Did anyone else see this ad in the January edition of Financial Planning? It is for the College for Financial Planning and one way or another, it is off-putting to women. I’m not exactly sure what it’s even implying – so I asked others and the consensus is that it could have one of two meanings – neither good for women:
- The man in this picture is the elite financial planner (his credentials hang on the wall behind him) and he is so wonderfully successful that he attracts this woman with his wealth and power, or,
- The couple in this picture is the elite client referred to in the ad. Yet, they don’t stand together equally. He is facing the camera, strong and confident, while she stands by and admires him (and his wealth and power).
If we in the financial industry would like to get truly serious about increasing the ranks of female financial planners, we need to understand the messages the industry sends – even subliminally.