In the world of financial advice, supporting diversity and inclusivity have emerged as important factors for future growth.
A balanced and diverse workforce is an essential step toward building a stronger and more equitable environment in wealth management. One way how inclusivity can grow is by boosting the number of female advisors.
Women have made significant strides in the industry, but they are still underrepresented – making up less than 28% of the entire U.S. advisor workforce. To bridge this gap and empower female advisors to thrive, it's imperative for financial advisors to take the lead in creating supportive communities.
I caught up with Katie Burke, Co-founder of Equita Financial Network, to discuss the important role of women in wealth management. Equita works alongside female founders of financial advisory firms to provide a high-quality, client-centered service. Click to watch the video and hear what she had to say.
Transcript:
One of the things that we've found is that women are looking for community. A community in order to either stay in roles that they're in and continue to grow in the industry or perhaps a community to support them to go out on their own and build the business that they want.
That's something that we've done research on and as we were launching Equita, we went out to our community and said, “What are you looking for?” Not only do you need a way to simplify your business perhaps to grow, but you also need that community support in order to grow it, be successful and stay in the industry.
If I could give one tip, it would be to find a community of advisors who are like you or that you want your firm to look like. If you can't find it, build it. That’s what Bridget and I did because there wasn't a community focused on women, fee-only planners.
If you're a large company, help support those women by building women's initiatives so they can get together or feel supported in the role and want to continue in the industry.