Interview with Adri Miller-Heckman

“To be honest with you, Math was my worst subject. And so the fact that I ended up a Smith Barney Financial Advisor in Newport Beach was an absolute miracle.

But it really came down to needing a job and I was presented with the opportunity to become a sales assistant for a million-dollar commodities broker. And so I proceeded to get my commodities license and then I took my Series 7 exam and failed. But I went back, I took it again and through the years, working with million-dollar producers, I began to see a pattern with women. And as women would come in, they were totally disengaged as well.

Now, because I was in the industry , I started to enjoy money. My dad was a great investor. And so we would start to have conversations. And I started to use the principles that I learned in the business. And it wasn’t until 10 years later that I became a financial advisor. And that’s why my whole practice was focused on women. I wanted to create an environment where women felt smart, where they felt really, really comfortable and actually got excited about talking about money and reviewing their investment portfolio.

The beautiful thing is, my daughters have been exposed to this for many years and while they’re still young, they have already built up a 401(k). But the reality is, women still struggle with money. And so a big part of my mission today is to really help financial advisers understand how to speak to women, how to engage them, and how to present finances in a way that is very appealing and impactful for women.”