In a male-dominated field, Veronica Aguilera masters the role of wealth advisor
By Joanna Dodder Nellans • Photo by Trisha Shaffer
Synthesizing knowledge from three decades of diverse banking roles, Veronica Aguilera now thoroughly enjoys the freedom of being a wealth advisor.
Veronica is somewhat of a rarity, as a widely cited Barron’s study estimates that only 15-20 percent of wealth advisors are female. What attracted her to this role?
“I love that I get to know my clients pretty intimately,” Veronica related. Her goal is to help clients create guaranteed income streams ahead of retirement, so they don’t fall prey to stock market jitters.
She noted that women can have different financial needs than men; they generally outlive their male partners, and they often carry less savings because of their caregiver roles, for example. This is one reason she hosts a free monthly women’s financial literacy group, inviting experts to illuminate various finance topics.
“I just want people to enjoy this area without having to worry about the cost of living,” Veronica explained. “My clients drive the discussion, and I bring the products that fit what they’re trying to do.”
Being a wealth advisor means she has more tools in her toolbox, and she can fill gaps in clients’ investment portfolios with those tools.
When she decided to become a wealth advisor, Veronica interviewed various financial groups. She chose a national firm called Wisepath Financial Group because she believes it provides the most support, training, and services. Wisepath employs attorneys, CPAs, and business consultants so Veronica can regularly connect with them about how to serve her clients.
“The word Wisepath describes who we are,” she said. “We help people get on a wise path.”
Local resources such as the Prescott Valley Economic Development Foundation also help Veronica learn and continue on a wise path. She attends PVEDF quarterly breakfast meetings to hear speakers address an array of subjects. She became an individual PVEDF member to support its mission of drawing companies that offer quality jobs to growing families.
“I want my kids to be able to stay here,” she said. She has an 18-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son, along with two adult stepchildren with her second husband.
Like probably most parents, Veronica’s parents didn’t teach her much about finances while she was growing up. When she moved from the U.K. to East L.A. at age 20 to be closer to her mother’s side of the family, she got a job as bank teller but didn’t expect to stay in the U.S.A. She moved to Prescott in 1994 and landed a personal banker job.
“They saw something in me and gave me training,” she said. She quickly fell in love with this area. “It wasn’t until I moved to Prescott that I stopped being homesick for England.”
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