Andrea Nelson
Andrea Nelson is a licensed Relationship Banker and Investment Associate with UFCU Investment Services through LPL Financial in Austin, Texas, where she has built over five years of experience supporting members with both everyday banking and long-term financial planning. In her role, she assists clients with opening accounts, securing loans, and conducting in-depth financial reviews to assess overall financial health and establish personalized goals. She works extensively with Spanish-speaking clients, ensuring they fully understand their options in their own language—whether related to credit, homeownership, business formation, or investment accounts—helping bridge financial access for diverse communities.
Andrea holds her Series 6 and Series 63 licenses, along with Life and Health Insurance credentials, and is currently pursuing her Series 7 and Series 65 as she continues progressing toward becoming a fully licensed financial advisor. She is actively mentored by a financial advisor at UFCU to support her professional growth in investment services. Throughout her tenure, she has been recognized for her performance and leadership, earning distinctions as MVP (Most Valuable Employee) and a top producer in life insurance. She was also selected as one of seven representatives to travel to Washington, D.C. to speak with Congress about the credit union movement, highlighting her commitment to financial advocacy and member service.
Prior to joining UFCU, Andrea spent five years at Chase as a Personal Banker, where she developed a strong foundation in client relationship management and financial services. Earlier in her career, she worked in bartending while attending community college, building a deep-rooted background in customer service across diverse environments. As a bilingual professional, she is especially passionate about serving immigrant communities, including individuals from Cuba and other Spanish-speaking countries who may be navigating the U.S. banking system for the first time. Her work is driven by a personal mission shaped by her upbringing—helping people understand both their finances and their financial well-being in their own language, inspired by her experience watching her parents struggle with financial systems after immigrating from Mexico.
• Series 6
• Series 63
• Life and Health Insurance License
• Austin Community College (ACC)
• MVP (Most Valuable Employee)
• Top Producer in Life Insurance
• NVP-Most valuable Employee Top Producer in Life Insurance
• Habitat for Humanity
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to how my parents raised me. A lot of the values and the education that they gave me, seeing my parents as role models, actually helped me a lot to be where I'm at. But I also had to cultivate discipline myself through fitness, studying, and trying to achieve what I want. The discipline and resilience that I've had to build on my own has been just as important. It's the combination of the foundation my parents gave me and the personal discipline I've developed that has shaped my success.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received came from my CEO during a trip to Washington, D.C. for the credit union movement. I was selected as one of seven people to go speak with Congress about passing certain laws, and I was the youngest one there at 31, while everyone else was above 45. My CEO told me, 'You're the youngest one here, but we picked you for a reason, and age doesn't matter. You just have to keep going, and you have a lot of things to do, and never forget who you are, where you're coming from, and keep enduring, persevere, and I hope to see you in the future somewhere where I'm at right now.' That moment and those words have stuck with me ever since. It reminded me that I belong, that my voice matters, and that I should never stop pushing forward no matter what.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The advice that I would give is just go for it if you want it. Just keep working at it and persevere. It might take a little bit of time to get there, but it is not impossible. If we set our minds to it, we can achieve whatever we want. Don't let the timeline discourage you. Stay committed, keep pushing forward, and believe that you can do it.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges I've faced is that this is a man's world. The investment side is mostly men, I think about 80%, so being a woman and being Hispanic, it's very rare to see someone like me in this field. At the beginning, I had trouble with that. People would think, 'Oh, it's a woman, she speaks Spanish,' and I could tell they doubted whether I could do the work. I had to prove myself with my work ethic, with my integrity, and by gaining extra knowledge on my own to actually overcome that obstacle and have the opportunity to be part of this field and get my licenses. And those licensing tests are very hard. The concepts are like learning a new language for me. So the main challenges have been overcoming assumptions about who I am as a Hispanic woman, proving myself through my work, and passing those incredibly difficult exams.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important value for me is integrity. Doing the right thing when nobody's watching, it could be difficult, but that's what I always think about. I also value discipline, service, having a purpose, and leadership. For me, being a leader is hard to cultivate those skills, but once you have them, then you can actually help others with you. As much as you're helping yourself, you can help others and lift each other up. These values guide everything I do, both professionally and personally.