Coming to America
Bilingual client associate strives to educate investors
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n the complex world of finance, there are many associates working behind the scenes to try to help clients maximize their dividends. This can be anyone from financial advisors and stock brokers to bank tellers and analysts. America Gonzalez, client associate with Simmons Investment Services, has the privilege of working with both financial advisors and the clients they oversee. Specializing in wealth management, with most of that being in investments, Gonzalez has been in the field for three years, and she is aiming to eventually become a financial advisor herself. The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) describes a client associate, commonly known as a brokerage clerk, as one whose job it is to “perform duties related to the pur46 | Career Watch Arkansas
chase, sale or holding of securities. Duties include writing orders for stock purchases or sales, computing transfer taxes, verifying stock transactions, accepting and delivering securities, tracking stock price fluctuations, computing equity, distributing dividends, and keeping records of daily transactions and holdings.” For Gonzalez, this wide range of tasks are part of what makes her day-to-day occupation so exciting and spontaneous. “The diversity of my work ensures that no day is like any other. One day I’ll start by checking emails and tasks that need to be done, answer client calls, schedule advisors to meet with clients and mail out any correspondence,” she says. “Another day could be completely different. I could be in client meetings learning and engaging. My days vary significantly, but at the
