The time is now. Do you feel it?

In the vibrant world of insurance and financial services, there’s a powerful shift happening among our female members that’s reshaping the landscape in real-time today. Whether we gather virtually, attend board meetings, or connect at social events, the dynamic among our female colleagues is tangible and transformative. Over the past two years, I've witnessed inspiring evolutions within our organization and I wanted to share a glimpse of this transformative period. The impact has largely affected my life and could be a core reason my revenue double from last year. We could even call it a revolution. These revolutions stand on the foundation of social and technological changes and we are standing on the front lines here watching the changes happen and creating new opportunities because of it.

In the world of finance, staying ahead of the curve isn't just about making smart investments or offering the best rates, it's about streamlining your operations to deliver top notch service efficiently. That's where technology and AI come into play, revolutionizing how financial institutions handle their backend operations. And here's the kicker - most of these tools are easy to adopt and have already passed muster with compliance teams, making them ready for immediate implementation.

Let's start with client onboarding - often the first impression a client has of your institution. Gone are the days of endless paperwork and time-consuming manual checks. With AI-powered tools, verifying a client's identity is now a matter of seconds, not days. Imagine a system that can instantly cross-reference multiple databases to confirm clients' identities while they sip their morning coffee. That's the power of AI in action, and many of these systems are designed with financial regulations in mind, making them compliance-friendly right out of the box.

In our ever-evolving financial landscape, it is imperative to prioritize financial education and ensure accessibility to savings for everyone, regardless of their background or income level. Saving at every stage of life is crucial, and it is never too early or late to start. By empowering younger generations to take charge of their financial futures, we can foster a more inclusive and equitable financial system.

Enter the Great Wealth Transfer: It is forecasted that an astounding $84 trillion to be transferred over the next two decades. But where will this wealth flow? A significant $11.9 trillion will be donated to charities, while $72.6 trillion in assets will be passed down to heirs.¹ This massive transfer of assets will profoundly impact younger generations—Millennials, Gen X, and Gen Z— who have struggled with economic downturns, soaring college tuition, and sky-high housing costs. They are also the least financial savvy generations to date.

If you work with clients on financial planning, having insurance conversations to protect their assets as well as the plan are essential!  Most of us do a great job at detailing the importance of life insurance but many times, the disability insurance conversation gets left out.  This type of coverage is incredibly important to your working female clients. Why?

1. Women are significant contributors to the household income. 66% of women with children under 18 are either the primary breadwinners or part of a dual income household (i).  49% of women report being their family’s main breadwinner, an increase from 37% in 2000 (ii). It’s clear that a loss of income due to a disability would be detrimental to their ability to pay their bills as well as their overall long term financial plan.

Robin Woodell, founder of Emerald Financial Group, has been educating and assisting clients with financial wellness for over 18 years. Before embarking on her career in financial services, Robin lived her dream of becoming a professional opera singer. With a degree in education and Master’s in Vocal Performance, she traveled the world performing opera. After 8 years and a series of life changes, she left the performance world and found her new passion in financial planning and, soon after, created Emerald Financial Group.

Leah Williams had a vision: Create a financial advisory service tailored specifically for women. Her passion for helping people achieve financial independence was ignited, in part, by experiencing the loss of her brother and a challenging divorce. Leah understood firsthand the importance of financial planning in navigating life’s expected and unexpected events. She has been in the industry nearly 9 years, part of that time being spent training and mentoring new professionals.

“There are only four kinds of people in the world––those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.”

- Rosalynn Carter, Former First Lady of the United States

As professionals in the financial services industry, where challenges are the norm and uncertainties abound, we know the impact ‘mindset’ can have on us and the people we lead. A positive mindset is an invaluable asset, but it isn’t necessarily something we are taught to develop. I practice several strategies to help cultivate my own positivity and put myself, as I call it, “in the place of what is possible.”

Finding the good during challenging times.

In building wealth, a topic that many don’t spend enough time on is learning how to protect the very wealth they are creating. Weather forecasts are looked on to let all of us know when rainy days are moving in. During times like these, most people grab an umbrella before heading out for the day. These same sensibilities apply around managing life’s financial uncertainties.  

While most people have car and home insurance, a question to ask is whether a person also has the insurance protection they may need if they themselves or someone in their household caused a major accident or someone was severely injured in their home or car?