40 Under 40 2024 Honoree: PJ Schaefer

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Vice President, Trust Investment Officer / Age 38

Legacy Private Trust Company

PJ Schaefer’s first job was working at the concession counter at the local movie theater. He remembers coming home from work every night smelling like popcorn. “Even though it was a tough job, being able to watch movies for free was well worth it,” he says.

Schaefer eventually moved on to retail banking in Chicago, where a customer who was a private wealth advisor at William Blair challenged him to undertake the daunting Chartered Financial Analyst program. Four years and lots of nights and weekends later, he earned the designation.

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He came to Legacy shortly after, and he counts among his mentors his father and grandfather, as well as Legacy founders Mike Mahlik and Joe McGrane, who “have both played integral roles in my professional and personal development over the past six years.”

Schaefer also has designations as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA).

Schaefer and his wife, Laura, have two boys.

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