In a world that seems to get more complex with each and every day, the future can seem somewhat uncertain and sometimes just plain scary. Yet, Wells Fargo Senior Vice President and Senior Private Banker/Market Leader Lisa Bertagna is here to remind her high net worth clients one thing.

Everything is going to be okay.

“There are many complexities within the financial planning and wealth management field these days,” says Bertagna. “But that’s why we are here: to help our clients to understand those complexities and, in turn, to reach all of the goals they have dreamed of.”

Of course, determining those goals in this ever-changing world can be harder than it looks. How do you want to live out the rest of your life? What do you want to leave to your children and grandchildren?

“Our approach is really to ask more questions than to provide solutions,” says Bertagna. “Our true role is to lead our clients through some deep conversations with their families about their financial goals and values and how they want to ensure that those goals and values are passed down to the next generation.”

Wells Fargo has long helped their clients realize their financial dreams. More than ten years ago, a small team of six financial professionals started the Midwest office of Wells Fargo Wealth Management in Chicago. The office now has more than 140 team members and has been ranked No. 1 out of 42 markets nationwide for Wells Fargo for many years.

Responding to the needs of their customers, Wells Fargo Private Bank then opened a new office in Northbrook and will soon open up an additional location in the Western Suburbs.

“Our growth has been fast, but it’s been driven by the needs of our high net worth Chicago families,” says Bertagna, who has worked with Wells Fargo for more than six years. “They want to leave a legacy, and we can help them with that.”

Often, that means having some eye-opening conversations.

“Leaving a legacy is the joy that comes out of a life’s worth of work,” says Bertagna, who has worked in the banking industry for over 25 years. “Knowing that you are able to leave a legacy for future generations is a very powerful moment for my clients. It’s like they have this aha moment in their eyes when they realize that, together, we can help a family achieve that legacy. It’s really a phenomenal moment that I feel lucky to experience with them.”

Still, Bertagna admits that she realizes that any sort of financial planning can often be a confusing process. Yet, Wells Fargo strives to make things easier.

“We are very agnostic in the way that we have a long list of products and services all in house,” says Bertagna. “Another thing that our clients appreciate is having a series of benchmarks that we look at from month to month that can show on our customers that they are on the right track. For most people, that provides so much comfort.”

It also helps to act as much as a friend as a financial advisor.

“In order to have some of these somewhat tough conversations, there needs to be a comfort level in place,” she says. “Once the conversation flows freely, we can go from need to need and watch how the simple act of unlocking one door is going to open another door to another goal.”

Lisa Bertagna, Senior Vice President and Senior Private Banker/Market Leader for Wells Fargo Private Bank is located at 400 Skokie Boulevard, Suite 510 in Northbrook, 224-306-5111, wellsfargo.com.