Sara Seely Talks about Equistar
Where are you from originally?
I grew up in Irving, Tx
What university did you go to?
Texas Tech University
What brought you to Austin?
My husband and I lived in Houston while he attended law
school. When he graduated, we knew we
wanted to leave Houston before we were “stuck” in jobs there. We had friends in Austin and loved the city,
and we had family close by in New Braunsfels.
So we sold our home in Houston and moved here with no jobs. We made it work, and it was one of the best
decisions we ever made.
What is your group’s mission?
To provide real value to our clients through personalized
financial advice and investment management to busy professionals and their
families.
What need does it fulfill?
My partner Jenny Fleming and I have worked with a lot of
entrepreneurs and people in transition.
Our clients are busy in their professional and family life, and they
need advice they can trust to manage their personal financial life so that they
can meet their long-term goals as a family.
As a women-owned firm, we are especially well suited to
work with females and couples who share decision-making.
What exactly does it bring to startups?
In my experience, entrepreneurs do an excellent job of executing
and getting the advice they need for their business. However, so often I see their personal
finances and planning fall through the cracks.
That is where we come in to play the role of personal CFO. We offer proactive advice and make sure plans
are implemented, not just discussed.
When a liquidity event occurs, we are there to help our clients work
through the transaction from their family standpoint.
What type of startup would benefit from your group?
The most benefit comes to startups that are close to some
type of liquidity event. Prior to a
transaction, good personal risk management and tax planning are very
important. We also provide charitable and
estate planning, and ultimately investment management once a sale has gone
through.
Best regards,
Hall T.
