Jamie Kosharek (left), Carolyn Hash, Kayla Koeber, Kjersten Lazar and Brigette White talk about the business during the Raymond James Women's Symposium on Sept. 28, 2018.
The crowd at Raymond James 2018 Women's Symposium in Tampa, Florida, got plenty of advice and business-growth ideas from four top female financial advisors on Friday.
The panel discussion, led by Jamie Kosharek, vice president and director of strategy and operations for the Raymond James Financial Institutions Division, aimed to help advisors prosper in good times and bad. "The grass is greener where you water it," Kosharek said.
The four members of the panel, who work as independent contractors or employee advisors, began by describing how they launched their careers and then described how they attract referred prospective clients and the impact community involvement has on their practices.
(Related: How to Get Client Referrals Without Asking)
Carolyn Hash of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, became an advisor after her family urged her to spend less time on the road. Her daughter, who urged her at age 3 not to travel so much, is now part of her team.
Kayla Koeber of St. George, Utah, worked in the Southern California film industry for 20 years, but then decided to make a change and become a financial consultant at Merrill Lynch.
Kjersten Lazar of Somers, New York, said she moved out of work as a belt buyer for Macy's when that firm got into financial trouble. "Bad things happen to good people," she said, explaining that she decided to pursue a job at Prudential Securities in the mid-'90s.
Brigette White of Burlington, Vermont, studied finance in college and has been with Raymond James for some 25 years.
Referral Tactics
What's the best way to ask for referrals?
"Referrals are important," Lazar said. "I help people in nontraditional ways and then find a way to ask for their contacts naturally, when it makes sense."
