Ellen Rogin, a CPA, CFP®, money expert, New York Times best-selling author, and seasoned financial advisor with over 25 years of experience, offers a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective on thriving in the predominantly male financial services industry.
Ellen’s success lies in her unique perspective as a woman advisor, offering a distinct, holistic approach to financial planning. Women, she believes, excel in listening differently and addressing their clients’ needs comprehensively, which has made her clients, including some men, more comfortable discussing sensitive financial matters with her. It is this differentiation that sets her, and other women advisors, apart in the field.
Ellen openly admits to having struggled with understanding her value, especially in the early stages of her career as a financial planner. She once believed that success necessitated a deep dive into intricate financial details, which didn’t align with her strength of seeing the bigger picture. Her breakthrough moment arrived when she recognized that clients sought more than just investment strategies; they craved peace of mind. Ellen’s conviction solidified when she realized that people turned to her for reassurance and a sense of security during challenging financial times. Shifting her mindset to focus on serving clients led to remarkable business growth, even during a recession when many other advisors were struggling.
Ellen offers these tips on how to tap into your true value:
Cultivate an abundance-focused mindset.
Ellen delves into the concept of a prosperity mindset versus a scarcity mindset, likening it to the roots of a tree, crucial for healthy business growth. She defines a scarcity mindset as fear-based, resulting in reactive decisions, excessive competition, jealousy, and comparison. In contrast, a prosperity mindset is optimistic, collaborative, and expansive, emphasizing that there’s more than enough to go around. Ellen does acknowledge that even with a scarcity mindset, one can do well financially in the financial services profession, however, she is quick to highlight the drawbacks of reduced happiness and potential challenges in team management. Cultivating an abundance-focused mindset is the base for building a thriving practice.
Trust your intuition.
The topic of intuition takes center stage in Ellen’s insights, knowing something without necessarily understanding how. Both men and women experience gut feelings, debunking the notion that intuition is mystical or gender-specific. Ellen shares instances where ignoring her intuition had led to challenging situations in her business. She stresses the importance of trusting this inner knowing to connect with clients and make effective hiring decisions. To develop intuition, Ellen recommends quieting the mind through contemplative practices like meditation. She encourages practicing intuition through simple decisions and gradually building trust in this invaluable business tool, ultimately helping advisors connect with their inner guidance.
Listen to your “messages from money.”
Ellen applies a unique approach of tapping into “messages from money,” imagining what money would say if it could talk. Ellen emphasizes that everyone has a relationship with money, urging advisors to consider the kind of partner they are in this relationship, whether controlling, trusting, or generous. She introduces a framework comprising awareness, clarity, caring, action, and sharing (generosity) as essential elements in fostering a prosperous relationship with money. Ellen advocates for the idea that generosity precedes prosperity, encouraging advisors to be generous in both their financial and energetic interactions, ultimately providing actionable tools for growth in various aspects of life.
Ellen Rogin’s wealth of experience and insights serve as a valuable guide for women advisors and anyone looking to thrive in the financial services industry. Her emphasis on collaboration, embracing intuition, and cultivating a prosperity mindset offers a fresh perspective that can benefit advisors in their pursuit of a thriving practice or career. Ellen’s journey is a testament to the power of embracing one’s unique strengths and leveraging them to achieve success in a predominantly male-dominated industry.