Ep #131: Having the Difficult Conversation About Diversity and Inclusion - Co-Hosted by Kathleen Boyd & Bill Simonet

December 20, 2017

The financial planning field has been historically dominated by white males and focused on the same. This discussion is to bring a better understanding of the difficulties that ethnic minorities and females have when trying to break into and become established in the field. Listen in for an important and exciting discussion between Kathleen Boyd and Bill Simonet who both have unique and valuable experiences and views that will help us see things from different perspectives.

This conversation is not aimed at pointing fingers or casting blame and shame on anyone. It is meant to bring a better understanding of where we currently stand with diversity and inclusion and how we can all actively pursue a more diverse and inclusive community of financial planners. Our guests share experiences with racism and sexism as well as pointing out possible issues in the way people are interviewed and with the AUM model. They also share some small ways that we can start re-evaluating and re-thinking how we do business and work with others in order to make our field a more inclusive place.

Listen to the Full Interview:

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What You'll Learn from This Episode:

Where financial planning is today and setting goals for the direction we want it to head in.
Why it’s uncomfortable for people to touch hair or ask to touch hair.
Why it’s so hard for white men to talk about diversity.
The problem of what to call people: black people or African American people.
Understanding peoples’ natural curiosity and how that can go too far.
How we can make a difference and start fixing the diversity issues within the financial planning industry.
Why diversity has become a buzz word and more something that hides rather than addresses real issues.
Struggling with the word privilege and how to use it to open conversation rather than shut people down.
The concept of diversity is flawed while the concept of inclusion needs to be more filled out.