Why Every Woman Needs a Financial A-Team (And How to Build Yours)
Are you tired of feeling like you're navigating your money journey alone? You're not the only one. Many women struggle with financial decisions because they believe they should figure it all out by themselves. But here's the truth: your personal financial journey doesn’t need to be a solo one.
The Myth of the "Self-Made" Success Story
We've all heard about "self-made" millionaires, but this concept is actually a fallacy. Behind every successful person is a team of supporters, mentors, advisors, and cheerleaders who helped them along the way. As women, it's time we stop hiding the people in our shadows and start celebrating everyone who contributes to our financial success.
“I’m not a self-made man; I’m a community-made woman.””
I love giving shout-out to my dad, my husband, and my Financial Friends who have amazing Healthy Wealthy Talks with me.
My family is awesome and helped me have a healthy foundation with money. You can read more about my financial journey as a kid on this blog.
I also give that Financial Advisor who gave a presentation at my first job with a 401(k) at shout-out in this blog when he left us with a table showing compound interest!
What Is a Financial A-Team?
Your Financial A-Team is a curated group of people who support, guide, and celebrate your money journey.
They’ll each fit into these 5 types of people. That doesn’t mean you need 5 people and you’re done.
Your team will evolve as you evolve in your financial journey. As you find Financial Clarity of your Big Financial Goal, you’ll find more clarity on who belongs on your team.
Some team members may be on your Financial A-Team for the rest of your financial journey. Other team members may only be a part of your team for a season.
Think of yourself as the CEO of your financial life, and these team members as your trusted advocates and support system.
The 5 Essential Types of Financial A-Team Members:
1. Specialists - Licensed professionals with expertise to help you achieve specific financial goals (financial advisors, CPAs, real estate agents, etc.)
2. Connectors - Well-connected individuals who love sharing resources and making introductions (but don't give financial advice)
3. Mentors and Mentees - People 10 steps ahead of you on your financial journey, and those you can guide who are behind you
4. Financial Friends - Your biggest cheerleaders who celebrate every milestone without competition
5. Changemakers - Early adopters and innovators who test new financial strategies and expand your options
Why Women Especially Need Financial A-Teams
The gender wealth gap is real, and it's widening. This goes beyond the wage/pay gap. Because men generally:
earn more over their lifetimes
less likely to take career breaks for caregiving (children, parents, and more)
invest earlier and more often.
However, it is also shown that when women invest, they generally outperform their male counterparts. Which is great since women also tend to live longer.
Building a Financial A-Team supports your financial journey by giving you access to collective wisdom, support, and experience.
The Cost of Going It Alone
When women don't have proper financial support systems, we tend to:
Over-celebrate with spending: Got a raise? We might buy a new bag or a new car instead of celebrating the achievement of the raise and putting that money to work for you
Miss opportunities: Without mentors, we might not learn about strategies like house hacking or business tax advantages
Make decisions based on limited information: Without diverse perspectives, our financial choices become narrow
Feel overwhelmed and paralyzed: Big Financial Goals seem impossible without a support system
Money Is Choice, Freedom, and Power
Remember this: if you have a dollar, you can save it, spend it, invest it, or donate it. You're making a choice with every dollar. Sometimes it feels like you have limited choices and other times it feels like you have limitless choices. Both can be overwhelmed. I want you to shift your perspective. Money is not happening to you, you are making choices with your money.
As you build wealth, you gain more freedom and flexibility. You can find more choices like values-driven investment options, the ability to take some bigger risks with a portion of your investments, and making big moves to live the life you want, like taking a sabbatical.
At its highest level, money represents power and control. We see that the richest people in our society have a large influence over societal and political issues. I want more women to have more money so that they will have a great influence on a more community-driven healthy wealthy future.
Building Your Unique Financial A-Team
Your Financial A-Team should be unique to you, your goals, and your current state. A woman looking to buy her first home needs different team members than someone planning early retirement or starting a business.
The key is being intentional about who you invite onto your team and ensuring they:
Believe in you and your goals
Have the expertise relevant to your needs
Communicate clearly and transparently
Support your vision without pushing their own agenda
Two of my favorite questions when interviewing people for your Financial A-Team is:
How have you helped similar people to me with similar goals?
How do you get paid?
I don’t expect people to work for free. I have seen some people get squirming when they talk about how they get paid. “Oh you don’t have to worry about” doesn’t give me confidence while, “I get paid from the products that you choose of the ones I recommend” is clear and informative. I want someone who is transparent and clear with me.
You're the CEO of Your Money
While your Financial A-Team provides invaluable support, remember that you're the CEO of your financial life.
You make the final decisions, you set the vision, and you reap the rewards of your success.
Your team is there to advise, support, and cheer you on, but the ultimate responsibility—and the ultimate power—lies with you.
Ready to Start Building?
Creating your Financial A-Team isn't about finding one perfect advisor—it's about assembling a diverse group of supporters who can help you achieve your unique financial goals. In our upcoming posts, we'll dive deep into each type of team member, showing you who to look for and how they can transform your money journey.
Your financial future is too important to navigate alone. It's time to build your Financial A-Team and start achieving those Big Financial Goals with confidence, support, and community.
Ready to connect with other women building their financial futures? Join a community of like-minded women who believe money conversations should happen in supportive, emboldening spaces.
