It came as no surprise to Cathy Curtis when MORE, a glossy women's magazine, recently ranked financial adviser as one of the 10 best professions for women over the age of 40.
It came as no surprise to Cathy Curtis when MORE, a glossy women's magazine, recently ranked financial adviser as one of the 10 best professions for women over the age of 40.
Ms. Curtis, 51, gave up her 20-year career as an executive in the food manufacturing industry to become an adviser some eight years ago.
“This has been a fantastic career for me,” she said. “I love the thought of helping people. In my previous career, I was selling product. This is intellectually stimulating. It keeps your brain active. In my last career, I was bored.”
MORE, which is aimed at women over the age of 40, cited the entrepreneurial opportunities in the financial advisory business as one of its biggest draws, as well as its flexible work schedules. The job also appeals to many women because it provides a chance to help people with their finances, the report said.
That seems to be the case for Ms. Curtis, who left her old job to start an independent advisory firm, Curtis Financial Planning. As an adviser, she said she gets to help people with their finances — without being a sales person. She also gets paid to do something she loves, since dabbling in personal finance had always been one of her favorite hobbies.
The flexible work schedule is also appealing to her because she is active in several San Francisco non-profit groups. For example, she plans food and wine programs for The Commonwealth Club, a non-profit educational organization which hosts an array of speakers in a public affairs forum.
Stephanie Bogan, president of Quantuvis Consulting Inc. of Redlands, Calif., which works with more than 20 advisory firms, said the flexible schedule is huge incentive for women — whether it's because they have other hobbies or jobs, or because they want to spend more time with family. She said women financial advisers can work from home more, and can leave the office around 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. if needed.
“There's lots of family flexibility,” she said. “And many of the women over 40 are more successful and have earned a lot, which lets them be more flexible.”
And women make excellent financial advisers, said Ray Sclafani, president and founder of ClientWISE LLC, which coaches advisers. “Women are open and they want to share. They don't mind being vulnerable and they are willing to have tough conversations,” he said. “It's very clear that women have some inherent skills that are necessary.”
Other top jobs for women included in MORE's list include environmental scientist, registered nurse, education administrator, accountant, human resources specialist and a small scale niche farmer.
The top ranked job was a community service coordinator.
