Catch up with Christen

Christen Sando, registered investment advisor representative, joined Columbia Asset in 2010. She was born and raised in Kokomo, Indiana, and attended Indiana University in Bloomington, where she graduated with a B.S. in Kinesiology. In 2010, she moved to Ann Arbor with her husband, Ian, where he began his residency at U of M. Christen joined Columbia shortly after their move, and has been part of the team ever since. After Ian finished his residency in the summer of 2017, Christen, Ian, and their two boys, Parker, five, and Eli, 18 months, moved to California where Ian completed a microsurgery fellowship at Stanford, though Christen remained an integral part of our team, working remotely from the “land of sunshine” (good gig, huh?). Christen and her family will be moving back to Indiana this fall, where she will continue working remotely for Columbia, additionally coming into the office a few days every month. In her free time not spent with her boys, she enjoys reading books, playing tennis, gardening, writing nonsensical yet well-rhymed poems to her coworkers, and finding good TV shows/movies. Her favorite thing, though, is just being with her family and friends.

What’s your favorite part of working at Columbia?

I’m a people person, so my favorite part of working at Columbia is my coworkers and being able to call them my friends. We manage to have a good time in the office with many laughs, while also getting work done. I also enjoy following the market, researching companies for bond suggestions, and helping clients meet their overall investment goals.

Favorite California activity?

There are so many fun and interesting things to do in California, but my favorites are visiting the redwood parks, going to the beach (especially when we can find tide pools full of spectacular sea creatures), visiting San Francisco, and wine-tasting in Napa. We also did some skiing at Lake Tahoe, hiking in Yosemite National Park, and took our five-year-old boy whale watching in the Monterey Bay.

Favorite movie?

My favorite movie is Steel Magnolias. It has been since I was little girl, and I’m not sure why, because it’s a sad movie in the end, but I just love the bond, laughter, and support among the women and it always makes me giggle. Plus, it has Dolly Parton – enough said.

Favorite vacation destination?

Elk Lake in Michigan. My family has been going there for generations and it is my favorite place to be.

What would your job be if you weren’t working in finance?

Brian and I would make a fabulous morning show team, similar to Kelly and Ryan, only Christen and Brian. Other members of the office may disagree, but they won’t be guests on our morning show.