Profile

Financial Advisor / Wealth Management

Finance

B2B DC

B2B Visitor Liaison

You can see my online bio here: https://www.bernstein.com/our-team/locations/washington-dc/darren-kataja.htmlConverting Complexity into Clarity and ConfidenceSuccess and wealth bring complexity that extends beyond the portfolio. As a trusted advisor, I help clients create and execute plans that will make money meaningful for generations to come.How have your values and personal background uniquely positioned you to work with your clients?My childhood offered a view into atypical gender roles. My mom was an ER physician and a trailblazer as one of the first women to graduate from UCONN’s ER program. My dad put his career aspirations aside to focus on the kids. My parents ensured that my sister and I appreciated the value of goal-setting and hard work. We were taught never to lose sight of the honor of sacrificing for the betterment of others.I have also experienced a range of emotions connected to inheriting sudden wealth. When my grandfather died and named me as a direct beneficiary in his estate plan, it was a surprise to everyone involved. I was 21 and unprepared. I felt immensely grateful with a deep sense of responsibility and fear of messing it up. I resolved these feelings by making financial advising my career.My experience as an unprepared beneficiary enables me to connect meaningfully with current and future wealth stewards. What inspired you to join Bernstein?I worked for six years at a large regional bank as an advisor to high-net-worth families and business owners. My role at the bank was expansive and allowed me to develop a foundation of expertise across all areas of finance including investments, mortgages and credit solutions, risk management and insurance, financial planning, and estate planning.Given Bernstein’s sole focus on managing client investments, joining the firm was an obvious choice for me. As a Bernstein advisor, I can deliver unbiased advice while leveraging the broad foundation of subject matter expertise I’ve built during my career.Which book had the most profound impact on you and why?Reading Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman changed the way I understood myself and the way I seek to understand other people. That sense of understanding and awareness has made me a better advisor. Advice in the absence of understanding is just noise.

Bernstein Private Wealth Management

Vice President - Financial Advisor

800 Connecticut Ave NW Suite 1100

Washington

District of Columbia

20006

Bernstein Private Wealth Management helps you invest with intention. Our holistic approach gives clients access to experts across investment management, wealth and estate planning, and family engagement services, building an agile team that molds to your needs, provides coordinated advice, and becomes an extension of your values. The result is enduring investment strategies designed to enhance your financial well-being while building a legacy over time.Typically, great financial success results in complexity. The investment management team helps clients dimension that complexity, then designs custom strategies to meet your needs.Our wealth and estate planning teams help you clarify your goals and offer creative solutions to achieve them. State-of-the-art modeling tools bring choices to life, allowing you to visualize the likelihood of achieving your goals for lifelong spending, giving to charity, or transferring wealth over generations.The Family Engagement Team is a dedicated group of trained, certified professionals with experience helping families explore the transfer of wealth-related values and knowledge. We believe that uncovering a family’s priorities—including their values and philanthropic goals—is fundamental todeveloping a successful legacy.

Wealth Strategies Planning and AnalysisPre-Transaction Planning and AdviceCustom Asset Allocation DesignInvestment Management and AdviceFamily Engagement & Family GovernancePhilanthropic Strategy Planning401(k) Investment Management

Wealth creators with significant complexity and multigenerational planning goals. Often, private business owners with companies generating $5mm in EBITDA who are contemplating an exit.

50-250

$15-$50M