Celebrating Women in Finance During Women’s History Month

Published on March 25, 2021

All hail the powerful women who are making strides and breaking glass ceilings in the world of banking and finance! As it is Women’s History Month, the team at Next Generation is shouting out kudos to female visionaries and leaders in the financial realm.

Although women in the U.S. only gained the right to open their own bank accounts in the 1960s, today they are at the helm of global banks as CEOs, presidents, executive VPs, chief strategy officers, risk management officers, senior investment strategists, and many more leadership roles. According to American Banker, this year’s Most Powerful Women in Finance lead major banking institutions, credit card/transaction processing companies, and asset and investment management firms (no surprise, given the organization’s name). You can read about 100 influential women in U.S. finance on Barrons (March 2020 list). For a regular dose of inspiration, you can hear from women about their careers, industry trends, and diversity issues in the Women Leaders in Finance podcast out of London.

Today, the doors are opening to more and more women in the financial industry taking their places at the head of the figurative table in many ways, in fintech, alternative assets, traditional banking and finance, and more.

Among the women we herald are Wall Street veteran Sallie Krawcheck, who founded Ellevest in 2016, in recognition of gender wealth inequality and how the financial industry was not serving women (“built by women+, for women+”). According to its website, the organization’s mission is to get more money in the hands of women, non-binary individuals, and allies. Membership in Ellevest provides access to investing, banking, learning, and coaching.

Currently an organization in Chicago, First Women’s Bank is setting sights on bridging the gender gap in lending by connecting women-owned small businesses with capital solutions. Marianne Markowitz, who was acting administrator for the SBA nationally and regional administrator for its Midwest Region V will be president, CEO and a member of the board of directors of the bank and the company. Amy R. Fahey, whose banking career spanned nearly 29 years at JPMorgan Chase and its predecessor organizations, will be the chair of the boards of directors.

Given her remarkable career in the public and private sectors, we must also include economist Janet Yellen. The current (78^th) secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, she was the chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018 and the first woman to serve in those roles. She chaired the Council of Economic Advisors in the Clinton administration and is the first person in American history to have led the White House Council of Economic Advisors, the Federal Reserve, and the Treasury Department.

Our praises would be incomplete if we failed to mention Jaime Raskulinecz, founder and CEO of Next Generation, who has nurtured and grown our organization to become two sister firms—one focused on the administration of self-directed retirement plans, the other a custodian for the assets held within our clients’ plans. Her vision, determination and guidance have helped our team develop and expand professionally, so we can help our clients develop and diversify their retirement portfolios with alternative assets. Thank you, Jaime, for all you do for Next Generation and its clients!

This is dedicated to the memory of Ms. Raskulinecz’s mother, Ella Raskulinecz, 1/7/1929-3/12/2021. Ms. Raskulinecz said, “She was an extraordinary woman who was fiercely independent and much stronger than she realized. It is because of her unconditional love and unwavering support that I have become the woman I am today and I cherish every day we had together.” May she rest peacefully.