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Monica Sonnier

Portfolio Strategist
FTN Financial
Memphis, TN

 

Monica Sonnier is a talented Portfolio Strategist who has managed banks’ investments for years. She’s so good at it that she travels all over the country, speaking at conferences and helping other community banks make the most of their funds.

So let’s hit her up for some free financial advice: “If you’re interested in any aspect of business,” she says, “Accounting knowledge is essential. The CPA designation gives you instant credibility and respect. It can open the door to almost any job in the business world.”

Okay, technically that’s career advice, not a hot stock tip, but it can help you *earn* more money to invest in the first place. It’s certainly helped Monica find a position she loves. “My job is fast-paced, exciting and different every day,” she says. “I also get to work with and meet some of the smartest and most interesting people in the country.”

The fact that she gets to play soccer (both with a ladies team and a co-ed team almost year-round), sings with a community choral group, is part of the AICPA Board of Directors *and* volunteers with Make-A-Wish and with the Multiple Sclerosis Society makes it pretty clear that Monica’s doing exactly what she wants to be doing. But it hasn’t been a clear path the whole way through, as she’ll be the first to admit. It’s more a matter of being prepared for anything.

“I am a perfect example of how ‘life is what happens to you when you are making other plans,’” she says. “It's OK to not know exactly what you want to do when you get out of high school. But if you keep working hard and learning something and do what you find interesting, things have a way of turning out in wonderful ways that you never would have imagined.”

Got questions of your own? Ask a CPA.