Most people can only guess at the kinds of conversations billionaires have when they think about what to do with their assets as the end of life approaches. These rarefied conversations, and the elaborate plans that result, are alumna Chelsea Rubio’s (B.S. ’11) stock in trade.

“Death and taxes — that’s where I live, and I’m comfortable talking about it,” said Rubio. “Estate planners are typically called ‘family lawyers,’ because they know intricate things about their clients’ lives. We have to, in order to plan for every scenario.”

Rubio is part of the Advanced Planning Group at the international banking and financial services firm UBS Financial Services, Inc. She is part of a Washington, D.C.-based team of attorneys and certified public accountants (CPA) who advise some of the wealthiest people on the East Coast on taxes and estate planning.

“I have worked with some pretty important people — royal families, celebrities, CEOs of public companies,” she said. “The work is so interesting.”

She says she enjoys the intimacy of the job. What most people would think is a strange familiarity with the details of other people’s finances and most personal values is, to her, endlessly fascinating, even if it does frequently involve the weightier matters of posterity.

“These can be heavy topics. I’ve seen people cry in the meeting room, just thinking about their death and what it means for their young children, having to name a guardian,” she said. “And most people have an extremely hard time parting with their assets, especially if they’re family-legacy assets, or a company that they built.”

But the payoff is helping people do vast amounts of good with their wealth, and bringing her faith to bear.

“I have found that when I know someone is a believer, it opens up the floodgates and we can have really great conversations about the legacy planning. Those are the conversations I really love,” she said. “We’re not storing up treasures on earth; we’re trying to make an impact on the people who are here. Ultimately, the conversations are a little easier when the client is a believer.”

She considers it a privilege to help people work through questions and dilemmas that are legally, financially and emotionally complex.

While she was at Biola University, Rubio majored in business management in the Crowell School of Business, minored in biblical and theological studies, carried 24 units per semester, and graduated in three years. She described herself as a scrappy student with a lot of ambition and academic energy that carried her through Biola and far beyond.

Looking back on her time at Biola, Rubio identifies the many connections she made there as the most impactful part of the experience. Her Bible classes also made a lasting impression on her.

“Still to this day in my Bible study group, I bring up things I learned over a decade ago at Biola,” she said.

Rubio explains her professional story so far as a case study in walking through doors that God seemed to be opening in front of her: things she had not planned on doing, but ended up being just right.

Her advice to others who are earlier on their educational and professional path is to remember that “the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Prov. 16:9). Even after hitting roadblocks in her own career, she recognizes that God’s plans are greater than hers.

“We get it in our head that ‘this is what I want to do, this is the career I want to be in.’ But maybe the Lord has other plans for you. It’s just staying faithful and listening to whatever God has in store for you. I think in any field, it’s possible to be a light. Some jobs are rewarding and some jobs are just jobs, but you can always be a light to your coworkers.”

The Crowell School of Business offers a range of innovative master’s and bachelor’s degrees — including several fully online programs — designed to equip students for success in an ever-changing business world. Learn more and apply by May 1 for Fall 2026.

For more information, email beacon@biola.edu.