Q&A: Getting to know Eric Sample, CFA

Tell us about your role at Reynders, McVeigh

I’ve worn a couple of different hats over the course of my 12 years at the firm. When I started, I was director of fixed income, but since then I have worked with clients, conducted financial analyses of companies, and spearheaded institutional business development.

In terms of the big picture, I strive to be a leader at the firm. And I try to do this in a couple of different ways. One, certainly leading by example, just by being a hard worker. But I also try to reinforce the reasons we're in this business, what our key differentiators are. That allows us to better understand what our clients’ needs are, and how we can meet them with the utmost attention. I think it's essential for the new generation at the office to hear a consistent message from senior leadership. It helps us all get on the same page.  

What is a memorable accomplishment from your time at the firm?

One that comes to mind is working with Chat to build out our institutional business development. For example, we now sit on a large referral network that matches clients with RIAs based on individual client preference. This helps us really see how unique we are in the context of other investment advisors.

That process was a great proof of concept for how we approach projects at the firm. We place an end goal for any given project in the framework of, “How will this move the needle for clients and their wealth goals? Their sustainable investment and impact goals?” Our work in the institutional space helped clarify just how valuable and different our philosophy is in this industry.  

Are you involved with any organizations outside of Reynders?

I am an avid music lover, Newport Festivals Foundation member, and have donated to countless music organizations over the years. During the COVID lockdowns, this support was really important since a lot of touring musicians had their livelihoods upended.

I think that funding for music programs in general is always a challenge. But for me, culturally, that pushes us forward, and it's something that I want to support.  

I also am a musician myself, but I was a lot better when I had more time. I get most of my practice in by playing The Beatles on the guitar to my daughter before she goes to bed.

Tell us about a time that you got out of your personal comfort zone.

Personally, it would certainly be having a child and starting a family. My daughter, Grace, turns two in February, and we have another on the way. Balancing work and life was something I always knew was going to be hard, but it’s more challenging with two little kids running around. I’ve learned to be much more structured than I was before. But, you adapt, and it’s great.

Tell us about a time that you got out of your professional comfort zone.

The journey to become a manager at a senior level initially took me out of my comfort zone. Doing things for myself, being a hard worker, being analytical, being able to question things, that all comes easy to me. But managing people was a new skill. It’s something that we know is critically important, especially as we grow as a firm. We need senior people in the firm to be role models, to be leaders, and you really have to be a manager in order for people to trust they can go to you with questions.

Internal training and constantly assessing how we can improve has helped me get better at this over the years. We look at who we can bring in to help coach us up in areas where we want to improve, or to give us different perspectives on what does and doesn’t work. As a firm, we’re always trying to evaluate what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and what we can do better. This constant self-assessment allows us to evolve and grow.

What do you love about where you live?

I live in Quincy, Massachusetts. My wife’s parents are in Hingham, and I’m a North Shore guy, so it’s somewhat foreign to me. But I like it, it’s a lovely place. It has diverse demographics, which was something we valued when we decided where we wanted out kids to go to school. We didn’t want them just to be associated with people that look and talk exactly like them.  

What has been the highlight of your 2024 so far?

My daughter turning one is probably the highlight of the year. Watching her start to run around and talk is quite the contrast from when she was just an infant. Being able to go do stuff as a family is nice, too. We’re getting excited about starting to be able to do more things with her as the years go on. We’re really hoping she likes to ski!

DISCLOSURE: The commentary provided by an employee of Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management, LLC (“RMCM”) in the Q&A above is subject to change and represents the current, good-faith views of the employee and RMCM at the time of publication. The commentary is educational in nature these views are not intended to forecast future events or guarantee future results.