Five Questions With: Paul Jacobs, Managing Vice President
Paul assumed the role of managing vice president in 2023 after joining our executive team as a vice president in 2017. He began his career at Palisades Hudson in the Northeast in 2002 and moved to Atlanta in 2008 to establish the firm’s office there. As managing vice president, Paul oversees the entirety of the firm’s client service operations; he also continues to work directly with clients across the country.
1. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
My parents and I still laugh at what happened during my elementary school graduation ceremony: Every child had to go up in front of the audience and say their name and what they wanted to do for a living when they grew up. Most boys said they wanted to be professional athletes, lawyers or doctors, but I said my name was Paul Jacobs and I wanted to be a CPA when I grew up. My uncle was a CPA and I always idolized him, although I didn’t know what an accountant actually did until I got older. Fast forward to today and I’m a Certified Financial Planner™, although many people assume I’m a CPA (there’s plenty of overlapping knowledge). My grandmother was a CPA too; it runs in the family I guess.
photo courtesy Paul Jacobs
2. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve watched recently?
I recently finished the last season of Atlanta, an FX show that also streams on Hulu. It’s a hard show to explain; I’d say it’s a surreal comedy, and there’s nothing else on TV like it. It should be required viewing for everyone who lives in Atlanta! While I enjoy watching TV, I learned during the pandemic to stop a show or movie if it starts feeling like a waste of time — there are more shows than anyone can possibly watch, and life’s too short to watch bad TV.
3. If you’re a sports fan, what teams have your loyalty?
Growing up in New York, I became a Yankees fan due to one man: Rickey Henderson, who batted leadoff and set the all-time record for stolen bases in the major leagues. While the Yankees weren’t very good while he played there in the 1980s, they’ve always been a fun team to root for. Since I moved to Atlanta, I have also become a Braves fan, but with the Yankees in the American League and the Braves in the National League, I’ve learned it's possible to root for two teams without much drama. Living in Atlanta, I have learned that as long as you never mention 1996 or 1999, when the Yankees beat the Braves in the World Series, everything is just fine.
4. If you have a pet, what kind? What is their name and how long have you had them?
photo courtesy Paul Jacobs
We have two dogs: Richie is a 12-year-old Shinese (part shih tzu, part Pekingese; we had him take a doggie DNA test, because we had no idea what he was) and Fifi is a 2-year-old poodle. Both are rescues. We actually found Richie in our backyard about six years ago, and during the period when we tried every way possible to find his owner (and failed each time), the kids fell in love with him. Fifi is a newer addition to our family; we rescued her after a breeder gave her away because she refused to breed. She’s an independent-minded dog!
5. Did you pick up any habits during pandemic lockdown, and if so, are you still doing them?
I started drinking coffee during the pandemic — with two young boys at home, I came to the conclusion there was just no natural way to get through lockdown. While I’m proud that I never needed coffee for school or for work, the pandemic forced us all to adapt to new circumstances. My hope is that when my kids get older, I’ll be able to stop drinking coffee, but my two-cup-a-day habit isn’t going anywhere for now.
