After nearly a decade of trying to figure out what ailment she was suffering with as she continued to work in the high-stress institutional money management world, Roberta Keller’s Chinese doctor told her this in 1999: “There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says, ‘Smart people learn from observing other people's experiences, normal ones learn from their own experiences, dumb ones never learn.’ You are falling into the dumb category.”
Her doctor was right. The lack of a diagnosis — and her ego — resulted in Keller staying in a high-stress job that was making her sick. Keller got the message, left her job in London, returned to Richmond and became a yoga instructor and management consultant. She also finally learned she had a treatable thyroid condition.
When the financial crisis hit in 2008, Keller felt disheartened by the devastation and believed that her prior experience could be of benefit. She launched Alexis Advisors, a fee-only advisory firm offering a proprietary investment approach that focuses on minimizing catastrophic losses associated with stock market declines.
“We have become a business to support women in talking about their investments, their financial plan and their legacy. Our goal is for women to be empowered and confident, to build wealth and use their money as a force for good.” On June 26, Keller will co-host a free Zoom seminar for women on “Money & Meaning” that will focus on creating financial resilience and opportunity during insecure times.
Keller’s ultimate wish is for clients to be in the Chinese proverb’s “smart” category, and to avoid her circuitous path — to make intentional choices about how they earn, spend, invest and give their money.
“Money is just a form of energy — another way to get a need met. We want women to be informed about their money and what’s behind it.”
