Plan for resilience.
True to Austin Wealth Management’s mission of making financial planning more accessible, Anna Bell uses everything from Bureau of Economic Analysis data to Real Housewives gifs to explain intimidating concepts. As a result of her time on Capitol Hill and later with organizations such as the Federal Reserve, the New York Stock Exchange, and the Treasury Department, Anna Bell has deep familiarity with programs and regulations that impact Americans every day.
Anna Bell’s own life-changing experiences after an incurable blood cancer diagnosis in her family inspired her to serve others navigating life transitions, empowering them to emerge more confident and financially secure. For her clients, colleagues, and friends, Anna Bell is the person you call in a crisis for a calm voice and objective guidance. She particularly loves working through the unique challenges experienced by Gen X/Gen Y professionals and women, who are often too busy building their careers and juggling demands from children and aging parents to prioritize their own financial wellbeing.
Background
Anna Bell joined Austin Wealth Management in 2021 after key roles in public policy, communications, and external affairs across multiple sectors and industries. Anna Bell’s fascination with personal finance began with her grandfather, a World War II veteran from West Texas who never graduated from college. A self-taught investor who extolled the virtues of low-cost mutual funds and diversification, he tracked the price of every mutual fund he owned in the Wall Street Journal each morning in a small notebook, well into his 90s. From him, Anna Bell learned the power behind concepts like expense-fee ratios, dollar-cost averaging, and compound investing (the “eighth wonder of the world”!)
As her career progressed, Anna Bell continued to study and obsess about financial topics, taxes, and investing in her spare time. Friends and coworkers share anecdotes about Anna Bell creating spreadsheets to analyze their 401K options or exclaiming, “Buy the dip!” during market downturns. With her professional background, Anna Bell is able to also leverage her expertise in health care, regulatory and legislative processes, and legal and compliance issues to better benefit clients.
Previously, Anna Bell served as director of strategy and external affairs for the Energy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin and as senior advisor to the dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Prior to her time at UT Austin, Anna Bell helped to lead client teams and business development at SKDKnickerbocker in Washington, DC, first as a vice president and then a senior vice president. At SKDK, one of her favorite experiences was supporting the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in the public release of the official report on the 2007-08 financial meltdown.
Before joining SKDK in 2011, Anna Bell was a director at DCI Group and a deputy press secretary to U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. She is a graduate of Harvard Kennedy School and The University of Texas at Austin. She is a trustee of The Archer Center and contributes to advocacy efforts for The American Cancer Society and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Anna Bell is an Investment Advisor Representative with a Series 65 license (Texas) and is pursuing the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification. She is also a member of the Financial Planning Association. Anna Bell resides in Central Austin with her husband and their two young children.
Interesting Facts about Anna Bell:
- She is a (rare) native of Austin who enjoyed birthday parties at Pease Park in the early 1980s and attended Mathews Elementary School.
- She learned to drive on a 1978 Ford Ranger pickup truck (stick shift, of course.)