FinServe Ambassador Supports Fellow Women Working in Wealth

Welsh is a 17-year veteran of Sequoia Financial Group, a growing RIA firm based in Akron, Ohio. Founded in 1991, the practice has seen explosive growth over the last several years and currently features 14 offices in eight states, as well as $18.3 billion in AUM as of 3/31/2024. She says her time with Sequoia has been an incredible journey – not least of which is because financial services wasn’t the life she had originally planned for herself.

“I didn’t know I wanted to go into finance at first: I double-majored in that and dance in college,” she said. “I’d also never been to Ohio before I come to Sequoia, which I did because my cost of living math as a dancer wasn’t really adding up. I had initially been in the Midwest for college, but after interviewing back east and deciding I loved this company, I moved and have been here ever since.”

Welsh described her company’s driving belief to be the idea that planning and investment strategy inform one another to create a foundation that enriches the lives of clients. She also explains that her current position as a senior vice president and leader of the group’s wealth planning department wasn’t something she had planned either.

“Originally I was on the advisor track with Sequoia, working directly with clients and doing typical advisor work – but a year or so into my time with the firm, the country went through a massive market crash,” she said. “All our clients, no matter how well-off, seemed to want to work on their wealth plan or put one in place if they didn’t have it. It was an all-hands-on-deck situation, and some of us junior advisors were called on to help the planning team. I was one of them, and I found I had a real passion for it.”

Specializing for Success

As the market recovered, Sequoia’s leaders decided to dedicate more employees to their technical planning endeavors – and that included Welsh. She rededicated herself to professional development, seeking additional learning opportunities to get the expertise she needed to succeed. The College and its specialized knowledge offerings, she says, were a huge help.

“My initial contact with The College was through my master’s degree, the Master of Science in Financial Planning (MSFP) – then the MSFS,” she said. “I was looking to build my technical depth of knowledge on the planning side and looked at many options, including an MBA, but I didn’t think they were deep enough. The strength of The College’s curriculum is what drew me to it, and it’s what allowed me to expand my opportunities and accelerate my career through that knowledge.”

“The strength of The College’s curriculum is what drew me to it, and it’s what allowed me to expand my opportunities and accelerate my career through that knowledge.”

Welsh also went through The College’s CFP® Certification Education Program to attain her CFP® mark, along with the Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) Program to specialize further in retirement and estate planning areas. Like many advisors in the business, she sees retirement planning as the next vital frontier for professionals looking to expand their knowledge.

“Everyone wants something different out of retirement. For some clients it’s about financial independence – how much can they spend safely, or before they run out of money?” she said. “For high-net-worth clients it’s about how they can transfer their assets to future generations in the most efficient way possible. The people I work with are asking about taxes especially, and how things will change as of 2026 with Roth conversions, charitable distributions, and other things. No one can know everything, so the power of specialization is that your business can have a much larger impact on clients the more team members who can help.”

“No one can know everything, so the power of specialization is that your business can have a much larger impact on clients the more team members who can help.”

When considering her plans for the future, Welsh says she remains dedicated to lifelong learning and is interested in pursuing the Chartered Special Needs Consultant® (ChSNC®) designation, which would provide her with an in-depth understanding of the financial planning challenges those caring for individuals with special needs face.

“Sequoia recently acquired a firm that specializes in working with caregivers, and it’s helped us realize it’s not such a niche focus: special needs or similar areas like aging issues or disabilities can affect any client, regardless of net worth or occupation – and all of these issues tie into retirement planning,” she said.

Being a Woman Working in Wealth

Welsh says she remains a champion of this kind of professional development, as does her firm: ongoing learning is at the core of Sequoia’s business model and her own beliefs as a financial professional. However, she has also looked outside the company for further opportunities – especially when it comes to networking with other women in financial services. For her efforts in mentoring, supporting, and advocating for women in the profession, Welsh was honored with the American College Center for Women in Financial Services’ Women Working in Wealth Award.

“I was part of the Women Working in Wealth Summit when we walked down Wall Street together,” she said. “We all took pictures with the famous “Fearless Girl” statue, including me, and at the time I didn’t think much of it. Later on, though, I had several male colleagues tell me they showed my picture to their young daughters to prove to them that financial services could be a place for them to succeed.”

Welsh described recent industry trends that have, in her view, greatly benefited women: the trend away from commission-only models that remove barriers to entry or to staying in the industry for women, who are traditionally the caregivers to their families; companies setting aside more time for their female employees to take maternity leave; and the growing popularity of hybrid work models that allow for the juggling of personal and professional responsibilities. She recognizes, however, that there are still challenges to overcome, including a lack of visibility and confidence that many women face.

“If you’re not physically in front of your leaders regularly due to hybrid work or other reasons, are they overlooking you more?” she said. “Financial services is still a highly male-dominated industry – most of the faces of the business are men, and not even 25% of CFP® professionals are women.”

To combat these issues, Welsh suggests young women and especially advisors find opportunities to build their confidence in professional settings – and calls on their senior leaders to offer those opportunities more readily.

“Think about how you’re introducing a junior member of your team in a meeting: build them up, or maybe spend a little extra time having a prep call or post-call to talk about results of a meeting,” she said.

Welsh also advised financial services leaders to avoid falling into the stereotypical thinking that women aren’t interested in finance, especially when it comes to working with female clients or families.

“Planning is a process, not an event. We need to be prepared to serve clients’ changing needs, and that means continuously enhancing our knowledge.”

“If you’re working with a couple and the woman isn’t at the meeting, there’s probably a good reason for that,” she said. “If both partners are there, make sure you engage both of them equally as much as you can. Most statistics say women live longer than men, and there’s an increasing rate of divorce among older adults, so there are more and more times when women are in control of the money. Not all women want to work with women, of course, but having a depth and diversity of talent available is important and something the industry needs to take seriously.”

Welsh also advised financial professionals working with women to try to avoid jargon in conversations and elevate their clients’ knowledge without talking down to them. She says explaining financial terms in ways that are more digestible and encouraging clients to ask questions removes a discomfort about asking them – and empowers better decision-making. First and foremost, she says lifelong learning is the key to being successful.

“Planning is a process, not an event,” she said. “As financial professionals, we know the economic and legislative landscape is always changing; we can’t just give clients a written plan and tell them they’re good to go. Things around them will change, and their circumstances will change. We need to be prepared to serve their changing needs, and that means continuously enhancing our knowledge.”