Note: This story was first published by Connect Money on February 14, 2025.
Johnathan Rickman | Blue Vault
As women are projected to manage trillions of dollars over the next decade, wealth advisors face an increasingly important task: building trust and adapting their approach to resonate with women investors.
That’s according to Cherie Fournier, CEO and Founder of Marketing Intent, who says advisors can meet the moment by focusing more attention on educating women about alternative investments and doing so through storytelling, in addition to covering facts and figures.
That means advisors need to get up to speed on — and stay on top of — the latest developments in alts and be able to explain how they can help families manage and build generational wealth. Fournier says, “Historically, women haven’t always been front and center in financial planning conversations, so advisors need to ensure women are well-positioned to manage the wealth coming their way.”
Women in financial services don’t have as many affinity groups or resources to turn to within the industry, Fournier says. To help remedy that, she and a panel of women wealth advisors have carved out a space for themselves at the upcoming Blue Vault Alts Summit in March. Fournier will moderate a panel discussion covering why education is critical when offering alternative investments to clients, and what factors appeal to women and other investor groups. The annual event takes place March 10-12, 2025, at the Omni PGA Resort in Frisco, Texas.
The financial services industry veteran points to a January 22, 2025, report conducted by Cerulli Associates that found that by 2030, American women are projected to manage at least $30 trillion in financial assets — more than the U.S. national GDP. This monumental wealth transfer will take place largely through inter-spousal transfers to widows, the reports states.
Fournier explains that education is a critical element in engaging women with alternative investments. By focusing on storytelling alongside facts and figures, advisors can better communicate how alternatives can fit into long-term wealth management strategies. Alts are typically less liquid than most conventional investment vehicles. Therefore, investors must be prepared to hold their investments for a longer duration. In exchange, they often benefit from strong risk-adjusted returns.
Women, as future wealth managers, may be more receptive to narratives that emphasize the long-term impact of these investments on their families’ futures. “Facts and fees have to be covered as well, but you have to capture investors with the story initially on how alts work and what’s behind their investments,” Fournier says.
Fournier also notes that women advisors may be particularly well-positioned to relate these stories, as they can connect with clients on a deeper, more personal level. For women advisors and marketing professionals like Fournier, the ability to tell the bigger picture story of how alternatives can fit into a family’s financial legacy is important.
“We all know what fact sheets look like,” she says. “But we don’t always get the stories behind the facts, so our job is to link the two together to help advisors and investors better understand various alts offerings.”
