Nathaniel Ecoff, CFA, is an innovative Director on the Investments team, where he uses investment manager due diligence to lead his team, as well as their clients to success.
Each member of the diversely talented team at Waldron leverages his or her unique skillset and experience to help our clients solve their immediate challenges and achieve their long-term goals.
This month, we turn the Spotlight on Nathaniel Ecoff. Ecoff is focused on developing customized investment portfolios which are seamlessly integrated into each client’s unique planning strategy. He works with clients to understand their personal financial situation and develops an investment strategy to help achieve their goals.
Residing in Peters Township with his Wife, Nicci and two kids, Blake (4) and Leo (1), Nate enjoys spending his free time coaching his daughter’s soccer team, golfing, playing hockey, cooking, and cheering on his Nittany Lions. He and his family also love traveling but have not been able to do as much of that recently between COVID and now having two young kids!
Let’s learn more about Nate and what makes him a great asset to our Waldron family.
Why did you join the Waldron Family?
To be honest, I didn’t know much about Waldron before the interview process. After many meetings with the various people in the firm and talking with people who worked in the industry and who were familiar with Waldron, it became very clear this was one of the premier places to work in Pittsburgh and a top-tier wealth management firm in the country. Couple that with the opportunity to work alongside a group of young, motivated, team-oriented people and the decision quickly became a no brainer.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Better than any words of wisdom I could have ever received, I got to experience early on in my career what it means to be an impactful manager/mentor. I was fortunate enough to work for someone who took a genuine interest in my career development and knew exactly how to get me to where I wanted to be. He gave me opportunities to work directly with clients in my early-mid 20’s, many of whom I had no business sitting in front of and speaking with about investments! Early on I was scared to death, but there’s no better place to grow than outside of your comfort zone. When it’s all said and done and I call it a career, I hope to have that kind of impact on at least one person, because I know how much it meant to me.
What drives you to be successful?
I’m terribly competitive. Whoever said “I hate losing more than I like winning” describes me perfectly. People always talk about the benefits of failure, and I get it, some of my biggest life lessons have come from my past failures, but I’ll still do anything I can to avoid it.
What is the best career lesson you’ve learned so far?
Make a career out of something you enjoy doing. Life’s too short.
Of Waldron’s 4 Pillars, which one resonates with you the most and why?
The Waldron secret sauce lies in the “Driven to Make a Difference” pillar. I’ve worked with so many people in my career who go to work to “punch the clock” and do the bare minimum just to get by. I can honestly say there’s not one person at Waldron with that mentality. Every single person here has an independent drive to be the best, to help others, and to make a difference. It’s quite remarkable.
What is your favorite memory since working at Waldron?
So many great times it’s tough to choose just one, but for me one of the most memorable is our first return to the office post-Covid. It was May of 2020; we were two months into the isolation of the pandemic and “zoom fatigue” was setting in. John and the other partners had arranged for everyone to swing by the office and pick up a care package (some food and wine). In true Waldron fashion the “swing by” turned into a happy hour, and it became clear everyone there was starved for some real face to face social interaction. We spent an hour or two just catching up, having a beer, telling stories, and laughing. For me that was one of the first moments of reassurance where you felt like the current state was not going to last forever and things would eventually return to normal. I just remember coming away from that afternoon with a renewed energy.
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