A diversified educational portfolio

When Gina Martin Adams (BSBA ’98) first came to the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida, finance was not what she expected to spend her time studying, much less make a career out of. In fact, she initially decided to pursue marketing as a major.

It wasn’t until taking Dr. Joel Houston’s Introduction to Finance class that she discovered her true passion for the subject.

Almost 20 years later, Martin Adams has dedicated her career to the finance industry, researching its movements and trends.

“My first finance course changed my perspective on what I wanted to do,” she said. “However, everything I learned [at UF] set me up for career success. I got a lot of great exposure and the chance to choose from a lot of opportunities. The sheer size of UF ultimately gave me exposure to a lot of different things.”

After Martin Adams graduated, she went into a management training program at what was then First Union, now Wells Fargo. There, she was exposed to various components of asset management, further deepening her passion for finance. Upon completing the program, she continued to work for Well Fargo, most recently as the head of U.S. Equity Strategy for 10 years.

Martin Adams is now the Chief Equity Strategist for Bloomberg Intelligence, where she researches and analyzes the U.S. equity market to create investment ideas for Bloomberg clients – a great fit for her educational background in finance and marketing.

“The best investment idea in the world will go unnoticed without an effort to market that idea to clients,” she said.

In addition to her impressive resume, Martin Adams holds designations as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), a credential for investment and financial professionals, and a Chartered Market Technician (CMT), a credential in the technical analysis of financial markets – a combination not often seen.

“There’s incredible diversity in what I do,” she said. “It’s a lot about finding where finance and marketing meet.”

As with Martin Adams’ education at the Warrington College of Business, the exposure in her professional life to various ways of understanding finance and its trends has given her incredible success in her career. It’s also what she recommends students do while in school.

“Get as much exposure to as many things as you can,” she said. “And don’t get so focused on one idea of what you want to do. Being open to any and all prospects ultimately landed me where I am, and I couldn’t be happier.”

The other bit of advice she has for students? It’s financial advice, of course.

“Buy stocks and keep on buying them,” she said. “The more you buy, the better off you will be.”

Follow Martin Adams on Twitter for her latest financial insights.