Marilyn (Aiello) Rowland '03 likes hands-on financial research.

That's what she thought she'd be doing in her first job out of college as an associate portfolio manager. After three months, she realized the job involved more paper pushing than financial research.

"So I quit-without another job," says Rowland, who today is a senior research analyst of U.S. equities at Watson Wyatt Worldwide in Stamford, Conn. "If I didn't take that first job, it wouldn't have led me to the exact career I have today."

Rowland believes success requires some risk and fearlessness. "I remember being petrified the first time I had to sit at a big oak table," says Rowland. She had been asked to give her first presentation when she was a 22-year-old investment analyst for USI Consulting Group in Glastonbury, Conn.

"I thought, what am I going to say that these people who have 30-plus years of experience don't already
know?" recalls Rowland. After a few questions from the CEO, she understood that while he knew his business, he didn't necessarily know the intricacies of hers. "I realized I had something to bring to the table," she says.

Rowland worked her way up the corporate ladder and now works on a team of six, analyzing institutional portfolio managers to make sure they are doing their jobs and have sound investment philosophies. She also interviews portfolio managers at their offices. "That's where I can kick the tires and see if what they are saying is really happening."

Although she respects the portfolio managers, she still asks the tough questions on behalf of her clients.
Today, her clients are watching losses more closely. She's quick to put those declines in the context of a weak economy. She remains upbeat about investing.

"You're buying stocks at values you haven't seen since the '70s." If you're willing to take a risk, there are opportunities, she says.