20 Alex Shahidi

Most financial advisors enjoy the sales aspect of their jobs, but self-described "student of the markets" Alex Shahidi brings a definite analytical mind to the table. After law school at UC Hastings -"I didn't go to practice law, I wanted to expand the way I thought"-Shahidi, who had interned at Merrill Lynch, joined its private banking team. Not a natural salesman, he depends on deep knowledge for his confidence. In his early days, when most new hires were working the phones trying to establish relationships, Shahidi spent his time reading whatever he could find about asset management. It must have stuck. Now he's the team's investment expert, lending oversight into allocation across the gamut of asset classes. In addition to the assets under custody with Merrill, there is an additional $10 billion under custody with other shops, from Northern Rock to Schwab to Vanguard.