From Customer Service to Financial Advice

Seventeen years ago, Jennifer Suess was working at a home improvement store in Colorado and balancing the demands of a young family. 

“My daughter was one, and my husband worked in the retail phones department at T. Rowe Price,” she recalls. 

A visit to her husband’s office marked the beginning of her career with the firm. Intrigued by the positive work environment, Jennifer applied for a job on the Retirement Plan Services call center team.

“My transferrable skills from customer service made me successful in my early days,” she says. “In some ways, customer service skills are harder to teach than financial acumen.”

The firm’s robust training and onboarding helped Jennifer develop what she calls the building blocks of her financial knowledge. 

“I didn’t know what a 401k was before I started at T. Rowe Price,” she says. “At the firm, I learned all about investing.”

The company’s support helped her earn financial services licenses, including Series 6, 63, 7, 66, and 24, as well as her Six Sigma yellow belt, expanding her knowledge and career path options. 

Jennifer has used that knowledge to pivot many times, taking on varied roles in brokerage, back-office processing, and workforce planning. 

“One thing T. Rowe Price does well is push you out of your comfort zone,” she says. “My colleagues encouraged me to apply to new roles when I didn’t have confidence in myself yet.”

Jennifer cites the firm’s people as the number one reason she’s stayed with T. Rowe Price for so many years. One way she helps build connections is through her work with business resource groups. She started the VALOR chapter in Colorado Springs for veterans and their families and has taken on leadership roles in WAVE, a group for women, and the Women in Sales initiative. 

“You can connect with people on a human level and be supported not just professionally but also personally,” she says.

Over the years, she has taken college courses using the firm’s tuition reimbursement benefits, culminating in her graduation from Colorado State University with her bachelor’s degree in 2023. Today, Jennifer manages a team that delivers advice services to individual investor clients. She is now preparing to become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.

“When I complete my CFP, I’ll be able to help clients with their full financial health,” she says. “I love that we're constantly thinking about the whole associate and the whole client.”