Jen Sapel leads her wealth management firm with the philosophy that a scalpel can save a life or end it. What matters is how you use it. The same applies to money.

Name: Jenifer Sapel

Age: 41

Neighborhood: Maltby, WA

Occupation: Financial Advisor. President and CEO of Utor Wealth, a full service financial planning firm helping people protect, build, and enjoy wealth. Also runs the podcast Money UnTabooed.

Where do you bank? 

I currently bank with Boeing Employee Credit Union (BECU) and Goldman Sachs. I’m also currently shopping for an impact bank, too.

Why? 

I chose BECU because it’s a credit union, owned by its members.  I chose Goldman because of its high-yield savings account rates, no fees, and ease of use. And I’m shopping for a bank that is exceptional in its financing of issues I care about because I’m increasingly shopping, donating, and investing this way.

What’s the top thing you need in a bank?  

Convenience. 

Describe what you do in your job, in one sentence.  

I help people use money as a tool to achieve a life they enjoy and is aligned with their values.

What’s a piece of money advice you live by?   

Automate savings and investment strategies.

Are you a finance person?  

Indeed.

What’s a finance person, anyway?  

A person with an understanding of what financial tools are available and how they work.  You can be a "finance person" in many different areas:  business finance, taxes, investments, real estate. Rarely is a "finance person" good at all of them.

What was the name of the first bank you ever had an account with?  

Wells Fargo.

Do you remember anything from going to the bank as a kid?  

My dad was very excited about helping me open my first account. I didn't understand the significance until many years later.

Tell us about a neighborhood that’s special to you, and why it’s special.  

My special neighborhood is my community of people that transcends geography and wants to leave the world better than they've found it.

What’s the last thing you used cash for?  

Fresh flowers from a local business close to home. So pretty!

Cash, card or mobile?  

Yes, yes, and yes. Whatever is easiest at the moment. It all comes from the same checking account and is tracked there.

What finance-related article, book or move has made an impression on you?  

Benjamin Graham's Intelligent Investor was the first, The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist was the most recent.

If you were the professor of an economics class, what would your course be called?

“Life after ‘Trickle Down Economics.’"

What does wealth mean to you?  

When it comes to personal finance, wealth means having options:  being able to say no to a job or client, choosing where and when you buy a home, choosing what education or food you'd prefer.  Holistic wealth is making sure that your whole person is healthy, not just your bank account.  Having a lot of money without physical health or fulfillment is not wealth.

Can you give a recent example of how you used your money to make a difference?  

Truly, the most recent is using Mighty to look for a new bank.  The rest of my impact spending is baked into my everyday financial decisions:  how I consume, save, invest, and donate are all by design and aligned to causes important to me. Thanks to Mighty I’m now working on my banking part…

What will you do with all the bank interest you’ll earn in the next year?  

Ha!  Let it compound or move it into my investment account.

Finish these sentences:

Money _

is a tool.

Banks _

could use some disruption. 

Mighty_

is playing a critical role in the above.

What’s a dream you have for the world?  

That we stop emphasizing the tool (money) and put more emphasis on the use.  For example, a scalpel can save a life or end it.  The way we use every dollar makes an impact somewhere. Let's be more thoughtful about where we place value.