Financially Fluent Females - Chapter One: Introduction

If you've read any of my blog, spoken with me in person, or taken a micro-second to scroll through my personal Facebook page, it is not hard to discern that I am a feminist. I've spent a long time educating myself on the inequalities and unbalanced power dynamics that create violent and oppressive situations for women in school, the workplace, relationships and basically everywhere. I have taken steps to ensure that my feminism is intersectional (ie: I'm straight and white, which means I typically will experience the best-case-scenario of sexism), and I've explored the different insidious ways that sexism impacts us, whether it be how teachers call on us in class, the levels to which we need to prove our points in order to be heard, the steps we often take (but shouldn't have to!) to keep ourselves and our friends safe on a night out, or the...you know what? I better cut myself off because I could go on and on and on and...

I started at Freedom 55 Financial as a financial advisor in August of 2014. I was in a training class composed largely of men, my teachers and trainers were men, and when I passed all of the tests to earn the licenses to work in New Brunswick, most of my colleagues and all of my directors were men. This is how my industry currently operates, but I know that I wasn't hired simply to show upper management "hey, we got one". As my director will attest, I was recruited to this position because of solid community connections (through years of volunteer work and outreach), a genuine interest in others' goals and struggles, and I'm smart as heck. 

It is impossible for me to drop the ~feminist~ lens that I use to look at the world. It's less a pair of glasses and more a biological part of my eye at this stage. So when it came time for my trainer to tell me how to approach clients, how to put together effective financial plans and how to position myself as an advisor, I took a moment to question. These sales strategies and training methods were created by men for male advisors in a time when the "money person" in a relationship was a man. But wait a minute, I can hear you say, you're a woman! I knew that if I wanted to find success in this career I would have to look outside my board room for source material, and if necessary, re-imagine a client-focused, feminist approach all on my own. 

And this, ladies and gents (haha jk this is just for women), is how, through research, conversations with my few female peers, and a few amazing books for women in business, I created Financial Fluent Females - a woman-centered approach to financial planning. I take into consideration the the following:

1. Women earn less money on the dollar than men.

2. Women live longer than men.

3. Women on average begin financial planning ten years later than men

There are also a myriad of other factors that I consider, including the financial literacy gender gap, maternity leave, entrepreneurial setbacks (did you know women are approved less often, and when approved receive less funding than their male counterparts, when applying for start-up funding?), and unique health concerns. 

It brings me borderline-embarrassing joy to have found feminist fulfillment in my career. I'll be sharing saving tips, plan advice and financial red flags, as well as some treat-yo-self strategies as I continue on with this blog (do people still call these blogs?), and I'm so excited to be sharing it all with you.

Peace, love and WEALTH,

-Rachael