Women in Finance~ New Pamplin Education series
~Contributed by Stephanie Gularte
Women have innate skills that make them ideal financial advisors.
What is your role with the Women’s Leadership Alliance?
The WLA is a nonprofit organization and as its Executive Director, my responsibility is to further our mission to attract and engage more women into the Financial Advising profession to create better representation in the industry, and most importantly, to raise awareness among women of the truly fulfilling experience they can have in this work.
The organization was founded by a group of very successful female advisors who were truly trailblazers in the industry. These women entered the profession at a time when they typically were the only woman in their office. They faced significant challenges related to the assumptions and prejudices about women and finance.
But their paths led them to such great rewards, both in the fulfillment that they found in being able to cultivate relationships and really help people to reach their goals, as well as the quality of life that they found through developing their own successful businesses within the industry. They decided that they wanted to give back by helping women to discover the possibilities available to them as financial advisors and to help support them on their journey.
How does the WLA fulfill its mission?
One of our key programs is our Mentor Leadership program in which we match early-career female financial advisors with established, successful female advisors for a 9-month mentorship that is truly special. The mentees have the opportunity to learn so much that you don’t necessarily learn from a textbook, through the experiences of their mentors. Many of our mentees go on to grow their business and now, some of them become mentors themselves. So, it is a kind of a full-circle program where women help other women to thrive, and then pay it forward as they reach new levels of confidence and success
The “Her Path” Initiative – What is that?
Another program that we are our excited about is our Her Path initiative. There are so many ways that women are finding their way to careers as financial advisors. Many start out in other industries or majoring in fields outside of finance. Her Path is a series of stories about women who have found their way to satisfying and successful careers as financial advisors through all sorts of different paths. We want to share those stories to help more women discover the possibilities.
We also have funding opportunities to help women pay for the CFP® courses and exam. The application for these student sponsorships is available through our website at womensleadalliance.org. We are increasing the number of sponsorships that we are making available each year and I would love to see University of Portland students apply for this funding!
Why do you think women make great financial advisors?
There are a lot of misconceptions about the career of financial advising that stem from finance being an industry that has been male dominated for so long and has often been depicted as being cutthroat and centered around greed. But in reality, the best financial advisors are people who really enjoy helping others to reach their goals. This requires building authentic relationships by really listening to and empathizing with the values and priorities of your clients. These are skills that women often naturally excel at. Plus, as see the percentage of money that is being invested by women increasing, more female financial advisors are being sought out to help guide these investment decisions. It’s really an ideal time for women to thrive in this profession.
How can women learn more about whether financial advising is right for them?
I really encourage women who have an interest in helping others and in pursuing a career path that provides them with flexibility, and who want to be empowered to create their own success to look into financial advising. The WLA has created an online tool at MyAdvisorPath.com that is a great resource for further understanding this profession and the different paths that can be taken to pursue a career as a financial advisor.
About Stephanie Gularte
Stephanie has over 20 years of leadership experience as a nonprofit CEO as a founder, and working with both start-ups and established nonprofit organizations to help them increase their impact and make a difference in the communities they serve. As a certified leadership coach, she is passionate about empowering leaders and nonprofits to thrive. As the Executive Director of the Women’s Leadership Alliance, Stephanie works closely with female financial advisors to create opportunities for more women in the financial advising profession.
About the Women’s Leadership Alliance (WLA)
The mission of the WLA is to attract, develop and engage the most promising women leaders in order to grow and strengthen the financial advisory profession and better represent the diverse clients we serve
The WLA mission is fulfilled through these core initiatives:
- Education – Teach more women about the financial advisory profession as a rewarding career option.
- Engagement – Advocate for the financial advisory profession by providing opportunities and information to women considering careers in financial planning.
- Leadership – Encourage men and women to mentor, support and advise women regarding a financial advisory career path and to advocate publicly for the profession.
To apply for a WLA student sponsorship visit: https://womensleadalliance.org/womens-leadership-alliance-sponsorship/