Kori Manus

I attribute much of my success to the strong foundation I was fortunate to have growing up. I was raised in a family with a strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit, where conversations about work, money, failure, and success were not avoided — they were part of how we learned, grew, and understood the world around us.

My parents shaped my perspective in very different, but equally meaningful, ways. My mother taught me to be thoughtful, prepared, and aware of risk before moving forward. My father taught me the value of hard work, commitment, confidence, and pursuing what I believed was possible.

There was never a conversation in our family about limitations because I was a woman. That mindset simply did not exist in our home. Instead, I was raised to believe that with confidence, work ethic, determination, and commitment, I could build the life and career I wanted. That sense of possibility came from my parents, my grandparents, and the strong family values that surrounded me.

I am also incredibly grateful for my husband, who has been my rock. As we approach 20 years of marriage, his support has given me the ability to pursue my goals, take risks, and continue growing both personally and professionally.

I do not feel like my career was built on one lucky break. It has been built through hard work, resilience, perseverance, and the support of the people who believed in me along the way.

The best career advice I have ever received comes down to two things: seek out trusted mentors and intentionally build the right tribe around you.

I have always believed in surrounding myself with people who are willing to share wisdom, challenge my thinking, and help me grow. The best mentors are not always in your industry. Sometimes, the most valuable guidance comes from people who have built something meaningful, overcome challenges, and are generous enough to share what they have learned along the way.

But choosing the right mentors matters. I believe the best advice comes from people who are transparent, honest, and genuinely invested in helping others succeed. A true mentor gives guidance from a place of integrity, not self-interest.

The second piece of advice is to build your tribe with intention. Surround yourself with people who inspire you, elevate you, and make you better. I was taught early on to seek out people whose success, character, or achievements I admired — and to have the courage to ask questions.

Do not be afraid to invite someone to coffee simply because you want to learn from them. If someone has achieved something you respect, ask how they got there. Most successful people are willing to share their journey, their lessons, and even their mistakes. The people who have truly made it are often the most generous with their wisdom.

Growth rarely happens in isolation. It happens through the people we learn from, the relationships we nurture, and the courage to surround ourselves with those who challenge us to become better.

Never allow yourself to believe you are stuck. There is always another door, another option, another conversation, or another opportunity waiting to be created. Do not settle for a situation simply because it feels familiar or because the next step is unclear.

I believe this is especially important for women. Too often, women look at where they are and feel boxed in by circumstances, expectations, or self-doubt. My advice is to shift your mindset from barriers to possibilities. Ask yourself: Who do I need to meet? What do I need to learn? What door do I need to knock on? What opportunity do I need to create for myself?

Do not wait for someone else to hand you permission. Give yourself permission to move forward.

Confidence can be one of the biggest obstacles, especially when you start questioning whether you are ready, qualified, or deserving. But you are deserving. Go after the role, the opportunity, the room, or the seat at the table — even if you do not feel 100% qualified. Chances are, the person next to you does not have it all figured out either.

Keep going. Keep learning. Keep achieving. Keep working toward the goals that matter to you. The obstacles will come, but when you begin to see them as opportunities to grow, adapt, and prove what you are capable of, everything starts to shift.

You are never truly stuck when you are willing to keep moving, keep asking, keep building, and keep believing that more is possible.

One of the biggest challenges in the wealth management field right now is helping clients find clarity in the middle of so much complexity.

Clients are facing more information, more uncertainty, more investment options, more tax considerations, more technology, and more noise than ever before. At the same time, expectations have changed. Clients want sophisticated advice, but they also want it to feel personal, simple, transparent, and deeply connected to their life goals.

I believe the challenge — and the opportunity — is to bring the human element back to wealth management while still embracing innovation. Technology and AI are changing the industry, and they can make advisors more efficient and more responsive. But they cannot replace trust, judgment, empathy, and the ability to understand what truly matters to a client.

For me, wealth management has never just been about managing money. It is about helping people make confident decisions, protect what they have built, plan for transitions, and create a legacy that reflects their values.

The advisors who will thrive are the ones who can combine technical expertise with emotional intelligence. The ones who can simplify the complex, guide clients through uncertainty, and build relationships that go far beyond a portfolio.

The values that matter most to me, both personally and professionally, are integrity, honesty, and transparency. Those values guide how I show up for my family, my clients, my team, and myself.

I also deeply value being a lifelong learner. To me, growth is not about chasing what someone else has or trying to keep up with the outside world. It is about continuing to better yourself, challenge yourself, and become stronger than you were yesterday. I believe success is built through self-awareness, discipline, curiosity, and the willingness to keep evolving.

Empathy is also incredibly important to me, especially in my career. As a wealth advisor, my role is not to project my own goals onto someone else’s life. It is to truly understand where each individual or family is today, what matters most to them, what they are passionate about, and what they are trying to build.

This career is about helping bring other people’s dreams to life. It requires listening deeply, asking the right questions, and caring enough to understand the person behind the plan.

On a personal level, these values are also part of the legacy I want to leave for my girls. I want them to see that success is not just about achievement. It is about character. It is about doing the right thing, continuing to grow, treating people with empathy, and having the courage to build a life that reflects who you truly are.