On a cold afternoon in early March, I headed five hours south to meet Marguerita M. Cheng, CFP®, RICP®, CEO of Blue Ocean Global Wealth, a registered investment advisor (RIA) firm to record this week’s episode of In the Suite. In the early days of a mounting global crisis, neither I nor the financial markets quite understood the Black Swan that Covid-19 would soon become. But even then, it was evident to me that Marguerita was the type of leader any firm would want at its helm. The type of person to handle the anxiety and volatility of a global pandemic with style, grace, and fearlessness.
Blue Ocean Global Wealth is an investment advisory firm that provides families, financial advisors, corporations, and institutions with prudent financial advice, risk management, and investment knowledge. Marguerita stepped into the position at Blue Ocean Wealth after serving as a financial advisor at Ameriprise Financial and as an analyst and editor at Towa Securities in Tokyo.
In addition to her position as CEO, Marguerita is a mother of three and a passionate volunteer within her community. In fact, she coached Girls On The Run for five seasons. Marguerita enthusiastically applies the same passion to her clients as she does the girls she volunteers with. Marguerita’s favorite quote, pinned on her Twitter page, is from Timothy Gallwey stating, “Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.” For Marguerita, coaching is done both professionally and personally.
Marguerita’s belief in the power of unlocking potential radiated throughout our conversation. She shares that for women to have a positive, meaningful impact in financial services, they must hire for potential. Instead of focusing on what people have done, she guides us to focus on who they are; their qualities and skills. And further encourages us to acknowledge and communicate the potential you see in someone else. Very often individuals – particularly those underrepresented in their fields – do not hear this enough.
What I found so inspiring about Marguerita is that she has not slowed down! She’s a lifelong student and as such, has received numerous designations while working, including a CFP®, a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor CRPC®, a Retirement Income Certified Professional RICP®, and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst CDFA®. It’s like Marguerita has found a way to stretch the hours in a day! But in reality, she’s just made great use of her time, including the instances she’s had to wait in the school parking lot for her kids or the moments when they were studying.
What’s clear is that one must have the energy to operate on the level of Marguerita! And suffice to say, she credits her success in part to her prioritization of staying healthy, even as a chronic asthmatic. As Marguerita notes, “I realized that I needed to stay healthy to take care of myself. Because if I’m not healthy and I get sick or my kids get sick – I am not going to be productive at work.” Oftentimes women shy away from this, but Marguerita reminds us that we can’t pour from an empty cup.
At a time in which many people in privileged work conditions have the opportunity to take a bit of a reset, the conversation with Marguerita was timely, awe-inspiring, and valuable. Take a listen to the episode and take the below three steps to help you unlock your own inner CEO.
- 15-Minute Gains. Think about a typical day (perhaps pre-Corona) and assess the 15-minute surplus moments you may have. The time that you may spend scrolling on your phone or even impatiently waiting in line. Consider how you may be able to shift this time into a productive moment to read, listen to a podcast, pursue a certificate, etc. What you’ll find is that there are more hours in our day than we realize. A time that we can, if we choose, use to cross off something on our to-do list.
- Health Assessment. How high are YOU on your priority list? What other ways can you prioritize your health and well-being? While you may not currently be able to relax in your typical go-to ways, think about what you can do while you’re in your home to pour back into yourself. While I’m all for wine and an occasional dark chocolate snack, also consider what will benefit you in the long-haul, such as an evening walk or healthy, tasty meal.
- Social Media Branding. Marguerita shares that there is no need to focus on multiple social media channels if they’re not a natural fit. So, choose one that excites you and make a plan for how you can start better using the channel to authentically engage with your audience, readers, clients, and community. No need to make an elaborate plan but be focused and have fun!
Show Notes
Today in the In the Suite guest chair we welcome Marguerita M. Cheng, CFP®, RICP®, CEO of Blue Ocean Global Wealth, a registered investment advisory (RIA) firm. The mission of Blue Ocean Global Wealth is to provide families, financial advisors, corporations, and institutions with prudent financial advice, risk management, and investment knowledge. Marguerita stepped into the position at Blue Ocean Wealth after serving as a financial advisor at Ameriprise Financial and as an analyst and editor at Towa Securities in Tokyo.
In addition to her position as CEO, Marguerita is a mother of three, a passionate volunteer within her community, and a lifelong student. She’s received numerous designations while working, including a CFP®, a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor CRPC®, a Retirement Income Certified Professional RICP®, and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst CDFA®.
Recorded in the beginning days of the growing Coronavirus Global Pandemic, I had the chance to witness firsthand the sort of style, grace, and fearlessness Marguerita employs as a leader. In this episode we discussed how Marguerita is coaching clients in an unstable market; the way mentorship has positively impacted her career; and why she believes in tapping into potential over resume bullets.
Join the conversation to hear more about:
- The tweet that Marguerita lives her life by (5:07)
- What a typical day amid a Global Pandemic looks like at Blue Ocean Wealth (7:15)
- How Marguerita, as an asthmatic, uses running to pay it forward (10:55)
- The secret hack parents can use to gain additional skills and achievements in their careers (22:49)
- Why health and success are inextricably linked (27:56)
- The key attributes of a calling versus a job and profession and how to help others find it (29:35)
- The key to brand building on social media (33:01)
- How people can have a positive, meaningful impact within the financial services industry (39:32)
- The timeless 3-step piece of advice Marguerita received from a mentor (41:57)
- The physical object that gives Marguerita superhero strength (52:40)
Resources Mentioned
