Financial planning for independent women
Since the dawn of time, women have conquered insurmountable obstacles. From earning the right to vote to taking over the majority of the workforce (WSJ), women have never backed down from a challenge to succeed. So, when life’s challenges ( such a divorce or the unexpected death of a spouse) leave you upended, and you aren’t sure where to start financially, know that our CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professionals (CFP®) are here to help.
We won’t just guide you through these new financial changes; we will help you thrive in the face of new challenges and gain the financial independence necessary to maintain your quality of life.
At ProVise Management Group, Susan Washburn, CFP® J.D, a Senior Financial Planner, along with many of the other female members of our team know the unique challenges that women face, especially when it comes to financial planning. Many have walked this road and found the key to financial success through our proven strategies to gain financial independence.
Request Your Complimentary Consultation from a CFP® Professional
What makes financial planning unique for women?
Everyone needs financial planning, so why should it be any different for women? The answers lie in the two unique challenges specific to women:
- Women generally earn less than men — Sadly, even though women make up the majority of the workforce, there is still a significant income gap by gender. Women are less likely than men to hold top-earning positions and those who do tend to earn less than their male peers. This means women have to invest more in their long-term financial strategy to achieve financial security and build a strong retirement portfolio.
- Women tend to live longer than men — The average lifespan of a woman is six to eight years longer than that of a man. This means that women are more likely to live longer at the retirement stage of life, meaning they will require more financial investment than retired men.
These challenges place women at a disadvantage when it comes to financial planning. However, having a clear strategy in place will allow you to move to a place of financial independence despite the obstacles you may be facing.
As Featured on ABC’s Morning Blend
Susan lived a charmed life. Then, a hurricane changed it all.
As a young woman, I lived a charmed life. By thirty, I had a fabulous job, wonderful family and beautiful home in New Orleans. Then, two events derailed my life. Hurricane Katrina destroyed our home forcing us to evacuate and relocate to Florida. After spending several years rebuilding our lives, I finally felt settled only to be knocked off my feet by a divorce.
While I could not control the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, I could have better managed the financial chaos left by my divorce. Here, I was educated as a lawyer, working as a stay-at-home mom and I delegated my financial affairs leaving myself vulnerable, overwhelmed and embarrassed by my lack of financial knowledge. To regain my life, I needed to become smart about money and this journey led me to a career as a financial advisor.
As I shared my story with other women and clients, I was shocked by how many women are in the midst of their own financial hurricanes leaving themselves vulnerable. That is when I realized my true purpose as a financial adviser went far beyond simply managing their money. I began to inspire women to take more ownership in their financial lives. By encouraging women to face their fears and to get smarter about their relationship with money, they become confident, engaged and empowered in their financial futures.
Talk to one of our ProVise CFP professionals today
We are proud to have many strong women on our team, and we are confident that we can help you achieve your financial goals with your best interests in mind. We strive to respect your values and to develop a personalized financial plan that works best for you. Our team will provide this plan at a fiduciary standard of care and offer an unconditional money back guarantee. If for any reason you are not satisfied with the written plan, simply return it to us and we will refund 100% of the fee paid.
Are you ready to develop a financial plan to help you achieve financial stability as an independent working woman? Contact ProVise Management Group today.
Susan Washburn, CFP®, J.D.
Senior Financial Planner
Why should women trust ProVise Management Group with their financial planning?
At ProVise Management Group, more than half of our team is comprised of women who have achieved CFP recognition in the field of financial planning. Several of them hold leadership positions within the firm.
In other words, we are an organization who recognizes and values strong women. We know the unique challenges women face, and we understand the freedom that comes with financial empowerment.
We take a collaborative approach to the work we do with our clients. We assess your personal goals, review your risks and consider your personal values when developing a roadmap to your financial stability. Our financial plans include strategy around the following areas:
- Financial management
- Investment management
- Wealth management
- Retirement planning
- Long-term care planning
- Estate planning and more
What to expect in a complimentary consultation
A 30-minute complimentary consultation with ProVise Management Group is different from what you may have experienced with other financial planners. In this meeting, you'll speak with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®.
We want to know more about your goals and place in life than how much money you have in your accounts.
We would be happy to meet you in person at our Clearwater and Tampa offices or schedule a Zoom call.
Here’s a quick snapshot of how our consultation works:
Step 1
What prompted you to contact us?
Is it a new job with a complex compensation plan, the formation of a new business, a birthday that makes retirement feel more imminent, an inheritance, the death of a spouse or another event?
Step 2
What are your goals?
We'll discuss your objectives for your finances and retirement and diagnose any potential issues that may be keeping you from reaching your goals.
Step 3
Here's how we can help
We’ll tell you about us and how we work, including the services we offer and our fee structure. Then, we’ll give you the time and space you need to decide if you want to work with us—and when you’re ready, so are we.
The ProVise Planning Experience
A financial plan is a roadmap to your financial success. A ProVise financial planner will follow a process that includes the following steps to creating a customized strategy specific to your current financial situation, lifestyle, and future goals.

1. Understanding Your Personal and Financial Circumstances
Before we can help you reach your goals, we need to understand where you are. We perform a thorough analysis of your current financial situation and upcoming risks before creating a financial plan designed for your increased future success.
2. Identifying and Selecting your goals
Your future financial goals will dictate your current financial choices. We need to understand your goals and then help you prioritize those goals, so we can align your financial strategy with the lifestyle for which you are aiming. We help you balance your goals in a way that is designed to benefit your current lifestyle without neglecting your future financial goals
3. Analyzing Your Current Course of Action and Potential Alternative Courses of Action
It is important for us to first determine what you are currently doing and why. What is your approach to your finances and investments? There is no reason to seek alternatives if what you are doing is working. However, we can only do this in the context of looking at alternatives that may either fine tune what you are doing, or perhaps offer an alternative approach.
4. Developing the Financial Planning Recommendation(s)
Unlike others who just want to sell you something that may not be in your best interest, we do not consider recommendations until we have taken the first three steps of the financial planning process. You do not want a physician to create a treatment plan without a thorough analysis of your current condition and consideration of alternatives. The same is true with your financial health.
5. Presenting the Financial Planning Recommendation(s)
We will provide you with a set of written recommendations sharing our best ideas and thoughts regarding your personal financial situation. For those with a relatively uncomplicated financial life it might be done in a bullet point format, while for others it could be a much longer document. It might even be done with a modular plan focusing on the one aspect that is most concerning to you.
6. Implementing the Financial Planning Recommendation(s)
We help you put the financial planning strategy to work by putting together a checklist of action items for you and us that helps ensure that the plan is implemented in a timely fashion. There is nothing worse than knowing what needs to be done and then not doing it.
7. Monitoring the Progress and Update
Financial planning is not an event that happens one time. It is a continuous process. Life happens and things change. You will not go it alone. We will walk with you through every financial decision, roadblock, obstacle and opportunity to make sure you are staying on track toward your financial goals.
Schedule a Complimentary Consultation
Financial planning is not one big thing…it is hundreds of little things™. We will walk with you every step of the way through investments, debt payoffs and everything in between to help you reach the financial goals that matter most to you.
STRAIGHT FROM THE SOURCE
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