From IBM VP to Advisor: How Stephanie Carmel shifted gears to pursue her passion of becoming an advisor.

After a successful career at IBM Corporation, holding leadership positions in sales and sales operations, Stephanie Carmel had an "aha" moment about her professional journey. A leader at the company had asked her where she wanted to be in 10 years, and she realized she was struggling to envision herself continuing down the same path. Given she had studied communications and economics in college, and she had recently completed a big project that had won her and her team accolades, she made the decision to explore opportunities in finance. The path was not an easy one, given she was starting over in a new career, but her perseverance and passion saw her through to establishing herself as a financial advisor. Here is her story. CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER BOARD OF STANDARDS, INC. OWNS THE CERTIFICATION MARKS CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ AND FEDERALLY REGISTERED CFP (WITH FLAME DESIGN) IN THE U.S., WHICH IT AWARDS TO INDIVIDUALS WHO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE CFP BOARD’S INITIAL AND ONGOING CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.CERTIFIED DIVORCE FINANCIAL ANALYST® OR CDFA® PROFESSIONALS MUST DEVELOP THEIR THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF DIVORCE BY COMPLETING A COMPREHENSIVE COURSE OF STUDY APPROVED BY THE INSTITUTE FOR DIVORCE FINANCIAL ANALYSTS.  CDFA® PROFESSIONALS MUST HAVE TWO YEARS MINIMUM EXPERIENCE IN A FINANCIAL OR LEGAL CAPACITY PRIOR TO EARNING THE RIGHT TO USE THE CDFA® CERTIFICATION MARK.Please Note: Limitations. The achievement of any professional designation, certification, degree, or license, recognition by publications, media, or other organizations, membership in any professional organization, or any amount of prior experience or success, should not be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results or satisfaction if Wealthspire is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services.IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATIONWealthspire Advisors LLC and certain of its affiliates are separately registered investment advisers. This presentation is for general information and educational purposes only. It should not be construed as personalized investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice, or a guarantee that you will experience a certain level of results if Wealthspire is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide services.  While the information is considered to be reliable, Wealthspire cannot guarantee its accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose, and makes no warranties with regard its use. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that any investment, investment strategy, or non-investment related or planning services will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. A copy of Wealthspire’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our services and fees is available upon request or at www.wealthspire.com.©2026 Wealthspire