Women’s History Month 2022: Insights From the Women’s Empowerment Network
At Kestra Financial, we acknowledge the importance of supporting and empowering women. Our Women’s Empowerment Network (WEN) is dedicated to providing female financial professionals with a platform to share their strengths, talents, and experiences throughout the Kestra community.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, we revisited our TED Talk series where several of our associated financial professionals shed light on important issues and shared valuable insight from their years of experience as female professionals.
Read below for a recap of the TED Talks presented by Kathy Fish, Liz Hand, and Lena Nebel.
Kathy Fish: A Man Is Not a Plan
Kathy Fish, CFP®, President and Senior Advisor of Fish and Associates, explained that a brand is a natural extension of our personal experiences and values. Building a brand requires deliberate, intentional, and consistent messaging across all channels.
After realizing firsthand the importance of financial independence, Kathy strategically established herself as a female financial professional and leveraged her over 30 years of experience to build her personal brand. She believes brand authenticity allows financial professionals to guide and empower the clients they enjoy serving the most. For Kathy, those clients are women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and young professionals.
Kathy challenged us to revisit our brand and see if it reflects our experiences, passions, and values.
Liz Hand: 5 Headwinds to the Modern Woman’s Retirement
Liz Hand, CFP®, Advisor at Pleasant Wealth, LLC, shared five obstacles that impact women on their path to retirement, as well as how these cause women to make and save less money now and in the future for 401(k)s, pensions, and Social Security.
The five headwinds are:
1. On average, women are paid only 80% of what men receive.
2. Women are natural caregivers and more likely to step out of the workforce to care for a loved one.
3. Women tend to invest too conservatively.
4. Women typically pay more for goods and services than men.
5. Women live longer, on average.
Despite these obstacles, it is estimated that women will control two-thirds of the nation’s wealth by 2030. Liz encouraged her fellow female financial professionals to keep potential headwinds in mind when working to meet clients’ unique goals.
Lena Nebel: Power of Partnerships
Lena Nebel, CFP®, MSFS, Director of Private Wealth Management/Advisor at BFG Financial Advisors, shared the importance of forming strategic alliances to amplify a practice. She talked about how her team uncovered challenging areas for their own practice, and how they were able to improve these aspects by fostering relationships within the Kestra community.
Lena suggested coordinating study groups to discuss areas of strength and weakness with professionals throughout the Kestra community. Although it can be difficult to identify weak areas, combining strengths creates positive partnerships for financial professionals and, most importantly, for clients.
Although Women’s History Month will come to a close, we are committed to celebrating the careers and contributions of our women throughout the year.
For more information on the Women’s Empowerment Network, contact WEN Advisory Council at WEN@kestrafinancial.com.
To hear more from Kestra Financial’s network of female financial professionals, tune in to the segments presented by Kathy, Liz, and Lena.
