Contents
- Shared Experiences, Stronger Connections
- Emotional Safety and Being Heard
- Generational Shifts
- Discovery
- Planning
- Ongoing Support
- Is a female financial advisor better for women?
- How do I know if I’d benefit more from working with a woman?
- What kind of questions should I ask a financial advisor?
- Where can I find a female financial advisor in my area?
- What if I already work with an advisor but want to switch?
- Real-Life Scenarios
Women today are reshaping wealth in America. They are creating businesses, leading companies, inheriting assets, and outliving their partners, often becoming the primary decision-makers in household and family wealth. In the U.S. alone, women currently control nearly $10 trillion in assets, and that number is projected to rise sharply as the $30 trillion intergenerational wealth transfer unfolds over the next two decades.
Globally, the trend is similar. In Australia, for example, women millionaires are growing nearly twice as fast as their male counterparts: 6% annually compared to 3.6%. By the 2030s, Australian women are expected to control over $3 trillion in inherited wealth.
This shift is more than financial; it’s cultural. Women are stepping into spaces where they were once overlooked. They are driving philanthropy, building legacy plans, and steering investments with both confidence and care. Yet, despite this surge in influence, the financial industry has not always kept pace.
Too often, women report feeling talked down to, ignored, or misunderstood by their advisors. For many, this disconnect has sparked a deliberate choice: seeking out female financial advisors, female financial planners, and female wealth advisors who can offer not only technical expertise but also empathy, partnership, and alignment with lived experiences.
This isn’t about exclusion or rejecting male advisors. Instead, it’s about finding a safe, collaborative relationship. One rooted in clarity and respect that helps women thrive in every stage of life.
Why Women Are Choosing Female Financial Advisors
When it comes to money, trust is everything. And trust is born not just from credentials but from being heard, respected, and understood.
Women often choose female financial experts because they bring shared life experiences into the conversation. Divorce, widowhood, caregiving, pay gaps, and career interruptions: these realities are familiar terrain for many women advisors, making them uniquely positioned to guide clients with both technical expertise and emotional insight.
Emotional Safety and Being Heard
A growing number of women describe financial meetings as experiences where they feel patronized or dismissed. In fact, research shows that 59% of women feel treated differently by an advisor, and 52% feel patronized in financial conversations. That’s not a minor inconvenience. It’s a trust gap.
Female financial planners are often praised for creating safe, judgment-free environments where questions are welcomed, and curiosity is encouraged. Whether a woman is managing finances alone for the first time or has been the family CFO for decades, the value lies in having an advisor who listens first and advises second.
Generational Shifts
Generational attitudes further highlight the appeal of women financial advisors:
- Baby Boomers often step into finances later in life, sometimes after losing a spouse. For them, working with a female advisor can feel empowering, a reclaiming of voice and agency.
- Gen X women balance careers, caregiving for parents, and raising children. They look for advisors who can handle complexity with empathy.
- Millennials and Gen Z want transparency and collaboration from the outset. They expect advisors to explain the why behind recommendations and to integrate technology into the planning process.
Across all generations, the common thread is this: women want advisors who treat money not just as numbers but as part of a bigger story, considering their family, values, and legacy.
The Value Female Advisors Bring to the Planning Process
What differentiates great female financial advisors is not only expertise, but also approach.
Surveys show 94% of women say they’d prefer working with a female advisor. Nearly one in three already do. The reasons extend beyond technical expertise.
- Education and Empathy: Female financial experts often begin with questions, not prescriptions. They focus on education, allowing clients to understand options and trade-offs before making decisions.
- Values-Based Planning: Many women financial advisors emphasize aligning money with personal values and life goals, whether that means funding education, supporting causes, or building a multi-generational legacy.
- Collaborative Style: Instead of presenting pre-packaged solutions, female advisors often invite clients into the planning process. This collaboration builds ownership, confidence, and long-term trust.
- Stronger Retention: Relationship-driven planning translates to loyalty. Clients who feel heard and supported tend to stay, creating lasting partnerships through life’s transitions.
This doesn’t mean male advisors can’t provide the same care. Many do. The shift simply reflects what women are prioritizing: empathy, collaboration, and alignment.
At Somerset, our CLARITIES process embodies these qualities. It’s a framework that covers every corner of a financial life: Cash flow, Listening, Allotment, Retirement/Real estate, Insurance, Taxes, Investments, Estate, planning and Stewardship, while keeping values at the center.
Gender Gaps in the Financial Industry and How They’re Closing
Despite progress, the financial industry has long been male dominated. Today, only about 31% of financial advisors in the U.S. are women, and just 23–24% of Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) professionals are female.
That representation gap matters. When women don’t see themselves reflected in their advisor, trust and relatability can be harder to build.
The good news: the tide is shifting. More firms are prioritizing diversity, more women are entering the profession, and mentoring programs are strengthening career pipelines for female advisors. While challenges remain, such as equal advancement opportunities and balancing demanding careers with caregiving, the trajectory is encouraging.
Choosing a Financial Advisor: What to Consider
No matter your gender or stage of life, the decision of choosing an independent financial advisor is deeply personal. Here are key things to consider when choosing a financial advisor:
- Fiduciary Status: Make sure your advisor acts as a fiduciary, meaning they are legally obligated to put your best interests first.
- Credentials: Look for certifications such as CFP®, CFA®, or CPA/PFS to confirm expertise.
- Experience: Seek advisors who have guided clients through life stages similar to your own, whether that’s divorce, business ownership, retirement, or multi-generational wealth.
- Communication Style: Do you feel comfortable asking questions? Do you feel heard, respected, and understood? Comfort and fit are as important as technical skill.
- Fee Transparency: Understand exactly how your advisor is compensated (flat fee, hourly, or commission-based) and how that aligns with your goals.
- Values Alignment: Choose an advisor whose philosophy resonates with you. If you prioritize collaboration, education, and holistic planning, those should be reflected in their process.
Somerset’s CLARITIES process offers structure without rigidity. It’s designed to give clients confidence that every part of their financial life is addressed while staying grounded in what matters most.
When Working with a Female Advisor Makes the Biggest Difference
While any advisor can provide technical expertise, there are certain life transitions where working with a female financial planner can make a profound difference:
- Divorce: When financial and emotional realities collide, having a trusted female advisor can create clarity and stability.
- Widowhood: Many women suddenly face managing wealth alone. Female wealth advisors often bring both compassion and structure to help navigate this transition.
- Career Breaks or Caregiving: Women frequently pause careers to raise children or care for aging parents. Female advisors often understand how these decisions affect long-term planning.
- Entrepreneurship or Business Sale: Female financial experts can guide women through liquidity events, ensuring wealth transitions into lasting stewardship.
- Retirement and Legacy Planning: When couples plan together, female advisors can allow both voices to be honored equally.
These are the moments where financial decisions are inseparable from emotional realities and where empathy, patience, and clarity matter most.
Many women ask a tender but practical question: What if I want to work with a female advisor, but I also have a man in my life who’s part of the decisions?
The answer is that you don’t have to choose one voice over the other. What matters is finding an advisory team that respects every perspective at the table. Strong planning honors both voices, sometimes even uncovering common ground that felt unreachable before.
At Somerset, we’ve built our CLARITIES process to support exactly this. It gives structure without rigidity, helping couples navigate different priorities with steadiness. Whether you’re stepping into money conversations for the first time, or you’ve managed them for years, you deserve a process that creates space for everyone while still protecting your perspective.
What to Expect from the Client Experience
Working with a female financial advisor at Somerset often feels different from the very first meeting.
Discovery
Instead of diving straight into numbers, expect a conversation about your story, values, and priorities. Female advisors often spend more time upfront understanding what truly matters before building strategies.
Planning
Plans tend to be collaborative, with education at every step. Female advisors often explain scenarios clearly, inviting clients into the decision-making process instead of dictating it.
Ongoing Support
Great female financial advisors emphasize ongoing communication with regular reviews, check-ins, and adjustments as life evolves. The relationship is dynamic, built on trust and respect rather than transactions.
At Somerset, the CLARITIES process is designed to create this very experience: steady, thoughtful, and rooted in what matters most.
FAQs About Female Financial Advisors
Is a female financial advisor better for women?
Not necessarily better, but often a stronger fit for women seeking empathy, collaboration, and shared experience.
How do I know if I’d benefit more from working with a woman?
If you’ve ever felt dismissed, patronized, or misunderstood in financial conversations, working with a female advisor may bring the comfort and clarity you need.
What kind of questions should I ask a financial advisor?
Ask about fiduciary status, credentials, experience with clients like you, planning philosophy, and fee structure.
Where can I find a female financial advisor in my area?
You can search the CFP® Board database, professional organizations, or connect with independent firms like Somerset Advisory, which has a team of women advisors.
What if I already work with an advisor but want to switch?
It’s common to reevaluate your advisor relationship. A respectful transition is possible, and the right advisor will help you feel confident in your decision.
Work With a Team of Female Financial Advisors
The rise of women financial advisors, female financial planners, and female wealth advisors is not just a trend. It’s a response to what women are asking for: empathy, collaboration, and clarity.
At Somerset, we’ve built a team of women advisors who bring not only technical expertise but also lived experience and emotional intelligence. Our CLARITIES process helps ensure your entire financial life (cash flow, listening, allotment, retirement/real estate, insurance, taxes, investments, estate planning, and stewardship) is addressed holistically and aligned with your values.
Real-Life Scenarios
Consider three examples:
- A woman after divorce: She may feel overwhelmed by managing cash flow and retirement planning on her own for the first time. A female advisor who listens without judgment can provide both clarity and confidence.
- A confident entrepreneur: She’s preparing to sell her business and wants an advisor who can help with taxes, investments, and stewardship. She doesn’t need someone to “teach her about money”; she needs a trusted collaborator.
- A couple nearing retirement: The wife wants a female advisor involved in the conversation because she wants her perspective heard equally. A process that balances both voices allows for a smoother path forward.
These stories illustrate why women are choosing differently. It’s about more than expertise. It’s about care and clarity.
Whether you’re navigating a transition, planning for retirement, or simply seeking a partner who listens and respects your voice, our team is here to guide you.
We don’t believe in rigid formulas. We believe in a framework that provides order without losing sight of what matters most: your values, your story, your family. That’s the kind of process that builds trust across every season of life.
Call to Action
Curious if Somerset’s CLARITIES process could bring confidence to your financial life? Take our short quiz! It’s reflective, thoughtful, and may be the first step toward a partnership that feels aligned with your story.
The most important thing in my life is my family. My husband, Andrew, and our three smart and brave daughters.