Get to know Reed Walters CIMA®, MBA
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? Any hobbies or interests that might surprise your colleagues?
It may sound funny, but one of my hobbies is doing research on stocks and managing investment portfolios. They say “if you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work,” and as the Senior Portfolio Manager at Acumen, I’m fortunate my professional and personal interests overlap.
Outside of investing, I’ve spent the last 20 years training for and competing in triathlons of all distances, including completing three full‑distance Ironman races. I’ve always enjoyed pushing myself, and the combination of swimming, biking, and running certainly delivers that challenge.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received and why?
The best advice I’ve ever received is that “success is destroyed by comparison.” It’s absolutely true. There will always be someone stronger, faster, or more accomplished. If my sense of happiness depended on where I stand relative to others, disappointment would be inevitable. My happiness is rooted in who I am, my faith, and the relationships I have with my family and closest friends. This mindset has shaped how I define both success and fulfillment.
What motivates you?
My motivations have evolved over time. In my younger years, I was driven by the pursuit of success. As I’ve grown older, my focus has shifted toward living a life of significance.
Today, I’m motivated by being a positive influence in my family’s lives, spending time as a grandfather, giving back to the community, and mentoring the young professionals on my investment team. And of course, I’m still focused on delivering strong, consistent results for clients over time.
What are you most proud of in life or your career?
I am most proud of my family and the time I’ve invested in my community. I’ve been married to a wonderful woman for 33 years and together we’ve raised four children, with our youngest now finishing her senior year of college, and we were recently blessed with a grandson.
I’ve also had the privilege of coaching all of my children in lacrosse and spent 15 years coaching both boys’ and girls’ teams at the middle school and high school levels. In addition, I’ve spent more than a decade teaching and mentoring young married couples. Across all of these experiences it has been incredibly rewarding to watch people mature and grow – and to recognize how much I’ve grown right alongside them.