Guardian Wealth Management, a regulated financial planning firm, has formed a female-only team that offers financial advice specifically tailored to women.
The team, which is made up of four female advisors based in Guardian’s Dubai office, offers advice geared towards the needs of women, considering potential factors including maternity leave and the need for long-term financial independence.
The service comes after Guardian identified a lack of tailored financial advice suited to the requirements of women, particularly in what is typically seen as a male-dominated industry.
Gemma Frankland, Senior Financial Planner at Guardian Wealth Management, said: “The financial needs of women are often different to men. And, in many cases, they shy away from it altogether for fear of complexity and uncertainty”.
“As women advisors, we understand what the priorities are for women and are equipped to provide the best, bespoke financial advice.”
The need for financial planning amongst women is greater than ever. Women tend to earn less than men, but live longer on average, meaning there is usually a part of their life in which they must live independently.
Additionally, women are more likely to take career breaks to start families, causing a dip in salaries often for months or years at a time. It is important for women to preserve what they earn while they are working to ensure they are financed in times when they are not.
“We find that women are very good at saving for the short term, whether that be for rent, school fees or even vacations, but they tend to lack long-term planning for later in life and retirement”, said Ms Frankland. “We encourage ladies to come for a consultation where we can chat about their needs in an open, trusting environment.”
Currently, over a third of UAE clients at Guardian Wealth Management are women – significantly higher than its client base in other regions such as Hong Kong and the UK. This is due to a greater proportion of females in the UAE being business professionals and high earners.
Linda Bonnar, works as a Life Coach and has been an expat in the UAE for eight years. She is currently taking professional financial advice from Gemma at Guardian.
“I’ve been a client of Guardian Wealth Management for the past eight years and Gemma is now my advisor. One of the things that I love about having a female consultant such as Gemma is her genuine care for her clients; from my first point of contact, she made time to get to know me and demonstrated an interest in my personal and professional goals, not just my financial situation. I’ve always found female advisors to be exceptionally open and honest about any changes in my investments and I greatly respect Gemma’s advice”.
“Aside from being my financial adviser, Gemma has recently started up a series of networking events for like-minded business women here in Dubai, which I am delighted to be a part of. It’s sometimes hard to find female networking events which suit individual style and taste, but the ‘Women Like Us’ events definitely tick these boxes and I’m eagerly looking forward to the next event”
‘Women Like Us’ brings together professional female international workers once a month to socialise, share ideas and build friendships in relaxed, elegant surroundings.
Ms Frankland said: “The Women Like Us networking events have been instrumental in building a support network for women in Dubai. It has helped new expats who have recently relocated settle in, as well as connecting professionals from different industries. We look forward to hosting more events and invite women from all backgrounds to attend.”
For more information on financial advice and the Women Like Us networking events, visit www.guardianwealthmanagement.c
