Nine years ago today, I started at Ellevest. Since then, I’ve spent the majority of my professional life talking to women about money and researching how women think about it.
Here are nine things I’ve learned in that time:
1. The very first thing I wrote down in October 2017 when putting together an initial client experience was that women are trying to make a plan for their money. Today, I think they are making a plan for their lives.
2. Retirement for women is not one-size-fits-all. Most of the clients I’ve worked with define retirement as leaving their job to do something that fits their passion and values.
3. Most money questions aren’t actually about money. The questions are usually about a decision, relationship, an exciting opportunity they are considering, or even a fear they have.
4. Talking with a partner about money is hard, but you can have some real breakthroughs in your relationship if you make it a habit.
5. You can learn about money at any stage of life. I have clients who came to me in their 30s, 40s, and 50s without really knowing what a stock or bond is. (And that’s OK!) The journey of setting them up with a financial plan and helping them on the journey to understand their wealth has been so meaningful.
6. In my experience, the financial industry creates verticals for women based on one part of their life — divorcee, widow, business owner — yet all women are multi-faceted. They can be mothers, divorced, and a business owner all at the same time. Planning for just one portion of a woman's experience is missing the point.
7. Women like talking about money. Historically we haven’t had the space to do so.
8. Women aren’t just looking for a return on investment; they are looking for a return on life.
9. Modeling healthy money conversations is important for the next generation. I feel blessed that my son, Logan (and eventually my 2-year-old daughter), hears me talking about money. By doing this, I believe we can create a generation that starts to look at money differently.
I’m so proud of what the team at Ellevest is building and I look forward to many, many more conversations about women’s wealth.