This story was written by Ellen Sherberg, a BizWomen Contributor, The Business Journals, May, 2026 and is the result of a direct interview by our PR Team and BizWomen.
As a child, I came to understand money through the lens of fear. It was often at the center of tension and instability in our home, and those early experiences stayed with me. Even then, I felt a quiet resolve that I didn’t want to carry that story forward. I wanted to understand money differently — to see it as a tool for stability and opportunity, not something that created stress. My career has been shaped by adversity, persistence and a deep desire to build a different life than the one I grew up in.
That determination led me to enroll in a high school program called the Academy of Finance, which opened the door to courses in finance and economics. I learned about the Federal Reserve, the stock market and accounting. I toured the New York Stock Exchange and walked the floor of the commodities market —experiences that sparked something in me. I started working as a bank teller at 17, took business classes at the community college and put myself through school at night while working full-time during the day. I completed my own financial aid forms, paid my bills and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a finance degree.
Resilience became an early career theme. The bank branch where I worked was robbed multiple times in a single year — armed robberies with guns and even a bomb. I was in my early twenties, opening the branch each morning, checking closets and corners before letting staff enter. Eventually, I had to admit I was too scared to stay. I mailed résumés to large firms and eventually landed a temporary role at Merrill Lynch.
My journey at Merrill was full of reinvention. I was often one of the only women in the office and one of the youngest to complete the management training program. I shifted from assistant roles to compliance management, then ultimately toward the client-facing advisory work I had always wanted. I navigated the 2008 financial crisis while pregnant, moved states for job security, endured layoffs and pushed forward when I was passed over for promotions. None of those moments felt brave at the time; they just felt heavy. But each one forced me to decide not only what I would pursue — but what I would no longer accept.
In 2020, at 38, I had a stroke in the middle of a workout. I recovered fully, but my definition of success changed. It became less about titles and metrics and more about meaning: peace, presence and work that genuinely changes lives.
Today, as a Senior Wealth Advisor and CFP® professional at XML Financial Group, I see my career in chapters. Every hard chapter led me here—to a place where I can break cycles for others, especially women who have been left out of financial conversations. I believe money is emotional before it is mathematical. My role is to listen, educate without judgment and help clients use money to build stability, possibility and memories.
My path is proof that resilience, a love of learning and a refusal to repeat old patterns can transform even the most difficult beginnings into a meaningful, impactful career.
In Her Own Words is a daily Bizwomen feature edited and curated by Ellen Sherberg and written by individual contributors. Sherberg is a longtime reporter, editor and publisher at American City Business Journals, Bizwomen’s parent company. See the full article.