Klein empowers clients and communities through financial planning and charitable giving
Growing up, Kathy Klein said it was taboo to talk about money. In her household and in society at the time, money was rarely discussed, particularly with women.
There weren’t basic finance classes in school. As a result, she did not feel confident about her finances or money management.
But she was curious.
That curiosity led her to reconsider a career in science – she had a bachelor’s degree in biology and pursued an advanced degree in physiology – and take a leap of faith. She went back to school and became a certified financial planner.
For the past 36 years, she has helped individuals and families gain the confidence over their finances that she once lacked with hers.
“Everyone I meet – whether a client or a prospect – is like a gift,” said Klein, a wealth advisor at Strategic Wealth Partners. “We get the reward of seeing their dreams and aspirations for themselves and their kids come to fruition. It’s pretty spectacular.”
Klein grew up in a household where giving back to the community was woven into everyday life. Her family was involved in their church and contributed to the efforts to fundraise for the Community Memorial Hospital and Tri-County YMCA in Menomonee Falls.
“You were expected to give back and share and support others who weren’t as fortunate,” said Klein, who is a board member of Versiti Blood Research Foundation and serves on the investment and development committees for the Cedar Lakes Conservation Foundation. “We had so many dinner parties or volunteered at fundraisers. We put together posters and stuffed envelopes. We did it all. We were raised with that kind of orientation.”
But charitable giving was not part of her everyday conversations with clients until the early 1990s, when she met several staff members and professional advisers connected to the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
“It was people like Doris Heiser and Rick Friedman, Kathy Schrader and Jim Spella who helped me see how important it was to incorporate that more holistic piece,” Klein said. “I remember thinking this could be uncomfortable conversations, but in fact, they opened up a whole new aspect of the client relationship.”
Klein said she still remembers conversations with Heiser and Schrader, who worked in the Foundation’s development department at the time, about what questions to ask clients to start them thinking about charitable giving. She also has relied upon the expertise and technical knowledge of Foundation staff over the years.
Klein touches upon all aspects of financial planning with her clients – goal setting, tax planning, investments, risk management and charitable giving. One of her specialty areas is educating and empowering women about their finances. Early on in her career, she had a difficult time getting them as excited about the topic as she was. The columns of numbers and charts and graphs did not hold their interest. But over the years, she has found that philanthropy resonates with them.
“When you start asking ‘What bothers you? What values do you want to promote through your children? What issues in your community do you want to impact?’ I noticed women light up and lean in,” Klein said. “I see philanthropy as a great avenue to deepen conversations.”
She has referred many clients to the Foundation over the years because of the value that it brings to people who are looking to make an impact on their community – whether through lifetime giving or through a legacy gift.
“It’s so well established and known,” Klein said. “It is the gold standard.”