Tag: Immigration
The Healthy Advisor: Resilience, Compassion and Purpose with Kim-Ha Nguyen

The Healthy Advisor: Resilience, Compassion and Purpose with Kim-Ha Nguyen

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Born into a prosperous family in Vietnam, Kim-Ha Nguyen’s life changed dramatically when her family fled the country following the fall of Saigon. Arriving in the United States as a teenager with limited English, she watched her parents rebuild their lives through determination, sacrifice and an unwavering commitment to education. Those early experiences shaped the perspective she would carry into every stage of her life.

As she built a career in information technology, raised three children, and later transitioned into financial planning, Kim-Ha faced another defining chapter when her young son was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She learned to approach life’s hardest moments not as obstacles, but as puzzles that required patience, persistence and the willingness to accept help.

In this episode of The Healthy Advisor, host Diana Britton speaks with Kim-Ha Nguyen, senior managing director at U.S. Capital Wealth, about her journey from refugee to financial advisor, the resilience that carried her family through extraordinary challenges, and how compassion became one of the defining qualities of her work.

Kim-Ha discusses:

  • How immigrating to the United States shaped her work ethic, resilience and outlook on opportunity
  • Why her son’s brain tumor changed the way she approaches both life and her relationships with clients
  • How viewing difficult moments as puzzles helped her remain focused during periods of uncertainty
  • Why saving matters more than chasing investment returns    
  • How family, community and professional support helped her through life’s most difficult seasons and strengthened her compassion for others

Resources:

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About Our Guest:

Kim-Ha Nguyen brings more than 25 years of experience to her role as Senior Managing Director at U.S. Capital Wealth.  She specializes in advising high-net-worth clients on fee-based investment management and holistic planning, drawing on her extensive expertise to navigate complex wealth decisions and deliver strategies that achieve lasting results.  Known for her disciplined approach and long-term perspective, she has built trusted relationships that span generations. In 2025, her leadership was recognized with a nomination for Advisor of the Year (Regional – Southwest) by the InvestmentNews Excellence Awards.

Before joining U.S. Capital Wealth in 2011, Kim-Ha built a distinguished career at UBS Financial Services, where she served as Vice President of Investments for 12 years. She began her finance career in 1999, following 18 years as an IT Consultant in the Energy sector. A graduate of the University of Houston, she earned her B.S. in Computer Science, Magna Cum Laude

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Transparency With Diana B.: From Riches to Refugee

Transparency With Diana B.: From Riches to Refugee

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Many people tend to dwell on horrific experiences, making it difficult to move forward and live their lives. Others embrace the trauma, using it to build strength and a thick skin. 

In this episode of Transparency, Diana Britton, managing editor of WealthManagement.com, is joined by Kashif “Kash” Ahmed, founder and president of American Private Wealth, an advisory outside of Boston. In 1990 at the age of 17, Kash and his family found themselves at the center of Iraq’s invasion and annexation of Kuwait by Saddam Hussain’s forces, over oil pricing and production disputes. Hussain led Iraq with an iron first for several decades, and Kash’s family, including his father who was instrumental in building Kuwait’s oil industry, was at the top of his list of people to take hostage. Kash went from riches to refugee in a matter of hours. 

In this episode, you will learn:

  • About his six-week journey out of war-torn Kuwait into Pakistan
  • How Kash at a young age learned the importance of sticking to his principles
  • How he learned to embrace these traumatic experiences and be grateful for what he has
  • How he turns his adversity into strength
  • What led Kash to become a financial advisor, and how he dealt with biases against Muslims 
  • And more

Tune in now to learn how to embrace adversity and use it to build strength. 

Editor’s Note: This podcast was recorded before we found out that Kash had contracted COVID-19. Our editors have been in touch with him, and he’s recovering with no extreme symptoms. As with his experience fleeing Kuwait, he’s got a positive attitude, saying on Twitter “#COVID19 – You will not defeat me!” 

Resources:   WealthManagement.com | Diana Britton | Contact Diana | American Private Wealth

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Transparency with Diana B.: A Top Advisor’s Immigration Story

Transparency with Diana B.: A Top Advisor’s Immigration Story

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As a young girl growing up in Egypt, Laila Pence was very well off; her family lived in a seven-bedroom mansion in Suez. But all of that was taken away in almost an instant, when the Israeli army bombed her village during the Six-Day War. Struggling to survive, her family decided to emigrate to the U.S., but only Laila and her mother were able to go at first. The transition would not be easy; Laila grappled with drastically different weather, not knowing the language and making friends in a foreign land.

In this episode of Transparency, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton, is joined by Laila Pence, president of Pence Wealth Management in Newport Beach, Calif., who shares her life journey, how she overcame adversity and how her struggles shaped who she is today. Her family lost everything in terms of wealth, and as an immigrant, a woman and English-as-a-second-language speaker, she felt she had three strikes against her. But she is, perhaps, the poster child of the American Dream. Now, she manages an advisory firm with over $1.5 billion in client assets. She achieved it by working hard, focusing on her passion, and not listening to the biases out there.   

In this episode, you will learn:

  • The story of Laila’s childhood and experience as an immigrant in New York.
  • How Laila was able to overcome adversity and rise above.
  • Who supported Laila in her journey to becoming a financial advisor.
  • Laila’s struggles being a woman and having a child in this industry and how she overcame those.
  • Her advice for other folks struggling to adapt to a new country.
  • And more.

 Tune in now to hear how Laila used her perseverance and grit to become a top financial advisor in the U.S.

 Resources:   WealthManagement.com | Diana Britton | Contact Diana | Pence Wealth Management

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