Adriana Sormani began her career as a financial advisor by coincidence. Upon graduating from  University of Denver with a degree in international studies and economics, it was her then roommate’s father—the Executive Vice President of Nationwide in Los Angeles—who gave her the opportunity to work and live in Southern California. “It all happened by chance I suppose,” says Adriana. “But I really fell in love with the client-interaction part of what I do.”

Her more than 25 years of experience in investment management, private banking, and estate planning began after moving to L.A. and getting her start with exclusive clients in Malibu and Santa Monica. This, Adriana says, gave her the exposure she needed to take care of the high net worth clients she deals with today. But it wasn’t always a smooth transition for this Italian-born, New York native. A year after graduation and amidst the stock market crash of ’87, Adriana had a big decision to make—move back East or pick up somewhere else.

It was only after a fortuitous encounter with a Chicagoan that Adriana landed in the Windy City. As fate would have it, she found herself relocating to Chicago’s North Shore after a longtime friend and attorney told her, amid her divorce, “You should move the kids to Lake Bluff…we’ll all help you.”

Adriana says that while the worry of being a single parent is an enormous hurdle to overcome, the North Shore gave her the sense of security she needed to be successful at what she does. And without the burden of worrying about her children weighing on her mind, Adriana was able to focus on her career and providing for her two boys. “I knew there were friends and clients of mine looking out for my children and for me,” she explains. “The best decision I made was to raise my boys in Lake Bluff.”

After the graduation of her youngest son from Lake Forest High School last June, Adriana decided it was time to start the next phase of her life—a new career downtown in an office space overlooking the Chicago River. With her sons, Christopher Godinez, a freshman at Bradley University on a baseball scholarship, and Anthony Godinez, a junior studying criminal justice at Arizona State University, Adriana thought it time to expand her business with a dedication to new technology and a commitment to up-to-date information offered to her through UBS—a company she describes as a melting pot of a several different management teams that come from some of the premier global financial service firms in the world.

With all the resources allotted to her at UBS, Adriana is able to focus solely on assisting her clients and their families in managing all aspects of their financial lives. “No matter how much money someone has, it’s all relative to what they think is important to them and what their priorities are,” she says. “Each individual is unique in that way, and you cannot, as a financial advisor, put people in a hole or peg them in with the masses.”

Adriana’s one piece of advice is to seek a financial advisor you trust. And while she is still living in the North Shore and commuting those 36 miles downtown, she is still plugged into the community of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. “I understand several different financial situations because I’ve lived through them myself,” she shares. “I’ve been in the community for so long and have gone through the different stages of life with them. I’ve dealt with several families in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, and have encountered cases that run the gamut from college funding, the death of a loved one, and even divorce.”

The office of Adriana Sormani at UBS Financial Services Inc. is located at One Wacker Drive in Chicago. For more information or to schedule a meeting, call 312-525-4145.

—Meryl Fulinara