About
Elizabeth M. Ruch, CFP Board Emeritus™, CPBC was a financial advisor with Waddell & Reed for over 35 years before retiring in 2017. Her passion for assisting people to better understand and define that they want to accomplish in their lives led her to create e4 Strategies, her consulting firm. The firm is designed to educate, encourage, engage, and empower people to live their lives to the fullest and follow their paths based on their values, needs and concerns.
While at Waddell & Reed, Elizabeth took her clients from the “Old World” of confusion, fear, and uncertainty into the “New World” of confidence, certainty, and control over their financial affairs. She was a well-respected advisor often asked to consult with the home office marketing, financial planning divisions in various capacities including creating marketing materials, financial planning tools, writing seminars and workshops for the field. Elizabeth was asked to be a speaker, lead workshops and breakout sessions at national company meetings and often was invited to regional meetings to be a key presenter. Over the years she qualified for The President’s Council, Circle of Champions and Crest Awards. Elizabeth was selected to receive the 7C’s award in 2015. This is her most treasured award since it is given annually to one advisor who is nominated and selected by their peers to best exemplify the 7C’s of Waddell & Reed’s culture: Clients, Character, Commitment, Convergence, Creation, Competitiveness, and Camaraderie .
In her last years as an advisor Elizabeth expanded her practice to working with professional athletes. Working with agents in San Diego, she acquired several retired and current players in the NFL. She quickly immersed herself in the NFL culture through her membership in the NFLPA and as an advisor to NFLPA Retired Players Association in San Diego.
Her passion in life is to support clients to create personal roadmaps by identifying their values and goals, by defining what they want to accomplish in their lifetimes. Utilizing a friendly, warm approach, Elizabeth works to develop unique plans for the client, considering their individual style, economic conditions and changing life patterns. By focusing on cultivating close relationships she helps the client to become “Long Term Thinkers not Short Term Worriers”. When she retired she gave her clients “101 Thinks I Have Learned Along The Way” a book she wrote containing a compilation of thoughts, ideas, motivations and inspirations as well as some of life’s little lessons that inspired her with the hopes they would inspire and empower them.
Since retirement Elizabeth has been busy working with the Copley Price YMCA creating and implementing a program for teenage girls (ages 13-18) to provide them with the tools to empower them to create meaningful lives through healthy choices, self-awareness, mindfulness, movement, comraderies and community involvement. Their motto “Stand Tall…Be Strong…. Use Your Voice” epitomized the principles of the YStrong Girls Program.
She works with Urban Life of San Diego in their teen girl internship program. Elizabeth has created and presented to their cohorts a class “Can It! Bag It!”, an introduction to managing their money and investing as a beginner.
She has always believed in giving back to her community by joining and serving on the boards of various organizations. Elizabeth is a graduate of LEAD San Diego (’88) where she was one of 60 community members selected to collaborate across the industries and issues affecting San Diego to positively impact her community and our county. Her volunteer experience has included but is by no means limited to:
Education, Certifications, and Boards:
- S. Marketing
Virginia Commonwealth University - A. Marketing
Virginia Intermont College - Certificate in Sports Philanthropy
George Washington University - Designations: CFPB, CFP®, CMFC®, CAP®
- Marshal Faulk Foundation
Board of Directors - Chula Vista Presbyterian Church
Elder - Presbytery of San Diego
Finance Committee - Rotary International
President of Old Mission Rotary - Art Pratt Foundation
Board of Directors - Women In Business, International
President and Board of Directors - Junior Achievement
Business Volunteer of the Arts - Old Globe Theater
Globe Guilder - San Diego Zoological Society
- Girl Scouts of America
- American Cancer Society
Legacy and Planned Giving Council - Copley Price YMCA
Board of Directors - Navy Relief
- Naval Officers Wives Club
- Financial Planning Association
(San Diego Chapter); President and Board of Directors - Women in Financial Services
- Women in International Trade
- NAIFA
- Athletes and Executives
- NAWBO San Diego Chapter
- Partnership in Philanthropy
Elizabeth has been featured in Barrons, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Investment News, Registered Representative, San Diego Magazine, The San Diego Business Journal, Ebony Magazine, and appeared on the local NBC affiliate, KFMB and KPOP radio.
Elizabeth is married to Wayne Mayer, a retired attorney. Her daughter, son-in-law and two daughters live nearby giving her plenty of time to be a grandmother! She is an avid swimmer, racewalker (completed several marathons) and enjoys reading, needlepoint and breadmaking. When she and Wayne are not traveling, they split their time between their homes in San Diego and Bocas del Toro, Panama.