Stephanie Atalla > First Investors Co-Manager

"I am proud of my achievements so far, but I'm even more excited about the future."

I grew up in a small town in California called San Carlos. I was raised by a single mother and witnessed that it was often difficult for her to make ends meet. She was always ready to make sacrifices, putting our needs above her own and working two jobs to support us. As a result, I learned the value of a dollar very early on. I had my first job at age 11, handling my own paper route. In high school, I moved from the newspaper business to a restaurant. I started as a bus girl and soon worked my way up to waitress. And before I knew it, I had become a manager. After working almost every job in the restaurant, I had a strong appreciation for the opportunity to work my way up the ladder. When I got to college, I realized the same opportunity did not exist everywhere for everyone.

While a student at Humboldt State University, there were few options for part-time work, so I began a job as an "Executive Statement Clerk"—which meant I folded statements at the local bank. At school, my interest in finance and my grandparents' commitment to my success strongly influenced my studies. I earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and minored in Accounting, Economics, and Philosophy. During my last year of school, I had the opportunity to intern with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The internship led to a full-time position as an Office Auditor in the San Francisco IRS office.

There were certain aspects of the job that I enjoyed, such as learning about retirement and tax law and teaching people the correct way to file their taxes. I knew I loved working with people; however, the conversations were always very serious and people were very standoffish—and often scared. Let's face it; by the time the IRS gets involved with someone's finances, it's not under the most positive circumstances. I was looking to work in a more "inviting" atmosphere, helping people prepare for and protect the important goals in their lives in a comfortable environment. That's where First Investors came in.

At First Investors, I found the perfect marriage: the opportunity to build positive relationships while at the same time still being immersed in the financial sector. As a representative, I was able to fulfill a passion for educating others about the complicated topic of personal finance, in terms they could really understand. I also knew that the moment I accepted the position at First Investors I wanted to pursue the management opportunities that I heard were possible. So as I built my clientele, I continued to work very hard and pursue my management dream. I have a philosophy that "luck" is not always pure luck, but it occurs when good preparation and opportunity meet. Four years after the exact day I signed my dossier to join First Investors, I signed paperwork to become co-manager of an office.

I continue to strive to maintain my "luck," as it takes constant maintenance to be lucky. I try to learn something new every day, and I still enjoy advising a few personal clients about investments and life insurance, using terms they can understand and then giving them the tools to meet their goals. However, most of my time is now spent working with senior representatives and helping to educate new representatives, so that they can help spread basic personal financial knowledge to the community around us.

Today, I'm very happy to not only be helping clients and representatives but also, along with my co-manager, managing a talented team of people in our office. I joined First Investors for the many opportunities it gave me: to earn unlimited income, to work as a manager for a Wall Street-based investment firm at a young age and to build relationships with both clients and representatives. I am proud of my achievements so far, but I'm even more excited about the future. I am looking forward to playing an important role in the expansion of the Company, eventually opening more offices in my home state.

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