Morgan Stanley Smith Barney says it has launched the Women Financial Advisors Forum online for women interested in becoming financial advisors at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, which as of June 1 includes about 18,500 global representatives in some 1,000 locations worldwide.
The website aims to highlight "the opportunities, challenges and advantages of a financial advisor career for women," the venture says.
"We are very pleased to launch the Women Financial Advisors Forum," explains Andy Saperstein, head of Wealth Management. "We are committed to making Morgan Stanley Smith Barney the firm of choice for the world's best financial advisors, and this initiative is part of our efforts to cast a wide net for talent and support women in their careers and professional development."
The site includes a forum for questions and concerns, information about the job requirements of an advisor, how to apply, career development and frequently asked questions. See http://womenfaforum.morganstanleysmithbarney.com.
It has been introduced a year after Citigroup agreed to pay some $33 million to settle a San Francisco lawsuit brought by 2,500 Smith Barney female advisors.
Recently, Jamie Goodman of Merrill Lynch accused Bank of America of discriminating against female financial advisors by offering them lower retention bonuses than their male counterparts, Reuters reports.
The advisor's suit seeks class-action status and claims that since wealthier clients have been steered to male advisors, female advisors were typically eligible for only lower production-based bonuses.
