When Levi Pettit first stepped into his role as an enterprise risk management analyst at Independent Financial, he couldn’t have predicted that his career would lead him to managing investments for a first-generation family office. Yet this unexpected path has shaped his vision for the future of personalized financial services.

“One thing my first boss told me has always stuck with me,” Pettit recalls. “‘You think you have a college degree and know everything now, but that’s not the case. You need to realize you will need to continue learning for the rest of your career.'” This advice would prove prophetic as Pettit navigated multiple transitions in the financial sector.

Levi Pettit’s Journey Through Financial Services

After graduating magna cum laude from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2018 with dual degrees in finance and economics, Levi Pettit began his career in traditional banking. From Independent Financial, he moved to Veritex Bank as a credit analyst, building a strong foundation in commercial lending and risk assessment.

The pivot point in his career came during a casual lunch with his former internship boss from the oil and gas industry. “We were just catching up,” Pettit explains. “I told him I was studying for the CFA, and he mentioned wanting to diversify away from oil and gas. He had deal flow coming to his desk but didn’t have time to manage it while running his oil and gas company.”

This conversation led to Pettit’s role as an investment associate at a first-generation, single-family office, where he would spend four years managing private equity and venture capital investments. The experience proved transformative, offering insights into how high-net-worth individuals approach both traditional and alternative investments.

The Future of Wealth Management

Currently pursuing an MBA at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, Pettit sees opportunities to innovate in the wealth management space. His experience in both traditional banking and family office management has revealed a gap in the market for personalized financial services.

“I really felt like this is a business model I can build out because of my background of working in a family office,” he says, discussing his plans to enter the registered investment advisor space. His vision involves bringing family office-level service to multiple high-net-worth individuals, essentially functioning as an outsourced family office.

The evolution of the financial industry, including the rise of remote work since the COVID-19 pandemic, hasn’t changed Pettit’s belief in the value of personal interaction. “People coming out of undergrad who want to pursue finance may find remote work attractive,” he acknowledges. “However, it’s important for those in entry-level positions to seek opportunities where they can be face-to-face with people every single day.”

This emphasis on personal connection aligns with his experience in the family office environment, where direct communication fostered better decision-making. “It never felt like I had to talk to a boss, who had to talk to their boss, who had to talk to somebody else’s boss,” he reflects. “I could be completely open and honest to even the managing partner about what was going on.”

Looking ahead, Pettit’s career trajectory offers insights into the evolving landscape of financial services. His journey from traditional banking through family office management to his current MBA pursuit suggests that success in finance comes not just from technical expertise, but from the ability to identify and act on emerging opportunities.

For professionals considering similar transitions, Pettit’s experience demonstrates the value of building a strong foundation in traditional finance before pursuing more specialized roles. His story also highlights how maintaining an openness to unexpected opportunities—like that pivotal lunch meeting—can lead to transformative career moves in the financial sector.