Financial Experts: 5 Women in Finance We’re Paying Attention to in 2024
It’s a well-documented problem: Women in the financial industry are heavily underrepresented. According to Zippia, 26.4% of finance professionals in the U.S. are women, while 73.6% are men. Women are even more dramatically underrepresented in leadership roles, with only 15% holding executive positions.
Lauren M. Williams, CFP, CRPC, MBA, wealth advisor and co-founder of ProsperPlan, experiences the problem firsthand.
“We’re in a heavily male-dominated field across the board,” Williams told GOBankingRates. “The CFA Institute has written numerous times about women making up 18% of all chartered financial analysts.”
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The massive gender disparity isn’t merely a shame; it’s a major missed opportunity. Women, as Williams sees it, bring something special to the financial industry.
“This is the thing about female financial professionals: We are wholehearted nurturers,” Williams said. “We take care of other people, guiding them through the ups and downs of not only the markets but life as a whole. Women in this industry are cut from a different cloth. Our hearts belong to the people we take care of. Our clients become our community and our second family.”
To help augment the presence of women in finance, we must lift up those who are already in the space and celebrate their work. Let’s consider just a handful of the female professionals who are inspiring others in the financial space.
These are five women in finance who financial professionals are paying particular attention to in 2024.
Betsabe Botaitis
While watching the rise of financial influencers on social media, Ramona Ortega, the CEO and founder of WealthBuild, is always looking for insightful experts with inside knowledge. Betsabe Botaitis, chief financial officer of Hedera, has come to her approving attention.
“As one of few Latinas in the crypto/blockchain space, I look to her not only as an emerging expert in blockchain but as an expert in the Layer 1 regulatory space as well,” Ortega said. “She always has insight into the intersection of finance, blockchain and global regulation. Prior to joining Hedera, she held various senior positions at renowned and leading-edge companies.”
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Vanessa N. Martinez
Gloria Garcia Cisneros, CFP, of LourdMurray is keeping an eye on Vanessa N. Martinez, CEO and managing partner of Expressive Wealth.
“Vanessa’s impact extends to leadership in her community and empowering women through Savvy Ladies,” Cisneros said. “She is also the founder of a SER Latino Advisor summit. She is impact-driven and wants to create change in the financial advising space.”
Farnoosh Torabi
“I’ve been keeping an eye on a podcast called ‘So Money‘ by Farnoosh Torabi,” said Kelli Smith, CFP, CRPC, director of financial planning at Edelman Financial Engines. “I found her a while back, hoping to help a client’s adult daughter become more educated. Farnoosh covers a variety of relevant topics, incorporates celebrities, and she’s relatable. I like her because, as a younger influencer (44), she connects well with the post-boomer generations of workers and savers. She calls out that money isn’t just math, there’s a psychological component to it.”
Cameron Dawson
Cameron Dawson, CFA, chief investment officer at NewEdge Wealth, is one example of a woman in finance on Williams’ radar.
“She has legitimately made herself an icon in the financial media, but she still comes across as down-to-earth,” Williams said. “And she is wicked smart! It’s just incredibly motivating to have strong, positive female influence like Cameron Dawson leading the charge as chief investment officer, while taking to the media to share her wisdom.”
Bridget Venus Grimes
Bridget Venus Grimes, CFP, a CFP Board Ambassador and co-founder of Equita Financial Network, is another powerful woman in finance that has caught Williams’ attention.
“This woman is amazing,” Williams said. “She not only leads a network of all female financial advisors called Equita Financial Network, but she opens her time and heart to help other female financial planners. She is a coach, mentor, leader and voice of reason when in need of support.”
Grimes has a special place in Williams’ heart — not because of the work she does but because of how she personally helped Williams during a difficult time.
“I stood in a valley of self-doubt, and she restored my confidence in one 20-minute phone call,” Williams said. “That takes skill!”
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Financial Experts: 5 Women in Finance We’re Paying Attention to in 2024
