My first career pivot<\/p>\n
I got into the investment industry three decades ago, driven to climb the corporate ladder as a portfolio manager<\/a> for a big institutional fund.<\/p>\n I joined Voyageur Asset Management in 1999. It was acquired by RBC in 2001, and I worked there until 2009 as a portfolio manager and senior equity research analyst.<\/p>\n During my time there, I helped grow seed money and co-managed a quantitative micro-cap fund.<\/p>\n I worked there for a decade before I decided to take a step back and focus on my family. That was my first career pivot.<\/a><\/p>\n My mother was 80 at the time. I’m an only child, and my father died when I was 17. Culturally, I knew it was my responsibility to care for her, and my husband was on board with that.<\/p>\n At the time, both of our careers were doing well. But as my mother’s health declined, I decided it was time for me to officially become a stay-at-home mom and a stay-at-home daughter.<\/p>\n It was a major hit to our finances.<\/p>\n I went from being Shireen Eddleblute, portfolio manager for a multi-billion-dollar fund, to being Ben and Ethan’s mom, a wife, and a daughter.<\/p>\n Up until then, my whole identity had been about my career, but it was the best decision to be able to stay at home and focus on my loved ones.<\/p>\n Related stories<\/p>\n Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know<\/p>\n Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know<\/p>\n An 11-year sabbatical<\/strong><\/p>\n That break ended up being an 11-year career sabbatical.<\/p>\n In that time, I did a lot of volunteering. I became a free math tutor and helped vulnerable and disadvantaged children.<\/p>\n Once our youngest child went to college, I was itching to get back to work.<\/p>\n I’d always felt a tugging at my heart to help kids learn financial literacy because it isn’t taught enough in the US.<\/p>\n But then, a former colleague at RBC was joining a company called Newday Impact Investing, and my passion project<\/a> was put on pause. In 2021, I was invited to be the company’s Chief Diversity Officer, co-portfolio manager, and director of ESG research for a sustainable investment fund.<\/a><\/p>\n Sustainable investment was right up my alley, and the idea of doing well by doing good really resonated with me.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/placeholder.png\")
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