Mother knew best. When Rose Niang was thrust into high school in Newark, New Jersey, upon emigrating from Senegal as a teenager, she found her strong suit was math, leading her guidance counselor to suggest she become a math teacher. “But my mother, who came here a few years earlier and had been a teacher in Africa, told me I wouldn’t like it. I took an education course and discovered she was right, so I switched to finance,” Niang said. That choice led to an MBA, a move to Atlanta, jobs at some large financial institutions, and the decision to become a financial planner. “I enjoyed the work in my early jobs, but I wasn’t able to help people who looked like me and most needed my help,” she said, adding that part of the reason she was delighted to join Edelman Financial Engines in 2013 was because the firm has no minimum account size.
At the firm, Niang is involved in attracting and retaining more people like her. Last year, she founded Black Employees Advancing Career Opportunities and Networking, or BEACON, whose 78 team members implemented a mentorship program and an engagement effort aimed at new hires. BEACON and Edelman’s education team also launched a series of financial education and well-being webinars for local community groups and professional associations, aimed at deepening local involvement and encouraging trust. “Low retention has been an industry problem, which may be due to new hires feeling they don’t belong or that they’re imposters,” she said. “I know I had to overcome that feeling.”
— Evan Cooper