Life of a Financial Advisor: Mashal Shaikh Talks Career, Food and Fun
- Amy Russo
- Mar 21, 2016
- 3 min read

Mashal Shaikh, a recent graduate of Pace University’s Lubin School of Business MBA program, has spent the past four months working at McAdam Financial, balancing a new career and her life in the city. During an interview at her West Village residence, Shaikh presented a look into the challenges of her work and how she spends her time off the job.
You recently finished you MBA and now you’re working as a financial advisor. What made you decide to enter a career in wealth management?
“I really like finance. I really like following the markets and the analysis, but I wanted to combine that with helping people in a very practical and real way and I found that the firm that I work for, we’re very consultative and it’s almost like working with the client and putting the client’s needs above all else is a core tenant of the company. It really was just combining working with different people and then the people skills with the analytical side of finance.”
What has been the greatest challenge of your career so far?
“Definitely just adapting to the different types of communication styles that you’ll encounter because I think sometimes you need to figure out exactly what a person means and where they’re coming from from what they’re saying and there are different types of personalities so just knowing how to guide and direct the different personalities can be tricky. It’s about communicating well.”
You’re also a foodie. If you had a second career, do you think you might be a chef?
“Yeah, I think I could be maybe the sous chef. I think it’d be really fun!”
Do you have a favorite spot to eat in the city?
“I really like French bakery type places. Epicerie Boulud. I love Epicerie Boulud. And another place that I really like to go is Vapiano’s. It’s a great place to grab a quick bite and it’s always good. It never disappoints. I really like Sotto 13. Really nice, different lamb, desserts.”
When you’re not working, what are you up to? Any hobbies you’re interested in?
“I read Urdu poetry and I also take Arabic grammar, so I like languages a lot. I like meeting new people. I’m usually either reading or going out and meeting new people.”
What are your thoughts on the current political discourse? Any opinion on the upcoming election?
“I think the Republican candidates, it’s a little bit of a charlie foxtrot. They keep offending people and even any voter who’s a conservative or who’s a little bit towards the right, I don’t really see much of a choice in terms of who they would vote for because every candidate...they offend people. They’re not tactful. In terms of the Democratic side, I think Bernie Sanders is probably the best hope for our economy, however, it seems like Hillary’s leading in the polls and I will say I think that if Hillary was a man, people would vote for her, no doubt, but because she’s a woman, she gets a little bit of backlash, so I think that says something about the larger society.”
What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
“I’m a little bit of a closet a**hole. I think phrasing things tactfully is always an art and it’s one that sometimes I find myself lacking. I think that’s something I’m trying to work on.”
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