The Mentor's Arc: JaQ Campbell's Mission to Empower Future Financial Leaders

In this episode of The Power of the Ask, Jacqueline (JaQ) Campbell reveals her incredible story from a 16-year-old intern to a powerhouse wealth advisor. As founder and CEO of Alexander Legacy Private Wealth Management, she emphasizes the critical role of mentorship and is dedicated to empowering the next generation of financial leaders. Learn how her experiences have shaped her mission to create opportunities for women and people of color in the financial industry. Join us as we discuss:  

• Intern to Icon: Hear about JaQ’s remarkable journey from a high school internship to leading a multi-billion-dollar investment team. 
• The Power of Mentorship: Learn how mentors shaped her career and why she’s passionate about mentoring the next generation of advisors. 
• Advancing Future Leaders: Explore her mission to create opportunities for women and people of color in the financial industry. 
• Building Generational Wealth: Gain insights into strategies for sustaining and growing wealth for future generations. 
• Navigating the Future of Finance: Understand the importance of human connection and personalized advice in an increasingly AI-driven world. 
• The Importance of the Ask: Learn why JaQ, like all our guests, believes asking for what you want and deserve is crucial for financial success. 

More About Jacqueline “JaQ” Campbell: 

Her professional background began in 1993 as a high school intern for Comerica’s Private Bank. She ascended from high school intern to running a $1.8 billion investment team for Chase Wealth Management, and now leads Alexander Legacy Private Wealth Management, as Founder, CEO and Senior Wealth Advisor, where her mission is to advance the next generation of advisors and investors in wealth management. JaQ holds her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts with a focus area on Diverse Leadership in Financial Services from DePaul University. She also holds her Series 63 & 65 securities registrations. 

Important Links:

• Savvy Ladies
• Precious Williams' LinkedIn
• Lisa Zeiderman's LinkedIn
• Jacqueline “JaQ” Campbell’s LinkedIn

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:15 From Intern to Industry Leader
• 8:30 The Power of Mentorship
• 14:45 Advancing Future Financial Leaders
• 21:10 Building Generational Wealth
• 28:25 Navigating the Future of Finance
• 34:50 The Importance of the Ask
• 40:00 Closing Thoughts & Where to Connect

Transcript

Lisa Zeiderman (00:00:00)

Hey, hey, welcome to the power of the Ask Podcast, the podcast that helps you get what you need financially and personally. We are so glad that you're here today. My name is Lisa Zeiderman . I am managing partner at Miller Zeiderman , and I am one of the co-hosts with my dear friend, Precious Williams. Precious, take it away.

Precious LaTonia Williams (00:27.253)

And as our queen Lisa just said, I'm Precious Williams known as the killer, pitch master and proud founder and CEO of the Perfect Pitch Group. Welcome back to the Power to Ask podcast. And you know, we always bring you great guests. And so this week we're so excited to introduce you to Jacqueline Jack Campbell. And you know, again, let's give you a little tea on her before she comes and just dazzles us with her story and how she got to where she is today.

So Jacqueline Jack Campbell's professional background began in 1993 as a high school intern for Comerica's private bank. She's ended from high school intern to running a 1.8 billion, that's what it'll be. I'm gonna say it again, 1.8 billion investment team for Chase Wealth Management and now leads Alexander Legacy Private Wealth Management as founder, CEO and senior wealth advisor. Did you see how that just rolled off my tongue? It just sounds so right.

where her mission is to advance the next generation of advisors and investors in wealth management. Jack holds her bachelor's degree in liberal arts with a focus area on diverse leadership and financial services from DePaul University. She was also an honoree this past, I'm gonna do it again.

Precious LaTonia Williams (01:42.679)

I feel like there's a word missing. Okay. Um, uh, yeah, I'll get it. Yeah. Uh, it was so, okay. Yeah. Got it. So Jack holds her bachelor's degree in liberal arts with a focused area on diverse leadership and financial services from DePaul university. She was also an honoree in 2024 during the savvy ladies, 2024 impact gala.

Lisa Zeiderman (01:43.876)

There is a word missing.

Lisa Zeiderman (01:48.578)

year, this past year.

Precious LaTonia Williams (02:08.503)

She also holds her series 63 and 65 securities registrations. And it is such a pleasure to have you here today with us, Jack. Give our audience a little bit more introduction before we jump right in.

JaQ Campbell (02:22.696)

Thank you so much, Precious and Lisa for having me on this incredible podcast. I am excited. I love being around savvy ladies because I mean, I'm just saying, mean, who else you want to be around? Yes. So thank you so much for the wonderful introduction again. My name is Jack Campbell, as you mentioned, founder and CEO of Alexander Legacy Private Wealth Management.

Precious LaTonia Williams (02:39.147)

no!

JaQ Campbell (02:50.308)

As mentioned, I spent a good majority of my career since 1993 when I was like two and a half years old. I started as a lovely elementary intern. I was gonna say, did you know they had elementary school internships back in those days? love it. So no, actually I was very blessed. My high school entered into a partnership with our local.

Precious LaTonia Williams (03:07.398)

I think so, I think so.

JaQ Campbell (03:16.928)

Bank at the time, Comerica Bank, and at the dear age of 16 years old, I landed a wonderful internship, which really allowed me that kind of first look on, you know, at money, at finances. Actually, you know what? I'm lying. That's not fair. My mother's a CPA. And so growing up, I had to go to the office with her as a little girl. I was doing debits and credits in the 80s on those big, spreadsheets. And I really thought I was going to be an accountant until I saw the world of

private banking and trust and investments at 16. And I said, I like your world, mama, but I'm seeing another world over here I wanna learn a little bit more about. So anyway, that's a little bit about me. I always like to kick off and tell how it all got started. And that's why for me today, I'm so passionate about investing in our next generation, letting more high school students know about these kinds of career paths, because here I am now 32 years later from that moment. And I feel like I'm still just getting started, y'all.

Lisa Zeiderman (04:14.724)

It's amazing, Jack, that you were able to start your career so early and that you stayed with it. That's what's so amazing, right? Because so many people have various internship opportunities and they do a little bit of this and a little bit that, but it sounds like you really decided in some way that this was going to be what you wanted to do. So what actually inspired you?

Precious LaTonia Williams (04:22.003)

No!

Lisa Zeiderman (04:40.408)

to pick this particular internship? Were there different categories that you could have picked from?

JaQ Campbell (04:46.6)

Yes, absolutely. And so my mother, she saw the list of internships that were out there and she said, wait a minute, there's an internship for you to work at a private bank in the trust department and learn about big money. So my mother in her mind was like, sign my daughter up for that one. Because my mother is a visionary. She always really saw.

Just the big picture her being a CPA she had an opportunity to really understand numbers and understand wealth and understand You know just different different ways of being able to live a life full abundance That was really her role as a CPA and so when there's this great opportunity for her 16 year old to really expand on that knowledge of numbers and learn more about things like you know investing things like stocks bonds

Those were just some things that we were, you that I was just excited about. Yeah.

Lisa Zeiderman (05:45.572)

Amazing amazing sounds like your mother was quite the woman

JaQ Campbell (05:48.728)

Yes!

Precious LaTonia Williams (05:51.095)

I mean, can I just be touched over here like stocks? I was at 16. I even know if I could, I think I was still adding and multiplying and subtracting division. As you began your wealth management career, and I feel like this is such a great question. Can you tell us about the moment you were so confident that this was the right choice for you, for your family and your community?

JaQ Campbell (05:53.924)

Thanks

JaQ Campbell (06:20.768)

Absolutely. And I would say for me, you know, when we think about, when I think about my, you know, my starting my firm, Alexander Legacy, private wealth management, honestly, I have to go take a step back. We're going back to now 2019. And so, you know, 2019, you know, if we all can remember those days, this is pre pandemic, pre George Floyd, pre all of the things that we were dealing with from a social

injustice and honestly the world who knew that the world was getting ready to go through something that we had never experienced in life. And so, you know, having spent the majority of my career almost 27 years at that point, working, you know, at some of the largest firms really fighting for justice when it came to women, people of color having great opportunities for, you know, whether it was leadership positions all the way to internships like the one I had, right, where more young people could have access to these great opportunities.

I just had this feeling inside of me. I always call it like my Noah moment, my Noah's arc moment where, you know, it was like, I knew that there was going to be something coming at some point down the road. And I just, I didn't know what it was. And I just, I felt like my, was time for me to exit stage left because I needed, I needed to build an arc and I didn't know why I was going to be building that arc. I didn't know for such a time was this that maybe there was going to be an arc that I was going to need to build. I didn't know that in 2019.

But I took a year off, I was very blessed to have, again, because I was investing at the young age of 16, I had amassed the nest egg. And so I took a whole year off and I prayed, I got quiet. And by the end of 2020, I knew it was time for me to launch Alexander. It was time for me to pull this arc out. It's time to start building. And so in January of 2021 on Martin Luther King's birthday, I launched Alexander Legacy Private Wealth Management and we just crossed our fourth year.

in business and again, we're in jazz-gay-design. So thank you very much. Thank you. Hey guys, real quick, can I hear a pause real quick? I know this is a recording. that okay? Someone just literally is knocking at my door because they want to do a...

Precious LaTonia Williams (08:21.313)

Well, I just hit.

Lisa Zeiderman (08:25.176)

Yes.

Precious LaTonia Williams (00:07.658)

Jack, that is so fascinating. I guess I kind of want to go back to the 16, 20, 22, 24 year old version of you. Was there ever a point from your internship to your first four ways in working in wealth management that you were like, this is what I really like to do and I really want to have a career in this. Or did you just kind of feel like I do well at this? What was that moment you said, no, this is it.

JaQ Campbell (00:38.33)

really great question. Honestly, if you were to ask me, as I sit here in Chicago today, I thought I was going to be the next Oprah Winfrey. OK, like, yes, I did. I honestly thought, you know, even though my mother had me embraced in numbers and I really enjoy, you know, the opportunity to, you know, really to become wealthy, because that's what I always thought about when I thought about the stock market and all the things at 16. That was just kind of what I sort of, you know, sort of

You know when I thought about being in this industry, it was like yes, that sounds great But really my heart and soul was I thought I was gonna be the next you know Talk show host and I was gonna be you know interviewing people from all over the world now go figure fast forward here I am, know 32 years plus later and literally I'm on stages all the time now all over the world interviewing people not because I'm I'm Oprah Winfrey the talk show host but you know, the beautiful part was

Precious LaTonia Williams (01:08.742)

No.

JaQ Campbell (01:34.69)

You know, that's really what I thought I was going to do. And I ultimately did get a chance to manifest that even in my day job today. but when I knew that that was like what I was supposed to do that, meaning I fell in love with the business of numbers and the business of really understanding how I wanted to take that and honestly help my community. started seeing things that I had never even saw before. Let me explain, you know, back in, back in those days, we're talking for me, eighties, nineties.

You know, my parents were middle class. You know, again, my mother was a CPA. My father worked for the big three automaker. Right. And so we had our 401k plans. I heard about stocks. We had doubly savings bonds. But, you know, when I got a chance to work in the private bank and more specifically work amongst the ultra high net worth and start to really understand things like real estate, land, commodities and the capital markets in a much

deeper and more meaningful way as to how it was creating multi-generational wealth. That in itself was very intriguing for me because in my community in Detroit, Michigan, again, we had not gotten to that level of depth when it came to wealth building. You know, the fact that I was learning about trust at the age of 16, again, none of that was being taught in the schools, in the churches, and in areas that we know had it been taught back in the 80s and 90s where we would be today.

So I fell in love with that. mean, to the point to where when I moved to Chicago, I joined one of the largest Baptist churches here, which had around 25,000 members. And I rolled out an economic and investment empowerment ministry that ended up training young kids from the South side of Chicago how to invest in stocks, who Chairman Greenspan was, to the point to where Jesse Jackson and Rainbow Push Coalition, they picked up my program and expanded it to the South side.

Lisa Zeiderman (03:15.621)

Wow.

JaQ Campbell (03:31.062)

I have people like a guy I met with yesterday, one of the pastors who was in my program. You know, we met for lunch yesterday and you know, he's telling me about his seven figure portfolio and how, you know, he's now out here. owns eight homes, free and clear because he was in my class back in, you know, the early two thousands. And so that right there, like if you can't tell me how exciting that is.

to know that you could take kids from the South Side of Chicago, show them one, two, three things, and then now fast forward 25 years, they're in their 40s, now they're owning stocks, owning bonds, owning businesses, owning real estate, traveling the world, because they decided to show up at 6 p.m. during prayer call and come and join my class. That's what got me excited, y'all. Like, you can't tell me that. Yeah.

Precious LaTonia Williams (03:56.052) 

Boom.

Precious LaTonia Williams (04:15.312)

You got me excited! I'm like, come on!

Lisa Zeiderman (04:15.42)

It's amazing. Amazing. So Jack, you've talked a lot about your mom today. so I have a two part question. Okay. You talked about building the arc. I want to know how your mom actually influenced your ability, your inspiration to build this arc, which led to your $1.8 billion investment team at Chase wealth management. And then after you got there,

you have now been leading this $1.8 billion investment in Chase Wealth Management, what key lessons have you learned that maybe your mom didn't teach you? Okay, that maybe you learned while you were doing this. Talk to me about that.

JaQ Campbell (04:55.994)

Thank you.

JaQ Campbell (05:01.172)

Absolutely. Well, I would definitely say my mom being a major influence over my life. again taught me very

of independence, the power of also creating multiple streams of income. I was the 16 year old who had four jobs and two businesses. I made my mother buy an ice cream truck and literally because I saw the, you know, hey kids love ice cream and so I

Precious LaTonia Williams (05:28.156)

day.

JaQ Campbell (05:28.876)

you know, made sure that hey, every time we schools were closed, we would go around to the various schools for every ice cream cone that was sold. I got 25 cents. So I learned how to add chips, bags of candy. I mean, you name it, slices of pie, whatever I could sell and get my hands on. By the time I graduated high school at 17 years old, I actually graduated a year earlier because, you know, I was taking classes to get ahead of the game.

Lisa Zeiderman (05:34.204)

Amazing.

JaQ Campbell (05:54.106)

I was teaching the principals a few things. And so by the time I graduated, I had a little small portfolio. And so here's my mom again. She taught me that, right? She says, listen, if you want to make it in this role, young lady, first of all, young lady, you better figure out how to make it for yourself. Don't ever just all the way depend on a man. So no offense to our man out there. We love you all. But my mama taught me how to be very independent so that I did not have to say all the way depend on a man. I can love a man for who he was and also have my own.

Mom made sure I had my own. That's what she taught me. And a big part of that, mom also taught me the power of entrepreneurship because even though I did go and end up working and running a great, great successful team at Chase wealth management, I always knew subconsciously that that was just one part of my journey. That was really just, you know, the allow me the opportunity to go out and learn how to hire, recruit, train, and run a balance sheet for a multi-trillion dollar organization.

I love that I got that experience better than me going to any, you know, I mean, I was like, that was like me going to Harvard, right? Like I wouldn't say better, but it was just like, had that real life experience of being able to, you know, manage teams from Chicago to the number one financial advisor who sits in Detroit, Michigan to this day still sits there. Nina Byrne, you know, shout out to her who's at Chase. had a chance to manage her imagine for two years, someone who's now running, you know, over probably three, $4 billion in assets of her herself. And so all of that experience came because my mother empowered me. She told me I could do it. She said I was worth it. I mean, at 16, you would have thought I was a 46 year old queen back then, right? So, you know, knowing that, you know, my mother used to take, you know, parade me around at six with a cute little.

 With a little rabbit fur. You know, she was a mess. She used to treat me like a little Barbie doll, but she would tell people, this is the next CEO. This is the next millionaire. This is the next millionaire. So, so what, some of the things that she, of course, you know, life will teach you things that your parents sometimes. So mama didn't teach me, you know, I mean, you know, Lisa, I've been through a divorce. I was married for 17 years.

JaQ Campbell (08:03.938)

Right. And there were things of course that I wish I could have learned differently at home, wink, wink, that, you know, of course I had to learn now on my own. So, you know, I know that's a big part of your work and you know, so those are just some of the things I would dare to say great successful career, but if not properly balanced, right. It can impact some of those other areas of your life. And, you know, now that I like to be able to say I'm on the other side of some different things in my life, I'm starting my new business. got new relationship, all the fun stuff.

Lisa Zeiderman (08:33.596)

See you.

JaQ Campbell (08:33.72)

You know, now it's about learning from what mom did teach me and maybe what she didn't teach me that she wish she had.

Precious LaTonia Williams (08:40.97)

I gotta say, Queen Lisa, I thought that was such a great question. You know, the lessons that, you know, our mom did not teach us that life has a way of life and teaching you. Queen Jack, when I met you at our Savvy Ladies Gala, you are such a ball of energy. And I felt like, oh my gosh, I met my match. I met my match. Oh, this is amazing. This is wonderful. And to know that you founded

JaQ Campbell (09:00.772)

Yeah!

Precious LaTonia Williams (09:10.312)

Alexander Legacy private wealth management, which it sounds so good rolling off the tongue. That is such a significant step in your career. What actually motivated you to start your firm? know you said that, know, chase and all of them, those were steps and you knew something bigger was coming down the road. Was it starting your own company? And what's one or two challenges you were unprepared for and yet still face starting that starting, starting your company.

JaQ Campbell (09:36.09)

Absolutely. Well, again, the major motivation going back to the Noah's Ark example was just that the foresight, the foresight of understanding that, you know, especially in the world that I live in, I mean, there's a major shortage right now. There's about 100,000 advisor shortage in our world, in particular advisors that are prepared and positioned to help women and people of color, which happened to be the majority will be the majority.

You know, and as we all know by 2050, right? Women will control the purse strings. Diverse people will be the majority. And so where we saw a shortfall and what we were trying to solve for, again, I've been in this industry, not just in the last five or six years. Again, I started in the early nineties. And so I had a chance to see an evolution of, know, of what that meant even in the nineties, which actually was better.

diversity in the nineties and my where I was at than it is today, believe it or not. So I've seen the evolution because eight really did a number on a lot of us in the industry. A lot of us just, I mean, I was managing a team at that time, a billion dollar team out of Detroit, Michigan. It's 2008. I'm pregnant with my first son. And, you know, we're just trying to make sure clients stay invested and stay calm during what was then the great financial crisis. Right. And so, you know, during that time advisors who were not prepped.

and positioned, you know, they just, did not unfortunately, you know, sustain, you know, and they had to start over. And some of my, mean, I had, I had, you know, employees that changed careers altogether. They went to become influencers, marketers, they went to become doctors, you know, it was just a very interesting, you know, pivot. so, you know, really, as I think about my motivation, my motivation is that there's not enough young people. you know, more of my profession is getting ready to retire than

It is coming in, right? So there's not enough young people, you know, saying, Hey, raising their hands saying they want to be a financial advisor. So really me going out and promoting the fact, this is a great field to be in. It's very fulfilling, you know, and you know, if you do it well, it's a, it's very lucrative and we need more people like us in these seats, stewarding and helping clients.

JaQ Campbell (11:49.892)

So that's the motivator. That was the real solid motivator. And I knew that if I were going to do it and put all this hard work in it, I was going to do it for myself. Noah Fitz, thank you everybody else who worked with someone. I love you all. did it for 27 years. But now I want to see more women, more people of color owning their own businesses, especially for times like these where we need to have multiple streams of income. So income streams tend to get, you know, stuck, you know, or stopped.

There's other strings coming in, which is another big reason why I'm in the business that I'm in. I teach people how to take their money and how to create multiple streams of income, you know, through investing into income producing assets as an example. Right. And so these are things that again, we're not taught to write. were always taught, got a labor, you got to go to that nine to five and you get one check, you know, and that's like guys.

Precious LaTonia Williams (12:40.755)

No.

JaQ Campbell (12:43.236)

We're not gonna be able to really, really survive really in this country if that, we're depending on one stream of income. We know social security at this point is only gonna potentially be 30 % of what we need. Now how do we fill out the other 70 %?

So that's why this is such a mission and a motivator for me. Now, what people didn't tell me, hello ladies, is the capital that you need and the money that you need and that you need lovely ladies out there promoting you and helping you get clients. Cause I don't just get, you know, I don't just get money cause I look cute. I get money, right? Because there's people willing to do business. So that's as a small business owner, as a new business owner, it is about saying, know, Jack, I want to do business with you. Jack, what does it take?

you know, for us to come together, for us to be a referral source and create economy for each other. So those would be the things that motivated me. And those are things that sometimes people just don't tell you it's hard as an entrepreneur, but when you have a circle that surrounds you and provides economy, it makes it that much easier.

Lisa Zeiderman (13:47.748)

Unbelievable, really, you're amazing, I have to say that. You really are amazing and your energy level is amazing.

JaQ Campbell (13:53.722)

My third cup of coffee though.

Lisa Zeiderman (13:58.141)

Yeah, like 10 of them today. All right. So here's what I'm going to say. There's no question that you're passionate about advancing the next generation of advisors and investors. What gaps do you see in the industry? And what gaps do you see in the people coming up in that industry? What don't they have? What do they have? What do they need to do?

to become the next Jack.

JaQ Campbell (14:31.254)

I appreciate that. I I mean, as I think about when I got in the industry and we're talking 90, so we're talking like I was in the office every day, 7.30, 7 PM, Monday through Friday, some Saturdays, maybe some Sundays. That was the world I grew up in. I say that to say not that that's a good thing or a bad thing because we know we don't live in those world, that world anymore. But what I will say it did for me as a young investor was I learned the business. I learned it.

I was sitting there next to those million dollar producers at 18, 19. And by my 21st birthday, I'm like, I'm sitting for my series seven. And so by being in the office, by hearing them negotiate $50 billion deals for the city of Detroit, as an example, by me running around to the different attorney's offices to understand how to negotiate a syndicate at 18, that is what taught me. so, you know, for people who don't understand that beauty of actually being in the office and being submerged in

You know, room where I literally, had $10 million producers on this side of me. had $10 million producers on this side of me. So I had a hundred million dollars worth of producers surrounding me that, you know, it was only meant for me to then ultimately go and run a couple billion dollar practice at a JP because of the training that I got. Right. And so those are some of the gaps that I see. Unfortunately, our young people.

are not getting today. We're working from home, we're jumping on Zoom. We don't have that same level of mentorship in those folks. I mean, had at least five or $6 million producers that were mentoring me all at one time. So I was trained very well, which is very much something that our young people may or may not have access to, especially in this kind of virtual hybrid post-COVID world.

where you're not necessarily going into the office. I know there's a lot of folks returning to work, but I think that's one of the skills gaps that I would say. We need to get more people trained. This job is high tech, but it's also very much high touch if you're gonna be successful as a wealth advisor, especially now that we're entering into the greatest wealth transfer in modern world history, between 2025 and 2045, $124 trillion.

JaQ Campbell (16:49.868)

is set to change hands from the older generation to Gen X, to our millennials, right? To our Alphas, to our Gen Zs. And so the necessity of having people in these rooms that are well-trained on how to sustain that wealth, we know, because if we aren't trained on how to sustain wealth, what happens? Right? We all know the story, right? It can just flow through our fingers like water.

And so to me, that's where I see, you know, some opportunities is, is more, more training and more succession planning. need our boomers to be on assignment right now as mentors. If you are 60 and up, I am calling on you right now to say, who are you mentoring us under 30? Who are you bringing up and bringing in? Like my mother would take me to the office at six and just make me sit there. It didn't matter. I didn't like it, but I had to do it.

Precious LaTonia Williams (17:22.225)

Thank

JaQ Campbell (17:46.476)

And so we have to sometimes understand this bigger than us. It's about this next gen. They're going to be the ones responsible for storing all this wealth. And so that's again, another big sort of mission that we're on as we think about the industry, the industry is where AI is helping a lot of us get more efficient. I love it. AI, by the way, we're helping me with decks and all the different things. Thank you AI and the prompts, but where we're where, but where we need more human touch, where we is,

Precious LaTonia Williams (17:46.526)

Mm-hmm.

JaQ Campbell (18:15.066)

is in the area of these things like financial advice, clients who are coming to me right now as an example, saying, Jack, I want to understand should my money still be in the capital markets or should I be thinking about, you know, cashing out, you know, to understand what's going to happen in the political environment? These are real life conversations that you can't just go to chat GBT and get an answer for and think that that's going to apply to every situation every single time. People need to be trained on how to help.

clients understand how to navigate these times, just like these government employees who are losing their jobs left and right. They need a human being to walk them through, to help them. And that's going to be a job of a financial advisor. So I give you a lot. I'm just because right now the timing is just so interesting of these conversations. And we need to talk about it.

Lisa Zeiderman (19:01.222)

So good!

Precious LaTonia Williams (19:03.166)

I'm all clean.

Jack, you brought up so much in that answer. Number one, I do remember beating the managing partner to the office every day and leaving only after they had left. FaceTime, being there, being put in the right rooms because I had demonstrated a level of excellence and that it could be trusted to show up and you also talked about building relationships and

We live in a world that is very technology driven. You think you can have relationships via Zoom or, you know, just being on the phone. But in the financial services world and in a lot of our service based worlds, we still have to meet people in person. We still have to see people in the eye to see if this person is really someone I want to do great business with. And since a lot of your work centers around empowering other individuals, empowering individuals to take control of their financial futures and going along with the conversation of

Being in the spaces, learning, taking the mentoring you're getting from just sitting there and listening to the $10 million producers over here, $10 million producers, being in those spaces where deals are made. Can you share like a very powerful moment where you ask the right question at the right time? Can it change the trajectory?

of your career in life.

JaQ Campbell (20:36.954)

That's so good. Wow. There's so many moments, but I'm going to share a moment of a mentor that I had when I first got into this business in the nineties. And I remember this mentor of mine who at this point is retired, but I remember he ran into my father, my bonus father. Okay. My bonus father passed away in 2009. However, it happened to be that

At that time, the office building that I was working in for the private bank, my bonus father was working for US Customs and Border Patrol in the same exact building on the third floor. So just by chance, so we got to ride to work together and ride home. It was all, it was fun. But I remember there was this one moment and I was in the elevator with my boss, my mentor, and my bonus dad gets on the elevator.

And so all three of us are in the elevator at the same time. And I remember my mentor slash boss looked at my dad and he said, I just want you to know that I'm going to look after her and I'm going to make sure she meets who she needs to meet and that she is very successful in this career. And you have my word for it. And I just remember my bonus five of getting off and you know, guy, they shake hands. Thank you, man. Thank you, brother. You know, and they kind of, you know, go their separate ways.

And here I'm looking at, again, my boss is older white man. My bonus that is an older black guy. And just this moment, I'm just a younger black, I'm a younger 20 something at the time. They're calling it in their 50s. So they're older than me at that point. I'm in my 50s now. And it's like, just to see that moment of these men who had my back, who said, I'm going to support this girl. I'm going to hold her hand. I get emotional thinking about it.

Precious LaTonia Williams (22:17.77)

Yep.

Precious LaTonia Williams (22:33.009)

It'll be a mess.

JaQ Campbell (22:33.336)

You know, because I remember that because I'm here because they believed in me and they never took their finger off the pulse when it came to my career. He made sure I passed my series seven and the day I passed the next day I came to the office, he had a briefcase and the whole team had pitched in and bought me my first watch. I mean, this was right. Like that moment when you have people that believe in you and that don't

doubt you even though you don't look like everyone else around you. I wasn't supposed to be a stockbroker at 21 in Detroit, this little black girl, but they believed in me. And so that was like, let's go. Like if that moment, and then it was like the elevator moment, you know, that 30 second people talking about the elevator pitch, you know, that was like that 30 seconds that changed my life. And I didn't have to say a word.

Precious LaTonia Williams (23:26.612)

But yet, Queen, there is another lesson. It only would have happened if you were prepared to meet the opportunity and showed up in excellence. And that's what you did. And he said, I'm going to be there for her. You didn't show up raggedy. You didn't show up like, better do this. It was, they saw you and they saw how hard you worked. And he made a promise to your bonus dad, I got her. Don't even worry. I got.

JaQ Campbell (23:37.422)

Yeah, that's right.

JaQ Campbell (23:46.808)

I think. Yeah.

JaQ Campbell (23:51.854)

Yes.

Precious LaTonia Williams (23:53.48)

That is such a, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

JaQ Campbell (23:56.378)

Yes. Yes.

Lisa Zeiderman (23:57.501)

That's excellent, really excellent. So, you know, we're all reading about how DEI has made the headlines recently and companies are starting to drop these initiatives, these very specific initiatives. The financial industry in itself has long struggled with diversity, as you know, probably Jack, and I guess I have a few questions for you.

What do you think that firms can do to now in this time, in this day and age now, where we are, to foster true inclusivity and equitable opportunities as DEI is basically taking this hit, right? And beyond representation, how do you think that those initiatives that these companies take to foster this inclusivity?

these opportunities, how do you think that will drive innovation, client trust, long-term growth? How is it going to be positive for the firms themselves to basically continue with DEI, to continue along with it even as they struggle against the current right now?

JaQ Campbell (25:22.038)

Absolutely. mean, you know, going back to fostering inclusivity, I go back to, you know, my example of being included even in the rooms that I was included in when I was 16 years old. Right. It has to be an intentionality. So let's start there. Like if people aren't intentional about it, if leaders, if leaders are going to follow the herd, for lack of better words, and not be intentional about the fact that they're running a business.

And in many places we're running global businesses. And in many cases we're running businesses where we're touching people of multiple backgrounds, multiple cultures, multiple different. And so the reality is whether we like it or not, we live in the United States of America and this place is diverse. It is not getting less diverse anytime soon. So the intentionality of being inclusive is going to be really incumbent upon leadership. So for example,

One of the things that has always been important to me as a senior leader was always making sure, I love going into rooms that we've never been in. So one of the areas I focus on right now is I'm focusing on servicing family offices. And a lot of times people don't even know what a family office is. So when I break down what an SFO is or what an MFO is, people are like, what? And I explain $100 million, $25 million in the fact that when I'm in these rooms,

nine and a half times out of 10, you're probably only going to see me. And that's because not because, know, you know, that's what I'm hoping for. It's just that, there's oftentimes we're not included in those rooms because we don't have the wealth that, you know, allows us a ticket to the party. And so that's where I tend to play ball and where I tend to play ball is to really challenge leaders where

You know, we're in some of these rooms, look around. Who do you see and who don't you see? And are you being intentionally exclusive or are you being inclusive? Not because it's a charity, because many times people think being inclusive is about giving back and it being about charity. And I tell people all day, especially in business, please don't treat me like charity because please don't, because I have been known to give multi-billion dollar.

Precious LaTonia Williams (27:38.74)

Please.

JaQ Campbell (27:44.204)

ideas and brands to corporations all across the world. Trust me, you want my opinion and you want me to be included in those conversations and you want me in that room. And it's like, so we're no longer proving ourselves at this point, if that makes sense. you know, I think, you know, leaders who understand and who are smart and wise and intelligent, they get it. You're not going to have to convince them. They're going to continue the road of inclusion and diversity and equity. They, you know, and they're going to continue to

to do what they need to do. This just, know, so I would say, let me just say that, you know, doing it for 32 years, we were, know, again, it really only got popular really honestly, the George Floyd's, you know, unfortunate death, you know, allowed folks to, you know, pretend that they cared. But the reality is, is that the folks that really cared before that are gonna still care after that. And so that's kind of my opinion on that. And then as a Detroiter, you know, I tease and I say, you've mentioned innovation.

And the reason why I bring up Detroit is we're, you know, we pride ourselves on being, you know, a home of innovators, you know, a place that put the world on wheels, you know, Henry Ford, you know, who created the first car. And now when you come to Detroit, you know, we're, you know, Apple's Apple, Apple, sorry, Apple is moving their manufacturing headquarters to Detroit. And so, you know, we are a city that's becoming more vibrant with innovators, with artists, with musicians, with

We're like the new Silicon Valley of the Midwest. So I say, you know, for people who are really trying to understand, you know, how to innovate, look at Detroit as a model for impact. Really look at Detroit and look at the things that are happening on the ground level of a city that was once bankrupt 10 years ago, that figured out through inclusion, through diversity and through equity, how to turn that now into a city that's thriving globally.

Precious LaTonia Williams (29:21.907)

Hmm.

JaQ Campbell (29:37.846)

and money is coming left and right into that city. So I bring that as a real life example for people to go and look at because Detroit was one that everyone kind of poo-pooed a while back. And when they poo-pooed it, me and my team ran into Detroit and we invested like crazy. And now we're sitting on something that we believe is the next Renaissance.

Lisa Zeiderman (29:56.679)

Fabulous. That's fabulous. Because I remember when Detroit, I mean, you couldn't get people to invest in Detroit. there were articles and people were just starting to get out there to think about it. So that's amazing. Amazing.

Precious LaTonia Williams (30:10.196)

When I think, Jack, when I think of your story, I think about the brilliance that is in a lot of communities. And I love the fact that you took advantage, your mother, and you took advantage of great opportunities that might not be happening today. You showed up in excellence. You demonstrated that you really love what you do. You want to help yourself, your community, your family, and all. And that is truly inspiring, in addition to your energy.

hurt with you. As your image, as your industry evolves and matures in this next decade, even following what Queen Lisa's question, what should advisors be doing now to stay ahead? What type of mentality? What, what should it My work for this year is audacity. So I'm going to do the things that they'd say that 40, 50, 60 year old women shouldn't be doing. I'm going to do it because I feel like

JaQ Campbell (31:02.852)

Yes.

Precious LaTonia Williams (31:10.078)

This is my life and I, I wait, I let a lot of people tell me what was impossible and I did a lot of impossible things, but right now there's no limits. So for these finance, for financial advisors right now, going into this next decade and for the ones that are coming that you're inspiring, what should they be thinking about and doing now to stay ahead?

JaQ Campbell (31:20.046)

Yes.

JaQ Campbell (31:29.102)

Yes.

JaQ Campbell (31:34.554)

Absolutely. think as you know, as the industry evolves, as I mentioned, the greatest wealth transfer has taken place over the next several decades. So advisors need to be like, I mean, this is your time advisors. I mean, this is literally our time. It has never been a time such as this where we're stewarding wealth of all the boomers that have done such a great job, really growing and attracting. Now it's our job as advisors to come in and really again, this next generation.

Precious LaTonia Williams (31:42.281)

Mm-hmm.

JaQ Campbell (32:04.388)

Properly manage that wealth sustain that wealth and invest it in proper solutions so that and again not get crazy We love our crypto and all the different things that are out there But again, we have to be sensitive that we're stewarding wealth of in some cases Generations that created it, you know, you know, it's our job to sustain that I think about my grandfather who you know for my family was the very first sort of creator of the wealth in our portfolio where he would go and

by churches and land and small farms. And when he passed, my mother then was responsible for maintaining that asset. Now, guess what? I'm maintaining that family asset on behalf of my grandfather as Generation 3. And guess what? I'm training my son, Generation 4, to maintain that asset. And so if I didn't say anything else in all what I just said, I would encourage advisors out there to get real serious.

about this generational wealth, about helping the next generation understand how to sustain granddad's asset, for lack of better words. And I think advisors who get, who are focused on that, who don't look at it as, that's just, I'm not making any money. They're thinking about it the wrong way. You got to get with these beneficiaries. You got to tap into them because you will blink and they're going to be the ones inheriting this money. I just had two phone calls today. Two of my friends lost their parents in the last week.

You know, I'm Gen X, we're turning 50. Our parents are turning 80. My dad's 81st birthday is today, right? So these are real conversations. State planning is real right now for the sandwich generation. So there's a lot of things right now that people can be doing, especially advisors, to make a name for themselves and stay ahead.

Lisa Zeiderman (33:51.271)

So Jack, we are getting to the very end and we ask one question to all of our guests and I'm going to ask it. It's the most important question, which is I guess why we ask it all the time. But for our listeners, for you, why is the power of the ask so important to women, especially financially? Why is that so critical?

JaQ Campbell (34:15.93)

Absolutely. I mean, it's going to sound simple, but I got to just say it. If you don't ask, you don't receive. I mean, I grew up asking, it shall be given to you. Knock and the door shall open, seek and you shall find. Right. And so the power is knowing that your voice speaks power. If you believe in the fact that once you say it, it's already done.

So the power of the ask is really being able to say, when I ask, there was something that I'm believing in that ask. And I just need to wait for it to just happen. Sometimes it happens right away. Sometimes we got to wait a little bit and exercise that patient muscle. But I believe that's why it's important. Ladies, don't be afraid to ask for what you want and for what you deserve. We are in a season right now. I believe that, you know, if we don't ask.

We're failing ourselves. We're being disobedient to our calling. And so to me, now is the time. Ask, ask, ask. And you know, if it's meant to be, it's going to come to you in abundance.

Precious LaTonia Williams (35:20.586)

I know that's right. Jack, is such a, it's been such a pleasure having you today. And you can tell the sun has changed in all the ways I'm to figure it out. like, you know, but let me tell you something. Jack, was a time I couldn't even imagine being on the top floor of a building and being able to see the sun and look out on the balcony.

JaQ Campbell (35:22.394)

you

JaQ Campbell (35:26.65)

Yes, it's just real music at a time.

Precious LaTonia Williams (35:44.052)

There were so many dark moments and with the Power of the Ass podcast powered by Savvy Ladies, it is so important to share the ups and the downs and that you can still make it. You can still be around women who are teaching you just by listening.

What are the right questions as what are the right rooms to be in? And so everyone keep coming back to the power of the ass podcast, co-hosted by my queen, Lisa Ziterman, manager partner of Miller's Ziterman and me pressure swims to killer pitch master, prop founder and CEO of the perfect pitch group. Our guests today, Jack Alexander of Alexander legacy. You hear that word legacy? Cause I want to get into that too. Legacy wealth management.

has dropped so many gems today for financial advisors, but just women in general. The next 10 years are going to be so critical. So keep coming back. a friend to tell a friend of what, tell a friend, subscribe, share this with your network because we're getting this word out. The power of the ask is in your hands. Start asking, start having the audacity to do the things that seem impossible. The next generation is waiting.

And you need to know it can't just be technology. It has to be real relationships and real talking about things that are hard, that get easier for other generations to know. This isn't perfect life. This is life. And you get what you ask for. So have the power to ask. Thank you all so very much. Keep coming back.

Lisa Zeiderman (37:11.676)

Thank you everybody. Thank you, Jack. Thanks, precious.

Precious LaTonia Williams (37:14.727)

Muah!

JaQ Campbell (37:15.128)

Thank you, thank you, thank you.