Suzy Feinberg is full of surprises.  

Before I interviewed her, I had an impression of her based on the few things I knew about her: that she loves her dog (you’ve probably seen her walking her beautiful boxer Shayna around the neighborhood), and that she’s very good at trivia (a few years before the pandemic I happened into a trivia night at Tamiami Tap, and her team effortlessly destroyed the competition).

We didn’t talk about the dog at all. Or trivia.

Over wine in my kitchen, I learn that Suzy is a tenacious wealth manager that has never lost a client, that she’s an avid tennis player, that she cut her chops for business acumen in the restaurant management world, and that she has bravely and drastically reinvented her life (not always in the same vein) at least five times. All of these twists and turns came with their own heartbreaks and triumphs, and, throughout the evening interview, never once did she falter in being able to articulate her many paths in the funniest, absolutely relatable way.

REINVENTION ONE: PSYCHOLOGY TO RESTAURANTOLOGY

 After the Second World War, Suzy’s father began a long career in educational testing services, eventually bringing the Feinberg family to Gainesville and his alma mater, the University of Florida, where Mr. Feinberg became the Director of Instructional Resources, AKA the institution’s “Testing Czar”.  About her father, Suzy says, “He instilled in our whole family so much practical knowledge.” And, oh yeah, she can also crush a standardized test, in case you were wondering.

Like her three siblings, and her father before her, Suzy attended UF too, where she earned a degree in Political Science. and minored in Psychology.  When she graduated, she followed her best friend to Atlanta, where Suzy, after only a short time in the ranks, ended up managing more than twenty fast-food franchises of the golden-arch variety.

It wasn’t long before Suzy was given the opportunity to work in the corporate office for Wendy’s, but, before she got too comfortable, another intense opportunity showed up.

REINVENTION TWO: THERE AND BACK AGAIN

At twenty-seven, her employer recognized someone with energy, talent and franchise expertise.  Suzy was dispatched to Auckland, where she successfully opened the first Wendy’s in New Zealand in the better part of a year—all without the benefit of email or cell phone communication back home.  There’s this brave, “Why not?” streak in Suzy that is becoming obvious to me as a huge factor in her career and various adventures.

In a mini-twist, the next part of Suzy’s tale has her managing back-of-house for a fine dining group when she eventually returns home to Atlanta.  This phase of her life was where she really honed her customer service skills.

“Going the extra mile for people always shows,” she says, as she recalls stories of regular customers turned friends.

After about eight years, a friend and colleague in the business suddenly passed away, which caused an epiphany for Suzy.

“I made some good money, and I never had time to spend it,” she says. So, without any plan for what was next, she quit.

REINVENTION THREE: EATS TO (SPREAD)SHEETS

Now in her late 30s, she was forced to reinvent herself again, and, sitting by her pool one afternoon, it occurred to her that she “could do sales”.

“I said to myself, if I understand how business works, and I understand how people work, then I could probably understand anything.”  Suzy started selling triple-A rated municipal bonds, and, as with everything she had tried earlier (after some hard work and struggle), it began to fall into place.   She learned to recognize signals in her clients. “I started to know when someone was ready to invest but didn’t know how much,” she says.

After a while, she started to be bothered by the fact that she wasn’t able to understand the whole financial picture for her clients. “I was missing the planning aspect,” she reflects, a glow in her eyes.

 In another (this time big) twist inside a twist, this realization that she needed to provide holistic advice and guidance to her clients led her to work for A.G. Edwards, although, by this time, she had her pick of almost any firm.  “Edwards was seriously uncool,” Suzy chuckles, “but they were absolutely legit.”

REINVENTION FOUR: ATLANTA TO ALBUQUERQUE

Several years later, and now a principal at A.G. Edwards, Suzy and partner decided to relocate.  They had fallen in love with New Mexico, specifically Santa Fe and Albuquerque.   They loved the arts and culture, and the proximity to great skiing.

 I ask her if her clients were frustrated or bothered by her move, which was pre-digital nomad/work-from-anywhere culture.   

“Nope,” she says, “Every time I’ve moved —firms or cities— I’ve never lost a client.”

  

In 2007, Edwards was sold to Wachovia, which then was folded into Wells Fargo/Wells Fargo Financial Advisors. All of her clients stayed with Suzy.

               

 By now, she was working with the grandchildren of some of her original clients, she explains, “Over the years, only my business cards have changed.”   I can tell by now this is a testament to Suzy’s own perseverance and the trust her clients place in her.

REINVENTION FIVE: WEST TO BEST

                

By 2016, it was time for another change.   Newly single, Suzy decided to move back to Florida, with her dog Duke.  Through another series of events that seem mostly serendipity, she was the hand-picked buyer of her house on the corner of Camino Real and Bonita Lane.   The seller had better offers on the table.  She sold to Suzy anyway.  Suzy’s house out west sold four hours later, and she was on the move again.

 These days, she splits her work life from her office in downtown Sarasota, her home office, and visits to clients.  You can find Suzy playing tennis regularly at the Sarasota Sports Club—Torrey Pines, among the community of “exiles” from the now-defunct Bath and Racquet Club.   Tennis, well, nurturing her athleticism in general, is important to her.

Suzy learned to ski late in life and fell in love with being on the slopes.  As someone whose only daily exercise routine involves typing, I’m in awe of someone who can ski, and who learned to do so at a time when most people wouldn’t even try to pick up cribbage.  Even despite a brutal 2018 accident that required surgery, she’s determined to get back out there.

                

Things didn’t always come easily to her, and she’s seen her share of personal losses, from friends and relationships, to saying goodbye to her wonderful dog Duke, and losing her much loved younger sister to cancer.  Throughout everything, Suzy has demonstrated her determination—and dare I say—grit, to persevere through struggles, and, remarkably, continue to make new opportunities out of her challenges.

                

While talking about learning to ski, she says a few things to me that could be applied to almost anything, as perhaps the best advice ever:

                

“You can do anything you put your mind to, if you really want to learn to do it,” Suzy says, grinning, “ ‘I can’t ’  is a phrase that doesn’t work for anyone.”