When Chrissy Celaya finished her degree in personal financial planning at Texas Tech six years ago, she said ethics drew her to a career in the field.
“I wanted to to help people,” she said. “Finance plays such a big role in everybody’s life, so if you can ensure people can be financially secure for the future, it’s helpful in so many different ways.”
After two years working at USAA and a stint working at a language institute in Spain, Celaya moved to New York to work at Merrill Lynch. But after a year at the industry giant, Celaya, who is now 27, said she switched to Betterment, a startup, because it was a better cultural fit. Celaya is part of a bigger trend among younger financial advisers who are attracted to startups that let them feel connected to a values-oriented mission.