We’re excited to welcome Jake Ifshin, the newest Investment Advisor Representative on the Horizons team. Here’s his introduction, in his own words:
I am thrilled to join the team at Horizons Sustainable Financial Services as an Investment Advisor! When I learned that a couple of fellow St. John’s graduates were running a socially responsible investment firm in Santa Fe, I felt like I had to get involved. The opportunity at Horizons to combine my passions for investing, regenerative business, and education is a great fit for me. I am grateful for the opportunity to be of service to our clients and to be part of the movement reimagining finance. I believe it is critical that we redirect the power of our money towards addressing the major challenges of our time, while still building enough wealth to care for our own needs and the needs of our families.
I bring a diverse set of professional experiences to my work at Horizons. Before I shifted my focus to finance, I worked as a teacher, social entrepreneur, non-profit director, podcaster, and professional poker player. I spent the first part of my career in Washington, DC as a full-time teacher specializing in early childhood education. I ran a successful garden program at my school, and fell in love with the process of growing my own food and sharing the joy of the gardening experience with others. I eventually transitioned into being the executive director of a local non-profit called Everybody Grows. We built and managed gardens at fire stations, nursing homes, schools, churches, and synagogues. While directing the non-profit, I started my own business called Engaged Ecology in order to serve corporate clients such as the Discovery Channel, Senior Lifestyle Corporation, and Camp Ramah. My team and I designed custom garden and nature experiences. A few of the highlights from my business were running a rooftop garden program at Discovery’s corporate headquarters and creating an accessible garden for seniors filled with mobile, wheelchair accessible raised beds.
I have always enjoyed strategy games, and since college, I have been a serious poker player. When Covid-19 caused a pause in my garden business, I found success playing poker professionally. Poker funded many avenues of personal growth and travel, including 50 episodes of my podcast. Although I enjoyed the freedom and excitement poker provided, I began to feel the need to seek out a different type of challenge in my career and a path that allowed me to be of greater service.
My experience as a social entrepreneur led me to seek out progressive business and financial education. I completed the Next Economy MBA by LIFT Economy in 2019, and learned financial and management skills required to operate a small business. I began investing on my own in companies that I thought were innovating and creating solutions. I learned how much of our retirement savings and collective wealth in this country are passively managed and wind up funding companies that are acting in immoral and irresponsible ways. Despite this early progress, investing both profitably and responsibly was challenging. I now see that I could have used a socially responsible investment advisor to help manage the ethical considerations of investing, to assess potential investments, and to help develop a long-term strategy.
I am so happy to now be able to help others with the investment advice and support I needed. I passed the Series 65 Uniform Investor Law Exam in May of 2024 and started officially at Horizons in September. It’s been an honor to learn the industry from Johann Klaassen, who has been a leader at the forefront of SRI for over 23 years, and whose deep-thinking and passion I so admire.
Last year, I moved back to New Mexico with my partner Erin. We spend part of the year in Austin, Texas for her job, and we love both places. In my free time, I enjoy being outdoors hiking, biking, and skiing. Games, music, and reading round out my hobbies, so feel free to challenge me to a new game or recommend a book or artist.
Thanks for learning about me and good luck on your personal investing journey!
