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Alvernia Magazine | Authentic Calling

Shortly after Lori Hagy ‘95 first became a wealth advisor, one of her clients asked to meet with her because he had just sold his family’s farm.

“He brought me the proceeds of the sale,” recalls Hagy. “He took my hand and told me that he trusted me enough to take control of the rest of his family’s legacy. The experience was extremely humbling, and right then, I simply knew that I’d found my calling.”

Since that day, Hagy has been recognized for making a mark on her clients and her profession. As a vice president with based in Lancaster, Pa., she looks forward to occasions to share ideas and grow professionally — such as Barron’s Top Women Advisors Summit in Palm Beach, Fla., — a conference for financial advisors that she has now been invited to attend twice.

Hosted by , the summit is designed to promote best practices and generate new ideas across the industry.

“This is the premier event of the year where the nation’s top women financial advisors gather for an exclusive chance to share ideas, grow professionally and network among our peers,” says Hagy.

From this year’s conference, Hagy discovered one message that really resonated with her — to be authentic.

“All too often, we find ourselves trying to be what other people want us to be,” Hagy notes. “My advice to clients, friends, parents, children and siblings is to never lose sight of who you are and where you came from. Never deviate from that.”

In fact, authenticity is an idea that she’s proud to have built her professional success around. It’s something she attributes to growing up in what she describes as a “humble” household with extremely hardworking, entrepreneurial parents.

“I watched and learned through their numerous failures and successes,” Hagy says. “I learned that success is not always about the end result, but it is a culmination of the experiences on the journey.

“I know that my ability to listen and understand where clients have been and where they are headed is ultimately a result of my varied, sometimes difficult, childhood experiences. I’m thankful for all of these lessons as they helped me become strong, steadfast, honest, compassionate and driven.”

A testament to Hagy’s determination hangs framed on her wall — a college degree that she earned as an adult student.

Hagy juggled a full-time job as a controller for a local company, a part-time job handling the paperwork from her husband’s plumbing business and classes at Alvernia. As a wife and mother, she also cared for her two young sons. Yet she graduated magna cum laude in 1995 with a double major in accounting and finance.

“My personal and academic experiences have influenced the importance of careful planning, and living life fully and with meaning every day,” she says. “Organization and discipline were the only way I survived the six years it took me to complete my degree. I learned that the value of purpose is to share these values with my clients.”