After a career as a nurse, teacher, and employee and contractor with the Defense Department, Angela Ribuffo decided to become a financial adviser.
“For many years, I helped military and civilian personnel with logistics issues that often involved money, budgeting and finances,” said Ribuffo, whose husband was a career Air Force officer, requiring the family to make several moves, the last to Anchorage, Alaska. There, the couple used the services of a financial adviser, and Ribuffo felt the job would be a good fit for her based on her military work helping others.
“But it was 2008, a horrible time to join the industry, and I didn’t know what I didn’t know — including how I would be paid,” she said. “I was the only woman in my district, and I was struggling so much I almost quit.”
Instead, for support and guidance, she joined the local chapter of Women in Insurance and Financial Services, later becoming its national president and the recipient of its Angel award for leadership and mentoring. Ribuffo also earned certifications in financial planning, retirement income, divorce financial analysis and long-term care.
In 2019, she went independent, affiliating with Lincoln Financial, where she has played a critical role in the formation and continued development of its African American Financial Professional Network.