Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelley Nadel.
Hi Shelley, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story is a life focused on community service and leadership, combined with an almost compulsive need to stand out in a crowd. A native Houstonian, my earliest memory of helping others was at eight years old when my mother made me carry a UNICEF box for trick or treating. Flash forwards a few years, and I was putting on performances for the impoverished kids of Houston’s Project Head Start program, including being the “first Jewish Easter Bunny.”
During college and grad school, a talent for fundraising began to emerge, a theme which continues today for many of my volunteer efforts. In my mid-20s, I told a friend, “I know I am supposed to do something important, but I have no idea what it is.” This simple yet profound understanding that my life had a purpose, albeit hidden, took me on a convoluted, 30+ year professional and personal journey filled with trial and error and false starts as well as unimagined achievement.
Following 20 years in the government and nonprofit sectors, my career took a 180-degree turn to financial services. After nine years focused on first insurance and later investments, I opened my own firm, Financial Success Strategies, in July of 2016, and focused on comprehensive financial planning. Most of our clients are female oil and gas professionals, reflecting a lifelong passion for empowering and advocating for women. Frankly, the financial services industry has done a terrible job supporting women, even though we live longer than men, spend most of the household monies on family care, and open more businesses. Like everything in my life, I saw a need – fiduciary-driven financial strategies with 100% candor for professional women – and set out to fill it.
Financial planning is fulfilling, but I still felt incomplete and disjointed. Then came the serendipitous event that led to finally figuring out my elusive purpose. I’ve always loved cooking and have no fear of public speaking, so in January, 2021, I gave a Zoom lesson for the women in my synagogue. My Kosher Chicken Pot Pie is a family favorite, and the session was a blast. The next week I was in a group meeting and innocently asked how I could combine the cooking experience with my business. Within that hour, “Food and Finance with Shelley” was born. F&F is my patented financial literacy initiative that breaks down complex financial concepts by pairing them with cooking tips. Partnering with a Dartmouth sorority sister, we now have a fabulous website (www.FoodandFinancewithShelley.com), YouTube channel, and plans to help companies create financial wellness for their employees.
F&F feeds my creative instincts and love of performing with a unique strategy that helps women (and those who love them) lose the excuses for not taking control of their finances. I want women to have MUCH more political power, but they cannot do that without economic power. The purpose that has eluded me for decades is now crystal clear; the rest of my working and retirement years will focus on giving women the practical tools to create financial success and freedom, whatever that looks like for them. In turn, my legacy will be a better world for my children and generations to come. Oh, and I’ll be passing down some delicious recipes and cooking tips as well!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Although both of my parents were entrepreneurs, I didn’t have much exposure on how to run a business. Starting as an independent advisor and owner in my 50s, I didn’t know what I didn’t know, including managing expenses and creating steady revenue streams. In 2019, I entered a partnership with a seasoned Financial Planner who is helping me scale my business.
Like most advisors, I have faced my share of rejection, especially when trying to add new clients. Cold calling and asking for business can be daunting, even for an extrovert like me who will talk to anyone. I used to take rejection personally and assume I had made a mistake. In time, however, I learned that usually prospects say “no” because of their own circumstances, not because I did something to offend or put them off. When someone rejects a recommendation, it’s just another step to getting to the next “yes,” and many “nos” come back when the timing is better for them.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Many professional women face the challenge of linking disconnected financial pieces into a cohesive, cost-effective plan. Their assets are isolated and unproductive. Here are three reasons why women don’t have a comprehensive strategy:
- They are too busy. Women tend to put everyone else’s needs ahead of their own, letting their own financial future suffer.
- It seems too daunting. Women want to have all their ducks in the row to tackle a big rock like managing their money – yet, the truth is financial success starts with taking that first step.
- They are afraid to know what they don’t know.
Financial planning for professional women is a process that requires trust and candor. It is a vital partnership between you and your advisor. Choosing someone to work with something as intimate as your money is not to be taken lightly – the relationship you build with your advisor is vital to the overall success of your plan.
Your planner must be transparent and act as a fiduciary, putting your best interests first. In addition, you should expect that they follow the coveted CFP® steps:
➊ Establish a relationship with a CFP® professional
➋ Gather your data and develop your financial goals
➌ Analyze and evaluate your financial status
➍ Review your CFP® professional’s recommendations
➎ Set your course
➏ Benchmark your progress against the financial goals you established
If your trusted advisor isn’t covering these 6-steps, let’s talk. Whether or not we decide to work together, I can offer some insights on effective ways to take control of your financial future.
snadel@financial-success.net | 512-662-6262
Securities are offered through Lion Street Financial (LSF), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisory services offered through Lion Street Advisors (LSA) and Csenge Advisory Group. Insurance is offered through Financial Success Strategies, not affiliated with LSF or LSA. LSF and LSA are affiliated companies and do not provide tax or legal advice. Representatives may transact business, which includes offering products and services and/or responding to inquiries, only in state(s) in which they are properly registered and/or licensed. Your connection to this LinkedIn profile does not necessarily indicate that this Financial Professional is able to transact business in your state.
What does success mean to you?
There are a few ways that I define success, both personally and professionally.
Professionally, my success comes from smart financial planning executed for my clients and the pride I feel when that planning helps clients realize their dreams and goals. Also, I find fulfillment in living out my own passion of providing financial literacy and empowerment to my audience, especially women.
Personally, I am successful when I live my life authentically and on purpose, undaunted by the fear of taking a risk. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and my mantra is to grow those strengths and delegate or eliminate the rest.
Finally, I love to watch my passion for community service passed on to my children. There is a Jewish tenet called “L’Dor Va Dor,” which means “from generation to generation.” I am proud and humbled to know I have taken the lessons from my parents and forwarded them to the next generation. It’s one way I get to experience my legacy while I am still around to enjoy it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.FinancialSuccessStrategies.com and www.FoodandFinancewithShelley.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FSStrategies
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=food+and+finance+with+shelley
Image Credits
Sergesketter and Associates, Inc (2021 and 2022)
