Shelly Heier ’98 to Speak at Puget Sound Business Breakfast

TACOMA, Wash. – How do you make smart investment choices for your future when there are so many choices and such a deluge of information to wade through?

Shelly Heier ’98, president and chief operating officer of institutional investment advisor Verus, will shed light on the complexities and offer key insights into making good investment choices when she speaks at the University of Puget Sound Business Breakfast.

Everyone is welcome to the talk, “Facts Not Fear: Navigating Today’s Complex Markets,” on Wednesday, May 4, in the Harbor Dining Room at Bell Harbor, 2211 Alaskan Way, Pier 66, Seattle. The event will begin at 7 a.m. with coffee and networking, and the breakfast and presentation will run 7:30–9 a.m. General admission is $30, or $25 for University of Puget Sound affiliates. See below for how to reserve your place. The annual breakfast is presented by the University of Puget Sound Office of Alumni and Parent Relations. 

 

 

“It doesn’t matter if you have a $20,000 portfolio or manage a multibillion-dollar fund, we’re all human, and we get hit with a lot of financial and economic information, including some that cause fear,” Heier said. “We have a 24-hour news cycle inundating us and hundreds of thousands of investment vehicles, which makes it very complex. So how do you make rational decisions in the face of this?”

 

Heier counsels major organizations, including corporate retirement plans and charitable and healthcare groups, on their investment portfolios. She is a frequent speaker at industry conferences.

 

At the May 4 business breakfast, she will offer advice on key investment priorities and layout rules to help guide those who actively manage their own investments, as well as those who prefer a hands-off approach. She also will talk about some of the markets that she currently finds attractive and why.

 

A 1998 graduate of the University of Puget Sound who studied business, public administration, finance, and economics, Heier made an early impression in the Seattle business landscape. In 2012 she was named a “40 Under 40” honoree by Puget Sound Business Journal to recognize her exceptional talents and dynamic leadership.

 

 

Born and raised in Lake Stevens, Wash., Heier pursued her own path in a family of medical professionals, focusing on economics and investments in college. She was quickly hired as an analyst for a financial planning firm specializing in high-net-worth clients. In 2000 she joined her current firm, Verus (formerly Wurts & Associates), and within six years, she decided to bank on the firm and herself by purchasing shares in the company.

 

Heier served at Verus in multiple senior roles involving advising clients, managing investment research, and expanding the consulting practice. In 2013 she was appointed president and chief operating officer. In addition to handling key client relationships, she is responsible for much of the firm’s operations, including human resources, analytics, and marketing. She is one of the six members of Verus’s management committee; she chairs the investment committee, leading the Seattle-based consulting staff.

 

A longtime advocate of supporting the community, Heier is active in numerous civic and industry groups, including the CFA Institute, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association, Western Pension & Benefits Council, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s Innovators Network.

 

With offices in Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Verus has been providing investment research and advice to institutions since 1986. The Seattle-based company advises on more than $337 billion in client assets for a wide range of clients, including educational and charitable organizations; hospitals; corporate, multi-employer, and public defined-benefit plans; and insurance providers.

 

For more information or to reserve your place, visit: pugetsound.edu/psbb or call 1.800.339.3312. Tickets are $30 for general admission; $25 for University of Puget Sound affiliates. Please RSVP by Wednesday, April 27. 

 

Press photos of Shelly Heier are available upon request.
Photos on page: Shelly Heier (courtesy of Verus); Wall Street sign where it crosses Broadway, by Benoit Prieur (Agamitsudo) - CC-BY-SA

 

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