In February, Samuel Cornett ’26, a finance major from Nicholasville, Kentucky, decided to seek summer internship opportunities near Wofford College’s campus. He searched “wealth management” and found 1670 Wealth Management among the top results.
“I wanted real-world experience, and, with my summer football schedule, I was looking for something in the area” says Cornett, a quarterback for the Terriers and member of the student-managed James-Atkins Investment Fund. “They were only about a mile from campus, so I sent them an email.”
It was a Friday evening when Cornett’s email arrived. Jeremy Bishop ’03 and Brent Babb, the firm’s managing partners, were getting ready to head out the door.
“It literally came in out of the blue,” says Bishop, a Spartanburg native who received a bachelor’s degree in government from Wofford. Bishop worked for Wachovia Securities and Wells Fargo Advisors before starting 1670 Wealth Management with Babb two years ago.
Babb’s eldest daughter, Olivia Babb ’24, graduated from Wofford in May.
Bishop and Babb had recently discussed the possibility of hiring an intern or recent college graduate to mentor and help lighten the load.
“We want to grow the business, and I knew there was no way Samuel could have known that we were having those conversations,” Bishop says. “I emailed him back quickly and let him know that we’d like to talk to him.”
Cornett met with the partners to discuss the opportunity, and things progressed from there. His first day was May 28, and he will complete the internship in mid-July.
“I knew it would be a great job because I wouldn’t be stuck in a backroom doing menial tasks,” Cornett says. “I’ve learned a lot in just a couple of weeks — how to interact with clients and how important it is to build relationships. I’m sitting in on client meetings and things like that. It’s very cool.”
Bishop says the firm specializes in comprehensive financial planning for local clients and their families. He and Babb guide them through significant life events like managing estates, selling family businesses and retirement planning.
Both partners are impressed with how quickly Cornett is catching on.
“I hate to use a football metaphor here, but he has taken the ball and run with it,” Bishop says. “He’s done research on some of our existing model portfolios. He identified several different investment holdings that we may want to take a closer look at. He’s getting a good taste of the day-to-day operations.”
Cornett says he is applying some of his classroom experiences to the internship, including his work on artificial intelligence models.
“We’ve learned a few things from him,” Bishop says. “He’s sharp and has a really good attitude as well as a great work ethic. Hopefully, this will give him a launching point to wherever his career eventually takes him.”
In addition to his major in finance, Cornett is adding a minor in business and government because he wants to know how politics impact capital markets. He hopes to eventually work as a fund manager or to own a mutual or hedge fund.
“I just love to learn,” Cornett says. “It has been awesome getting to work closely with Jeremy and Brent. The access they’ve given me and the opportunities I’ve had to put what I’ve learned at Wofford use have been amazing. I don’t think I would have had those same experiences anywhere else.”