Raymond James Focuses on Power of Women at Symposium

“From an investments perspective, today women control about a third of household investor assets,” she said. “But we know that, on top of the $12 trillion in investor assets controlled by women, we’re going to see [a] wealth transfer [happen], and we’re going to see [an] increase in their decision-making power and their investment power.”

In 2030, the firm expects to see $30 trillion in assets passed from largely baby boomers to the next generation, and a large chunk of that is likely going to be controlled by women as surviving spouses, she added.

Some History 

The event started almost 30 years ago, when a small group of women in a hotel room in Marco Island, Florida, were “brainstorming about how they could create a bigger impact for women in the profession,” Kim Jenson, chief operating officer for the Private Client Group at Raymond James, told ThinkAdvisor.

That led to the launch of the Women Financial Advisors Network, she noted. Over the 29 years, “they grew from a very small handful of women to the 701 that are in attendance this week,” Jenson said.

She predicted that next year’s event “will be even bigger because we’re excited to celebrate 30 years.”

Pictured: Samantha Trebesch