Women in Business 2011: Shannon Daniels

Shannon Daniels has been fascinated by finance since childhood. As a vice president-financial consultant at Commerce Bank in Cape Girardeau for the past seven years, Daniels' No. 1 goal has been to educate others about investments and financial planning.

"At five in afternoon, my mom always watched news. I remember seeing the Dow Jones report, and I thought if I could figure out how that worked, I would be rich," says Daniels. "It doesn't quite work that way, but I always had an interest in it."

When Daniels worked for a factory in her early 20s, she found that she really enjoyed studying her 401k -- and she especially liked helping her friends understand their 401ks. She got a degree in financial economics and landed at Commerce Bank, first as assistant to the financial consultant and then as the financial consultant herself. She loves the variety of the work, from simple transactions to sit-down meetings.

"I never know what to expect. For some that's scary, but for me, it's not," she says. "I meet a lot of people and they rely on me to give them direction, especially when the market is so unstable. It gives me a sense of accomplishment."

As Daniels got to know most of her clients, it's helped fuel her involvement in groups like the American Cancer Society.

"I didn't realize in this business that I would have so many clients fighting cancer. It's something I'm very passionate about because I see a lot of it," says Daniels. Daniels is also active in the Zonta Club, the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. Even when Daniels isn't running to work appointments or Zonta meetings, she's still running -- for exercise, for charity runs with the Cape Road Runners and with her son Brandon, who is also a runner.

"Thank God for Microsoft Outlook. I just keep it all on the calendar," says Daniels. "Sometimes things get a little hectic, but it's been easier as my son has gotten older. I've taken on more because he is able to get himself to practice and to school. It's a balancing act, but it's what women do. We have families, we have work, we have community activities -- we just keep it all on the calendar."