WSR Pathfinder Awards – Woman Financial Advisor Of The Year Discusses Balancing Career And Motherhood, Reaching Underserved Communities And Advancing Women In The Workplace
WSR not only promotes outstanding industry leaders from underserved groups and communities through the Pathfinder Awards, we also bring their voices to our platform and ask the hard questions that we all must consider to bring positive change to our industry.
In honor of Women’s History Month, we invited several of this month’s WSR Pathfinder Awards – Top Women Industry Leaders of 2023 to address questions on women’s advancement and DEI issues, including Jennifer Kim, Managing Senior Partner at Signature Estate & Investment Advisors (SEIA). WSR named Kim the Woman Financial Advisor of the Year.
Kim has built relationships with many clients in underserved groups, and especially the Korean American community of Los Angeles, and is the first and, to date, only woman to achieve partnership at SEIA. She also received numerous awards and recognition, and actively supports and participates in community and charity organizations.
We asked Kim to share with us the keys to her effectiveness in reaching out to the underserved Korean American community, how to balance motherhood and career, and steps individuals and firms can take to address inequality for women in the workplace.
WSR: Tell us about your work reaching out to Korean American clients and potential clients. How can this community be reached and served better?
Kim: Korean Americans have not been in the U.S. as long as many of the other immigrant groups, and many still are not fluent in English, so being able to speak Korean is very important for outreach. The older Korean generation still enjoys reading newspapers and magazines, as well as listening to Korean channels on TV or the radio, so targeted marketing campaigns can be used to reach a larger audience.
The younger Korean generation likes social media platforms and many of them use Instagram and Facebook. These platforms can feature Korean language posts. I have been using both print and social media to increase my visibility in the community, and have also been involved with the Korean American Muse as a Board Member and the Harvard Westlake Korean Parent Association as President.
These roles have been helpful in attracting potential affluent parents and building relationships with many Korean American families.
WSR: Based on your experience, including activity in two parent associations, what advice would you give to professional mothers to navigate both motherhood and career?
Kim: Professional mothers need to strike the right balance with their personal life and work, and every family has a different ratio. It’s important to set realistic expectations and find a career that can complement the needs and schedules of the individual. Have open conversations with your employer to find a schedule that works for both parties and seek help from other people.
It’s important to stay healthy and take care of yourself, since there is no career if you have no health. When at work, you need to focus and be present with your job, and you must set boundaries to be present with your kids and family.
WSR: Where is our industry now with regard to advancing women and what steps can we take corporately and individually to improve?
Kim: The advancement of women in the workplace has always been a topic of interest and women are still not equal in many sectors, including finance, as well as science and technology.
There are several steps that can be taken to improve this inequality. Corporations can set up gender diversity goals, provide equal opportunities to the employees in regard to training and development, foster policies that are friendly toward families, offer mentors to build relationships with more seasoned coworkers and examine the hiring process to make sure there are no inequalities when selecting the candidates.
Individuals can build a strong relationship with mentors, try to provide feedback to improve skills, be a role model and advocate for themselves.
Janeesa Hollingshead, Executive Editor at Wealth Solutions Report, can be reached at editor@wealthsolutionsreport.com
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