Julia Hanlon
Vice President – Senior Personal Trust Officer
6430 Bridge Road, Monona
jhanlon@lakeridge.bank
(608) 826-3569
Q: What is your role at the bank? What are some things that you help bank customers with?
I joined Lake Ridge Bank in August 2023 to oversee the trust and fiduciary aspects of our Wealth Management Team. I came from a law practice specializing in trust law and estate planning. It’s funny because when I was in college, I thought I would work in sports and entertainment law, but when I started working with estate planning clients and their families, something just clicked. My role is to meet with clients and get to know you in order to thoroughly understand your estate plan and goals of your trust documents. I then serve as the trustee and/or estate administrator to carry out your intentions, handle all required practical and legal steps, including filing tax returns, and serve as a resource for your loved ones.
Q: What is something you really enjoy about your work?
I was immediately drawn to the fact that Lake Ridge Bank is truly a community organization. I want my clients to feel the devotion of their community in the hardest times of their lives. In truth, it can be overwhelming to think about your own mortality and what happens after you’re gone, but my hope is that our time together makes people feel uplifted and positive and confident in their choices and plans. Then I also work with the client’s family when they are in the midst of grieving, and my goal is to take some weight off their shoulders by not only administering the estate, but by serving as a connection to that lost loved one when I share their intentions and joy involved in leaving a legacy behind. I believe that giving equal weight to competency and compassion will transform the industry into a place of connectedness and local relationships rather than a difficult task people check off their list during that stage of life. It’s my goal to make every single person I come into contact with feel special and uniquely important because that’s sincerely how I see them.
Q: Do you have a philosophy of life?
I think my philosophy of life is to play the hand you’re dealt with confidence and find ways to lean into your strengths rather than fight against the inevitable. Fun fact: I am 6 feet 4 inches tall. My height has always kind of created this feeling of automatic authority – warranted or not – my entire life. So, I learned at a very young age that I could either hide behind this easy access to leadership or I could embrace the responsibility that comes with society’s ingrained expectation of leadership from someone like me who takes up some space. I chose to learn all I could about exceptional leadership and step into that expected role with some confidence and competence. In truth, I love being tall. It seems to afford me permission to be vulnerable and authentic in a unique way because I really cannot hide in a crowd. Since I’ve often been thrust into leadership roles, I made two promises to myself. First, I am committed to always being the most prepared person in any room to give myself the conviction to push back if something doesn’t sound right. Second, I have decided to let myself ask all the awkward questions and lead conversations about sensitive topics. The feedback has been tremendously positive, with people sharing that they get so much out of these deeper discussions. My goal is to help everyone around me feel welcome, relaxed and comfortable.
Q: Do you have any favorites to recommend (book, movie, etc.)?
Psychologist Angela Duckworth wrote a wonderful book called “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.” That book provides a word that I identify with at my core. I believe I have grit. In addition to an innate sense of determination, I am very curious about everything and everyone. I love to learn. People often joke that I lack the ability to rest, but the truth is that I’m just so interested in what the world has to offer, and I get excited to see what’s next. My motto when things get hard is to not resist it, just fix it.
