Securian Financial Group hired Laura Vaughn right out of college. After her first full year as a financial advisor, Vaughn set a production record, earning her the title of Diamond New Advisor of the Year – the first woman to receive the honor.

"My goal for 2011 was simply to win the race," Vaughn said. "I knew that if I hit a certain level of production I would be in the running for Diamond New Advisor." 

Data from LIMRA show that 22 percent of financial advisors in 2010 were women. Vaughn doesn't understand why that percentage is so low. She contends that the defining characteristics of successful advisors have nothing to do with gender.

Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.

  • Critical BenefitsPRO information including cutting edge post-reform success strategies, access to educational webcasts and videos, resources from industry leaders, and informative Newsletters.
  • Exclusive discounts on ALM, BenefitsPRO magazine and BenefitsPRO.com events
  • Access to other award-winning ALM websites including ThinkAdvisor.com and Law.com
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.