Women advisors are succeeding through authenticity

Being authentic can deliver trust, growth and success for an advisory firm.

Authenticity is one character trait that is driving women toward success, especially in the wealth management industry. So why is it important?

“When you are clear about your authenticity, it inspires trust because you are drawing in and aligning yourself with clients that also share your value,” said Tiffany Soricelli, principal and CEO at Schenectady, New York-based Virtuoso Asset Management.

The Women Advisor Summit, which takes place Nov. 8 in New York City, will explore several topics, including what it means to be authentic in the wealth advisory industry. The panels will be led by women who are taking the industry by storm.

Kim Bourne, managing director at New York City-based Playfair Planning Services, will be one of the women on the panel about authenticity. Bourne likens being authentic to the Ritz-Carlton.

“It’s very clear— that personable, memorable, unique experience — that they want,” she said. “Regardless of what Ritz-Carlton you go to, that’s a big part of their gold standard. I think we all need to have that. Values-based financial planning is an authentic brand for our firm and I’m hoping through the panel discussion, we’ll be able to ask some thought-provoking questions and maybe provide some tools to help women.”

Like Soricelli, Bourne added that trust, along with being accountable and opening herself up to clients, is also authentic for her business, family and friends.

“It’s just a natural way to build trust and for me, I can accomplish great things when someone holds me accountable,” she said. “I think that’s true for many people. It can’t just be let’s have this great conversation, let’s invest assets. But how do the financial choices that we make align with the things that we say are truly important to us?”

As for Soricelli, her authenticity comes from having a carefree attitude and going independent with her firm.

“Being authentic has allowed me to just lean into like, ‘If you don’t like what I have to say or what I stand for, then you’re not my client,’” she said. “That has given me a lot of power to just stand in and lean into the areas that I’m really passionate about, get involved to take action and not worry about how that’s going to negatively impact the business.”

Soricelli added that authenticity comes down to another trait: integrity.

“Authenticity is so interwoven with integrity,” she said. “Everything I do is really coming back to my core essence and who I am. And when I honor my authenticity, I’m in my utmost integrity.”

Soricelli left the corporate world to go independent, where she was able to decorate and renovate a space that aligned with the energy and values of her brand. Doing so allowed her to explore what it meant to be authentic and to find that in her work with clients. “It allowed me to see areas of opportunity where I can provide impact and serve, which then comes back to the business and to our growth and success,” she added.

Authenticity aside, Bourne says the key thing with financial advising or any discipline is to always be a student of the business.

“Always be learning,” she said. “I always improve upon myself and how it is we’re going to deliver, always become clearer about what segment of the market we can add most value. And that’s been the words that I live by.”

To register for the Women Advisor Summit, or for more information, click here.