The key to working with female clients: Listening

Today, women control a third of total U.S. household financial assets. That’s more than $10 trillion. But over the next decade, large sums of money are expected to change hands, driven mainly by demographics as women inherit assets from parents and spouses, through divorce settlements, and by investing their own hard-earned savings. These changes represent a critical inflection point for the financial services industry. When affluent women take over financial decision-making for a household, they typically seek out new wealth management relationships to suit their needs. With Mary Beth to discuss how to work with women investors, particularly when the female is the primary decision-maker in a couple, is Allison Schmidt of Higgins & Schmidt Wealth Strategies in Denver.

Guest bio: Allison Schmidt is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professional and CPA* at Higgins & Schmidt Wealth Strategies. She co-founded Higgins & Schmidt with Steven Higgins in 2010. Allie works with a select group of individuals and families to create and develop tax-efficient financial strategies. Allie enjoys working closely with clients to assess their full financial picture to make sure each and every piece is working together. This elevated level of client communication is the cornerstone of the Higgins & Schmidt process, and Allie takes pride in the recognition that Higgins & Schmidt Wealth Strategies has received for this client-first based approach.

Prior to co-founding Higgins & Schmidt Wealth Strategies, Allie began building her practice in 2008 as a financial advisor literally one step at a time, knocking on doors with Edward Jones Investments. Prior to that, she paid her dues as a financial statement auditor with Deloitte & Touche, LLP. Allie is originally from Kankakee, IL and graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis where she was a member of the Butler Bulldogs women’s basketball team. March Madness is a very big deal around the Schmidt house. Allie and her wife, Stacy, live in the Highlands neighborhood in Northwest Denver with their two daughters, Wesley & Charley, and Wheaten Terrier, Bailey. When not in the office, Allie is usually outside with her family and friends, if not playing hide-and-seek, enjoying the many activities that the beautiful Colorado landscape has to offer usually capped off with an ice cold craft beer.