With over 30 years of experience in her profession, Genevieve Mar is a Northbrook, Illinois, financial services industry executive who emphasizes a caring, no-pressure approach to portfolio planning. Affiliated with an independent brokerage firm that provides her with investment flexibility, she closely engages with clients to structure retirement plans for long-term needs. Genevieve Mar also devises pathways of passing on wealth to loved ones and creatively folding charitable giving into wealth management.
Originally from the Philippines, Ms. Mar emigrated to Canada in her early teens and completed an undergraduate degree in biochemistry at the University of British Columbia. She subsequently completed an MBA in finance at Simon Fraser University and presently holds insurance licenses across 13 states. Before establishing her own firm, Ms. Mar worked in locales such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Spain & Italy with a focus on business contract negotiations and logistics for the import of auto parts, furniture, and porcelain.
Community giving is a vital part of Ms. Mar’s identity, and she helps feed the underserved in the local area each Thanksgiving with the North Suburban Evangelical Free Church. As chair of the Project Share effort, she and her team filled more than 1,500 baskets in 2025.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I usually start the day with a workout. That gives me renewed energy and a clear mind. I have breakfast, then off to work.
Typically, I try to read market reports/news before market opens. Review my schedule for the day. Start my meetings. Typically, I check the market throughout the day in between appointments.
How do you bring ideas to life?
When I get a new idea, implementation starts by interviewing people who can help me with further ideas or details. I then start reading up about this idea and doing research on options. By this time, I should have a good idea of pros and cons and risk/rewards. I almost always run a worst-case scenario to see whether the downside is worth the risk. If I decide to move forward, then a game plan and timeline is planned out.
What’s one trend that excites you?
The AI trends excite and freak me out—all at once. It is exciting to see how AI can change our lives and its overall efficiency. But I fear that we will become overly dependent on computers and stagnate our brains.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
The AI trends excite and freak me out—all at once. It is exciting to see how AI can change our lives and its overall efficiency. But I fear that we will become overly dependent on computers and stagnate our brains.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to boldly go for your dreams without holding back. I find myself being overly cautious with my new ideas. In the end, this is probably what slowed down the progress of reaching my goals.
Tell us something you believe that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Contrary to what many believe, I believe that hard work is more important than natural talent. Most people are fascinated by naturally gifted individuals, but I’ve found that people who show up every day, keep learning, and improve incrementally often outperform those who rely solely on talent. This was evident to me in watching my kids play sports.
My daughter was in a highly competitive synchronized ice-skating team where there are 20 girls rostered on the team but only 16 get to compete. Unlike most other sports, there is no substitution, i.e., you are either going to compete or not at all. So, there is a constant battle for a permanent spot. I have noticed time and time again that those girls that worked the hardest at group practice, practice on their own, do off-ice training and conditioning, etc. are often the ones picked to compete over ones that have obvious raw talents that can do amazing skating maneuvers as an individual skater.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Work hard… play hard. I believe in living life to the fullest all the time. So, when I work, I work to the utmost. And when I play, I really play.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
More than not, I am multitasking and working on multiple projects at a time. When I am starting to feel overwhelmed, I take a step back and work on something else. Common diversions include exercising, watching a show, eating, and walking the dog. Then I come back to the task at hand refreshed and renewed.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Years ago, I reached a stagnant point in my business, in terms of productivity and production. A very wise coach told me I needed to delegate my tasks. My only focus should be on tasks that directly deal with clients or are income generating. So, I hired an assistant to alleviate me from the mundane tasks—tasks such as appointment setting, generating paperwork, etc. and only focused on tasks that would directly grow the business.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I follow this market analysis program called Dorsey Wright. This program helps me evaluate equities and fixed income using point and figure charting. I thoroughly enjoy doing market analyses and am intrigued by the complexity of the whole market economic system, so this not only helps me with my business, but it invigorates me to learn how the market works.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I recently got a head spa treatment where they scrub and massage your scalp and deep cleanse your hair follicles. I got out of that treatment like a new person. That head treatment cleared my mind.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
My all-time favorite book to read is the Bible. This is the only book that I know of that stood the test of time and never gets outdated. The Bible is considered by Christians the inspired Word of God because it claims to be “God-breathed.” I have read it multiple times cover to cover—and yet when I read the same passage, I glean new things from it. This book has a way of inspiring me in different ways depending on what life stage I am in.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I like inspiring movies based on real life. One such movie I saw recently was called “Only The Brave.” This film was about the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an elite crew of firefighters from Arizona, and their journey to achieving that elite status and their ultimate battle against the deadly 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire, which resulted in the death of 19 crew members. This movie was very inspiring to me as it demonstrated profound lessons on comradery, sacrifice, and leadership. It showed how a group of dedicated men found strength in trust, purpose in duty, and resilience through shared hardship. Although it was a tragic ending, it showed how people can rise above life’s disasters and continue living a life that is worthy of a legacy in memory to those we have lost. Such is life…
Key learnings
- Execution of ideas starts with collaboration, knowledge, and research to explore the idea further and identify options.
- Regular engagement in activities like games, workbooks, and puzzles that stimulate the brain support cognitive function and mental health.
- Hard work and practice are more valuable and will get you further than natural talent alone.
- Learning to delegate so you can focus on income-generating tasks will improve productivity, enhance production, and advance career objectives better than trying to take on everything.