By Emily Hamann
The Bellingham Business Journal

As a financial adviser at Waddell & Reed, every day Nicole Burdick gets to help clients manage their money.

“I think money’s really stressful for people and I like to help them with that, especially the emotional part of it,” she said.

In 2014, she got her Series 7 and 66 licenses and became a financial adviser. She was awarded “Pacesetter Gold” her first year at Waddell & Reed.

One day, she said, her dream is to build a coalition to give information and help people make good decisions about their student loans.

It can be hard for students to find objective advice when they’re in college, she said, “and then once you graduate there’s really not anyone to help you.”

Right now, she volunteers with Junior Achievement, and teaches financial literacy to elementary school kids.

Outside of work, she’s also working to build and strengthen those connections in the community.

She co-founded a networking group, in addition to being heavily involved with the Whatcom Women in Business. Formerly on the board, she now serves as the organization’s webmaster. She’s also on the board at Lydia Place.

“The cause is pretty amazing,” she said.

Outside of formal networking groups, she is always looking to reach out to new people, especially if they recently moved to the area.

“I think that Bellingham is a community that’s all about who you know,” she said. “So if you’re new in town, it can be hard.” She’ll make a point to grab a coffee with new people and ask them what they need and if she can connect them with anyone she knows.

“It just makes sense to really start helping people,” she said, “the way that I was helped out.”

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