A study has shown that by the year 2050, the majority of the United States population will be comprised of minority groups. This country is a big, beautiful mosaic - but the financial planning industry isn’t a very good reflection of our rich and diverse population. Conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion have been happening in the industry. Entire panels have been formed! But we’re still struggling to find solutions for building a more inclusive profession.
Over the years, I've been asked to address concerns surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the lack thereof, in the financial services industry. As awareness of the financial planning profession continues to spread and we attract more women and ethnically diverse talent, the challenge continues to be retaining and supporting these thriving professionals.
We tackle these issues and more on 2050 TrailBlazers-- my podcast that directly addresses the lack of diversity in the financial planning profession by engaging industry experts and leaders in conversation to encourage cultural awareness, cultural perspective, and ways to make a measurable impact.
This podcast is intended to create a space to start these necessary conversations. Nobody here is pretending to have all of the answers, but we do know that by being honest and bold, we can spark a fire of change.
We’re excited that you’re joining us here today. We have some amazing things in store for you. We only ask one thing: don’t let the conversation stop here. The only way we’ll grow as an industry and profession is if we keep having them. Keep talking.
ABOUT THE HOST
Rianka R. Dorsainvil, CFP® is the Creator and Host of 2050 TrailBlazers. Additionally, she is the Co-CEO of 2050 Wealth Partners, a virtual comprehensive financial planning firm dedicated to providing trusted financial guidance to thriving professionals, small business owners, first-generation wealth-builders, and sandwich generation wealth-protectors.
Rianka has a platform, and a responsibility, to show others that you can be a woman, a person of color, and have success in this profession. There are only 23% women CFP® professionals — the same number for the past 13 plus years. The number is even lower, in the single digits, when talking about the number of CFP® professionals who are people of color. One of the goals of 2050 TrailBlazers is to spark the conversation that will help change this statistic.
Rianka is a thought leader in the financial industry, published in Black Enterprise, CNBC, Financial Advisor, ThinkAdvisor, MarketWatch, US News & World Report, Women’s Health and many more. She also serves as a member of CNBC's Digital Financial Advisor Council, which consists of 20 high-level financial professionals that make investment terms and strategies more transparent and help investors navigate the multitude of complex investment options and strategies.
A strong advocate for young professionals, she served as 2016 National President of Financial Planning Association’s NexGen community, where she focused on the cultivation of the next generation of financial planners, volunteers annually with the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, and co-founded a mentorship program for women in financial planning at her Virginia Tech.
Through her leadership, contribution, and volunteerism within the financial service industry, Rianka has been recognized by Investment News as 2017 Women to Watch Rising Star and 2015 list of top “40 Under 40” financial services professionals, in Wealth Management and Financial Advisor Magazine’s 2016 list of top 10 CFP® certification holders in the country and more recently Wealth Management “Ten to Watch in 2018”, a group comprised of ten innovators and influencers set to change the industry in 2018. Additionally, Rianka has been published twice in the Journal of Financial Planning where she shared her research around cultural and wealth patterns of the millennial generation.
In April 2017, Rianka was chosen as a spokesperson for CFP Board Center for Financial Planning’s “I am a CFP® Pro” campaign. She serves as an advocate for the campaign with the goal of inspiring the next generation, specifically women and people of color, to consider financial planning as a career. In efforts to build a more diverse financial planning profession, Rianka also volunteers for the CFP Board Center as a member of the Center's Diversity Advisory Group.