Finding a wealth of success: Ylo sisters go from Purdue HHS standouts to financial planning professionals

Written By: Rebecca Hoffa, rhoffa@purdue.edu

As Purdue University financial counseling and planning alumnae, Alexandra Ylo Wadas (HHS ’17) and Jillian Ylo (HHS ’20) took the same path in the College of Health and Human Sciences (HHS), from their courses and professors to both excelling as the 2017 and 2020 Outstanding Seniors for the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Now, both have found success in the financial planning industry, with Ylo Wadas working as a senior investment analyst for Retirement Income Solutions and Ylo working as a portfolio manager for Bridges Trust. The two stay connected in different states, remaining ever grateful for their Boilermaker accolades.

“Of all the people, to have me and my sister both get the Outstanding Senior recognition, that’s very cool,” Ylo Wadas said. “Just knowing we had that honor together is a fun legacy the Ylo family can hang onto.”

Ylo Wadas currently resides in California and works remotely for Retirement Income Solutions, which is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After eight years with the company, she noted she enjoys the work and connections it has brought her. During those eight years, she received a promotion as well as a wealth of experience in trading and investment planning.

“I found that I really like doing the technical work versus the client-facing work,” Ylo Wadas said. “It’s nice to know that even though I can’t have the full face-to-face connections with everyone that I’m still a really valuable part of the team and that they still are continuing to put their effort and time into me.”

Ylo currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska, for her work at Bridges Trust. Similar to her sister, she builds portfolio reports and analyzes client data to inform the relationship manager’s work with the company’s clients. In addition to receiving her Certified Financial Planner® credential, by which Purdue’s major is accredited, Ylo also received her Certified Private Wealth Advisor® certification and has also received a promotion from when she began as a portfolio analyst.

“Purdue is a great place where you learn how to learn,” Ylo said. “I think you can see it when you walk around campus: We all have a very similar motivation to do our best and take a lot of pride in what we aspire to do. That kind of mentality has stayed with me throughout my career.”

While the Ylo sisters each had their own extracurriculars, friendships and experiences at Purdue, they spent the 2016-17 academic year on campus together, often spending Sunday dinners together and going to Purdue men’s basketball games, including the Big Ten championship game that year.

“It was fun that we could have time together and build a different relationship than we had as siblings living at home with our family,” Ylo Wadas said. “We could be more adult together. We didn’t see each other all the time, and that allowed us to grow as individuals too and form a different relationship.”

For Ylo, the recognition and lessons learned at Purdue continue with her as a working professional, reminding her of the success that comes with hard work.

“It’s nice to show what I accomplished during my four years at Purdue,” Ylo said. “It shows that hard work does pay off. It was a great to have the Outstanding Senior distinction and something to work toward.”

For Ylo Wadas, who was also an HHS Student Ambassador as an undergraduate, HHS provided her a sense of home and connection within a large university, and she still fondly remembers the faculty and staff members throughout the college who helped shape her into a successful graduate.

“HHS in particular set us up in a way where I really felt like I had a good community and where I was very close with a lot of people,” Ylo Wadas said. “We were in a big university, but it often felt small where we were situated.”

As Ylo Wadas and Ylo continue to find success in their respective careers, they remain Boilermakers through and through.

“We are very big fans of Purdue and have a lot of pride for our school,” Ylo said. “That’s something that will stay with us forever. Graduating with a degree from Purdue is very humbling, and it’s awesome that we will have this with us for the rest of our lives.”