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Welcome to the second Support to Succeed newsletter! We are excited to keep you up to date on our progress and achievements.
As a reminder, we are a nonprofit organization that connects talent from alternative skilling pathways (like workforce development nonprofits and community colleges) to well-paid, licensed financial services roles. We currently offer Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam prep support along with career coaching to help nontraditional candidates advance in their careers.
Visit our website!
We are bringing in a new pipeline of candidates to fill an urgent industry
shortage of professionals who can provide high-quality financial advice (click here to read a Feb 2025 McKinsey article describing the industry need).
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Celebrating our Candidates' Successes
So far, we have a 100% pass rate out of the 17 candidates who took the exam - higher than industry pass rates!
Candidates are also landing jobs, with an 80% job attainment rate in our first two cohorts: So far, our candidates have received offers from top companies, including JP Morgan, Loomis Sayles, Vanguard, and the Retirement Advisor Council.
Thank you to Achievable, Kaplan, and FINRA for providing us free or discounted licenses to utilize your platforms. Your support was instrumental to the successful implementation of our pilot!
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Eastern Bank Foundation Grant
We’re excited to share that the Eastern Bank Foundation has awarded us a grant to support the development of employer partnerships. This generous contribution reflects their commitment to empowering communities through impactful partnerships. With this support, we can continue helping candidates in our community land careers in finance. We sincerely thank the Eastern Bank Foundation for its dedication and partnership!
Our Partnership with the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts
We are excited to partner with the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts (ULEM) to enhance workforce development opportunities for the communities they serve. This collaboration will empower individuals to pursue high-demand, family-sustaining careers while creating new program opportunities within ULEM. Looking ahead, our partnership improves financial literacy and wealth-building in the Greater Boston community, strengthening ULEM's impact.
Growing Our Team
We have continued to build our Advisory Board and are lucky to have guidance from several experts and industry professionals. Recently:
- Kathy Martindale worked at Fidelity for over 20 years and led diversity recruiting there. She is now Senior Strategic Consultant with Support to Succeed and a board member.
- Marcia Dukes has joined our advisory board; she leads DEI at MassMutual and formerly led DEI at Prudential
- Daniel Yifru, who formerly led internal sales teams at BlackRock and Eaton Vance, supports our efforts to build employer partnerships.
We are thrilled to announce that we have three interns on board: Annie Bacani, Jennifer Krulisz-Hossain, and Katia Magalnick!
- Annie, our Business Development and Fundraising Intern, is a Brandeis University freshman double majoring in Physics and Politics with a Business minor, and a passion for flying and equestrian sports.
- Jennifer, our Marketing Coordinator Intern, is a Clark University senior and MPA candidate who enjoys cooking, thrifting, and pursuing her goal of reading 50 books this year.
- Katia, our Program Assistant Intern, is a Support to Succeed cohort member who is pursuing a Bachelor's in Business Management, while enjoying new adventures with her 7-year-old son, like skiing and indoor rollerblading.
| | Alternative Pathways to Success: How Skills and Experience Shape the Future of Finance | | |
Support to Succeed is empowering talented individuals to break into licensed roles that can lead to well-paid careers, demonstrating the value of alternative pathways.
Christian Lopez, a Dallas, Texas native, is a prime example of how the right combination of relevant skills and the SIE exam can lead to a thriving career in finance. After high school, Chris spent several years honing his leadership and people skills by working in an Amazon warehouse. Through the Year Up United workforce development program, Christian secured an internship at J.P. Morgan, where he discovered his passion for investments and financial service.
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Chris then moved into a banking role at PNC Bank, where he honed skills that are highly sought after in financial services, including:
✅ Fluency in Spanish, enabling him to engage a diverse client base.
✅ Empathy and active listening
✅ Strong relationship-building skills
Christian joined Support to Succeed to further his career ambitions to pursue financial advisory. Support to Succeed provided him access to high-quality SIE platforms, a community of support, individualized coaching to prepare for the SIE exam, and job search and interview support. The program’s guidance helped him build the foundational knowledge required in the investment industry to ultimately land a new role on a licensed pathway.
On March 3rd, he began his new role as an Investment Professional at J.P. Morgan, focusing on client consultation, relationship management, and personalized investment strategies.
Looking ahead, Christian aims to transition into investment advisory or investment banking, focusing on client relations. His ability to communicate effectively, analyze financial goals, and provide strategic guidance will be key to his success in this field.
Reflecting on his journey, Christian credits Support to Succeed for providing a structured pathway, comprehensive study support, and access to industry mentors. Christian’s story is a testament to the power of alternative pathways, resilience, and the importance of investing in skill development.
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The Looming Advisor Shortage in US Wealth Management
The U.S. wealth management industry is experiencing robust growth, with the market expected to expand significantly as personal wealth increases and financial needs become more complex. By 2040, assets under management are projected to reach $73 trillion, reflecting a rising demand for financial guidance. However, a significant challenge looms: by 2034, the sector could face a shortage of approximately 100,000 advisors due to anticipated advisor retirements and insufficient recruitment.
As technology advances, human financial advice remains crucial, particularly for personalized wealth strategies and complex decision-making. To bridge this gap, firms are increasingly looking to hire career changers, recognizing their transferable skills and potential to bring fresh perspectives to the industry — an approach that aligns with Support to Succeed’s mission.
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What Companies Get Wrong About Skills-Based Hiring
Skills-based hiring emphasizes a candidate’s skills, experience, and competencies rather than relying on traditional prerequisites like degrees, which eliminates nearly two-thirds of workers from consideration. This approach broadens talent pipelines and ensures hiring decisions are based on demonstrated skills rather than credentials alone.
While some companies have embraced this strategy, most still struggle to implement it effectively. As the article states, "Executives revamp hiring policies, but thousands of hiring managers find ways to think and act the way they always have."
Companies can help build buy-in with hiring managers by utilizing industry-recognized certifications in lieu of degrees and providing tailored support after hire. Support to Succeed does just that - by focusing on the SIE exam and providing targeted coaching pre and post-hire.
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Investment Professional at J.P. Morgan
J.P. Morgan’s Investment Professionals assist internal and external clients with their brokerage accounts over the phone.
What Does an Investment Professional Do?
✔️Client Support: Assist clients and prospects with brokerage and retirement accounts
✔️Uncover Investment Needs: Assess financial needs, risk tolerance, and long-term objectives.
✔️Build Business Efficiency and Drive Revenues: Provide exceptional service and refer clients to advisors who can meet their needs.
Licenses Needed and Career Pathway
Investment Professionals require the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE), Series 7, and Series 63 to do their jobs. While the company helps incoming candidates pass their exams, coming in with the SIE significantly increases a candidate’s chances of landing this role.
Other qualifications include exceptional client service skills and a passion for finance. A Bachelor’s degree is typically required, but in Chris’ case, the combination of the SIE, relevant work experience, Spanish language proficiency, and strong client service skills helped overcome the need for a degree.
This role is an excellent opportunity to learn the business and understand investment products in depth, and leads to well-paid positions in wealth advisory.
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Donate
Your funds go directly towards training skilled individuals from alternative pathways move into high-paying career pathways. You can sponsor one candidate for $2,000 or one cohort program manager for $5,000. Any amount is appreciated!
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Career Coach Volunteer
Interested in providing career coaching to help our candidates land licensed jobs and promotions? Please sign up to volunteer with Support to Succeed. You do NOT need to be working in the finance industry! Time commitment: 1 hour per week for approximately 8-10 weeks. To express your interest, please click here or email Meera Krishnan.
Financial Institution Partnership
Consider hiring our candidates or sponsoring a cohort ($10,000 - $20,000). Please reach out to Meera Krishnan if you are interested.
Partner with Us to Implement our Program
If you are a nonprofit or community college and you’d like to explore implementing our program, we would like to talk to you! Please reach out to Meera Krishnan.
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Mission: To build and develop a network of at least 5,000 licensed financial services professionals from alternative skilling pathways.
In our first year, we are running a pilot program.
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Goal of the pilot program: Demonstrate the success of our program model that provides tailored services to nontraditional candidates to help them pass the SIE exam and land jobs in licensed pathways
- We are partnering with community colleges and nonprofit training organizations to scale our impact and develop a community of licensed professionals from nontraditional backgrounds.
Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam: The SIE exam is the first licensing exam (out of 2-3) required for any role involving educating, supporting, or selling investment products to clients.
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Click here for more information on the exam and career pathways
Follow us on LinkedIn and visit our website to stay updated about our cohorts and partners!
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