Sara B. Botkin CFP®
Sara Botkin believes that an advisor’s first priority should be client communication. As President of Botkin Family Wealth Management, Sara directs the firm’s proactive communication strategy, ensuring that every client receives personal and relevant communication on a regular basis and overseeing the firm’s rigorous communication schedule of phone calls, review meetings, and continuing education events. “When investors are considering leaving their current broker in order to work with us, performance is rarely the reason,” says Sara. “Instead they tell me they haven’t heard from their advisor in over a year. It feels like no one is paying attention. No one cares. My first priority in running our business is that no client of Botkin Family Wealth Management ever feels that way about us.”
Sara began her career in finance with AON Corporation in New York City, where she worked on the 105th floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center. A survivor of the September 11 attacks, she relocated to her hometown of Pittsburgh to begin a financial planning partnership with her father Les. “Living through the tragedy of 9/11 made me want to be near my family,” she recalls. “Working with my dad and my brother has been one of my life’s greatest experiences. We truly love celebrating each other’s successes and those of our clients.” Cofounding Botkin Family Wealth Management is Sara’s latest success in a financial planning career full of accomplishments, from being awarded Rookie of the Year during her first year as an advisor to being named Vice President of Wealth Management at Smith Barney while still in her twenties.
“For many years I envisioned finding that perfect fit with a company whose values mirrored my own,” says Sara. The search ended with the cofounding of her own independent financial advisory firm. “It is so rewarding to work with my family to deliver what I’ve always felt would be the premier client experience.” Sara’s responsibilities at Botkin Family Wealth Management include:
- writing comprehensive financial plans as well as supporting documents that aid in the creation and maintenance of those plans
- planning continuing education seminars and other ongoing communication outreach with clients, such as regular email updates and newsletters
- ensuring proactive, personal communication with each client through scheduled quarterly phone calls and annual review meetings
Sara is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. She earned a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an Executive Certificate in Financial Planning from Duquesne University. Sara has been featured and profiled in Pittsburgh Professional Magazine, Reuters, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Peters Township Source and The Almanac. She has appeared on WPXI-TV, KDKA-TV, Cornerstone Television and on NightTalk with Ann Devlin on PCNC television. Active in her community, Sara has helped raise awareness and funds for March of Dimes, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, The United Way and the American Heart Association. She has served on the Board of Directors of the United Way of Washington County.
Sara and her husband Ovi live in Canonsburg with their three children. As a music lover and accomplished classical singer, Sara has recorded three CDs and used them for great causes: helping Pittsburgh’s WQED-FM 89.3 raise funds by donating the discs, donating proceeds of concert sales to the Pittsburgh Food Bank and offering free music to active U.S. military personnel.
