Katelyn N. Watts - Financial Advisors

Home
Our Team
Katelyn N. Watts

Why I Love My Job

I knew that I wanted to work for a company with people and a culture that celebrated growth and teamwork and pushed me to be the best version of myself. I found that at Halbert Hargrove! Our leadership and my coworkers are people I look up to and strive to learn from, and I welcome the challenges this job gives me.

Katie devotes much of her time behind the scenes at Halbert Hargrove, collaborating with her colleagues to help optimize the systems that keep us running seamlessly, accurately, and securely. Among her responsibilities are maintaining and updating system data, managing onboarding and client relationship systems, and assisting with IT-related concerns. She also contributes to operational matters like trading and analytics, and communicates frequently with our custodial partners.

“I’m always keen on learning new aspects of the business, which is helpful when you have your hands in a little bit of everything,” she says. Katie began working with us as an Administrative and Finance Intern in October 2020 while still pursuing her Masters in Finance; we welcomed her to her current full-time role in September 2021.

It took Katie just five years to earn both her Bachelor of Science—double majoring in Accounting and Finance—and her Masters degree at Cal State Long Beach University, while enrolled in the University Honors Program and graduating Summa Cum Laude with both degrees. She interned with us during that fifth year. We greatly value her problem-solving skills, initiative, and exceptional work ethic.

When she’s not working, you’ll likely find Katie winding down with a good book or movie. “Reading energizes me,” she says. She also loves spending time with family and friends, and heads home most weekends for Sunday dinner and game night. The Watts are diehard fans of the Kansas City Chiefs, and for Katie, watching football with her family for a generous stretch of time is her idea a happily well-spent Sunday.

Fun Fact

I love puzzles. Once I start a puzzle, I have a hard time leaving it unfinished and will work on it for hours without a break.

HH ranked No. 8 on the 2023 CNBC Financial Advisor 100 list

Last received September 2023 based on 12/31/2022 data.
CNBC enlisted data provider AccuPoint Solutions to assist with ranking.

View Ranking
Disclaimer and Methodology

Disclaimer

The rating is not indicative of Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors future performance. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors did not pay a fee to participate in the survey.

Methodology

CNBC enlisted data provider AccuPoint Solutions to assist with the ranking of registered investment advisors for this year’s FA 100 list.

The methodology consisted of first analyzing a variety of core data points from AccuPoint Solutions’ proprietary database of registered investment advisors. This analysis started with an initial list of 40,646 RIA firms from the Securities and Exchange Commission regulatory database. Through a process, the list was eventually cut to 812 RIAs with those firms meeting CNBC’s proprietary criteria.

CNBC staff sent an extensive email survey to all those firms that met the initial criteria to gather more details. In turn, those advisory firms filled out a comprehensive application in regard to their practice. The CNBC team verified that data with those firms and with the SEC regulatory database. AccuPoint once again applied CNBC’s proprietary weighted categories to further refine and rank the firms, ultimately creating the list of the top 100 firms.

The primary data points used in the analysis were reviewed, either as a minimum baseline or within a range, eliminating those firms that did not meet CNBC’s requirements. Once the initial list was compiled, weightings were also applied accordingly. These data points included:

Advisory firm’s regulatory/compliance record. (editor’s note: Each advisory firm’s CRD number was checked for validity. Any firm that had a disclosure on its SEC ADV was automatically disqualified from the ranking)
Number of years in the business.
Number of certified financial planners.
Number of employees.
Number of investment advisors registered with the firm.
The ratio of investment advisors to total number of employees.
Total assets under management.
Percentage of discretionary assets under management.
Total accounts under management.
Number of states where the RIA is registered.
Country of domicile.