an investment platform for our clients; we create investment strategies with the goal of making our clients’ financial lives better.
Throughout our history, we have developed and implemented innovative, well-researched investment solutions for both individual and institutional clients. From retirement plan structures and risk-based tactically managed investments offered to our institutional clients, to sophisticated investment strategies specifically tailored to the needs of each individual investor, we work tirelessly to help achieve our client’s goals.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
At Novus Advisors, we serve as trusted financial advisors for individuals, retirement plan participants, and companies. During the pandemic, we found that our clients have needed our assistance more than ever.
There have been so many questions, and how a person responds during a financial crisis has a significant impact on her/his financial future. Through calls and virtual meetings, we have walked alongside our clients to answer questions, evaluate financial plans and provide investment advice.
As a company, we have provided flexibility to our employees to enable them to both serve clients and manage their families. As the mom of a twelve-year-old boy, we spent several months during the pandemic doing virtual school at my office. My son now understands a lot more about what his mom does every day – it was a great learning experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.novusadvisors.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/novusadvisors/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/novusadvisors
Image Credits
Eli Warren Photography and Ric Standridge Painting
