University of Rhode Island

My name is Reeve Whitten, a rising sophomore at URI. I have always enjoyed the idea of how thriving businesses are built but was not sure what major would capture this concept. I went in undecided to experiment with various types of classes in my first semester and see what grabbed my attention. After finishing my courses, I chose to major in Business Accounting to pursue my interests. This summer I was given the opportunity to work an internship at Stifel in wealth management. I learned under a team of financial advisors observing how they successfully operate their business. I listened in on calls and saw the day-to-day dealings of an advisor, like monitoring the market, emailing, and building plans for clients. I used the Microsoft platform for my assignments, which I was familiar with from my classes at URI. 
 

The first project I worked on was the team website. In collaboration with the Stifel marketing team, I built a framework of the content for the website ensuring the language stayed consistent with the theme of the individual team and the company as a whole. Next I looked through hundreds of images for the main photo on the website. After settling on a few contenders, I picked out photos that made sense for the smaller sections and any other icons needed. I put the content and photos together and sent it to the marketing team to create and finalize. 
 

The next project focused on creating a long-term financial plan with a set of goals driving the strategy. I wrote the plan in today’s dollars and had AI estimate inflation as well as any changes in retirement age and policies to ensure the plan remains strong in the future. I not only learned how to build the framework, but also how to effectively communicate the concepts to all kinds of clients. Planning a meaningful life looks different for everyone so having an advisor that understands your goals and finances is key to creating a successful plan.
 

The internship helped me understand the importance of building trust with the individuals I work with, in the corporate world, in school, and all other parts of my life. I am thankful for the experience and excited to take my new knowledge back to URI and my next opportunity.