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Recorded at the FSI OneVoice 2022 Presented by:
Advisorpedia interviewed the president & CEO of INROADS, Forest Harper, at the FSI OneVoice Conference in February, 2022.
"I think that if you asked me the question of what's important about diversity, equity inclusion in the financial services industry, I'd say, is as important as it is in any other industry. But more importantly, in financial services, because of the numbers, EPA just reported out today, and FSI and that was that 93% of financial advisors are quite male. And so do we want to make the industry more inclusive? Yes. So the importance is a plan and a strategy that's going to help make the financial services industry more inclusive, and more representative of the actual complexion of the country today.
Equality is given to all but not actually honored by all. And so every American no matter what ethnicity deserves, to go towards equity, and have just as much with their wealth creation, and life, and lifestyles. So if you leave a group out, because you're suspecting they may not have any interest, and saving and creating wealth, you may be missing the boat, and ensuring that your business is thriving, and they're thriving.
In order for financial services to do more than what you're doing today.
There are three ingredients one that declare that there's a problem that they want to fix. And they did that in the last research that they did about the demographics and the makeup of Financial Services Institute. Second, they gotta have a plan that's willing to collaborate. And that collaboration is where we come in. We're here to collaborate, but the Financial Services Institute in order to be able to bring strategies of opening up a talent pool that will give them diverse talent at the early stages of undergraduate and then third, to be able to hold themselves accountable for not only given that opportunity, but then given them a job offer after they finish. That way those diverse students, black and brown can come into the financial services industry. Well adapt to a new culture that's going to accept on diversity in your organization."
Resources: INROADS | Flyer Financial Technology
Related: Breaking Barriers, Building Futures with Forest Harper