A six-month mentorship program sponsored by the Women’s Alliance of Financial Advisors changed the way current financial advisor Alea Groshek approaches the thoughtful, customized strategies she creates for her clients and their families.
“The mentorship program was instrumental in how I approach financial advising,” shared Groshek. “At the completion of the program, I felt like I was a totally different person. In just six-months-time, I felt I’d gained two to three years of confidence in helping my clients navigate their financial planning.”
Groshek experienced first-hand the financial planning industry when she began working with her father, also a financial planner, at his office at age 15. After several summers working in the office, she headed off to college not to study finance, but psychology.
“We really never talked about me joining the family business and he never pressured me to become an advisor,” Groshek reflected. “That is really the greatest joy that he never asked me to stick around, and it was something that I came to on my own and in my own time.”
A few years after college, Groshek realized that she might indeed be interested in the family business and began her financial advising role focused on research and portfolio management that has a client-first mindset. “Transparency and education are very important to me and giving my clients clear, actionable paths toward their goals is my passion.”
For young girls and women who may not know that financial planning is a career option, Groshek agreed that the industry is still predominantly male but the Women’s Alliance is working hard to get the message out that financial advising is a rewarding and attainable career for anyone — especially women — by helping them become more comfortable in financial planning and wealth conversations.
“The household dynamic around money and finances is changing and I see just as many women who run the household finances as I do men today,” Groshek said. “I think changing the conversation about financial planning means that we focus on education and responsibility with finances at any level and the younger the better.”
Her own mentorship experience is inspiring Groshek to become a mentor in the near future, offering her experience, knowledge and insight to other women entering the financial advising industry. Ultimately, she hopes to help young women understand that this is a career path full of rewarding relationships and shared successes.
“I think the most rewarding part of my career is that I truly enjoy and like the clients and their families that I am working with,” smiled Groshek. “There aren’t many professions that can say that, but I love that I can make a difference for my clients today and into their futures with a financial strategy specific to their personal needs and goals.”
If Groshek has one message to share with women not sure about financial planning as a career path it would be: “We tend to shy away from things that we don’t completely understand or that we don’t feel familiar with. My message would be to share that financial advising is 70 percent about the people and 30 percent about the numbers. Don’t be intimidated by the numbers — be excited about the people you will come to know and help.”
Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC.
Global Trends Wealth Management is not a registered broker/dealer and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Investment advisory services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc.
