To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, we speak to Grace Mansell, Associate Financial Adviser at AFH. As someone who is passionate about empowering women with their finances, the day, which takes place on Sunday 8 March, is a significant one.
We chat to Grace about why International Women’s Day is so important to her, why women make such good financial advisers and how AFH is helping to empower women with their money.
As an Associate Financial Adviser, is there a particular issue you feel needs to be addressed?
A lot of women put their career and ambitions on hold for others. This might be to have children and raise a family, or to look after a sick or elderly relative. According to Age UK, 68% of carers in the UK are female and are four times more likely to give up paid work to look after a loved one than their male counterparts.
Yet caring for others can have a significant impact on women’s careers and their long-term finances, which in turn, can jeopardise their financial security later in life. This is because leaving employment to do this means their earnings disappear or are dramatically reduced.
When they return to the workplace they can then find it significantly harder to climb the career ladder, although there are many successful women who hold down senior positions while caring for their family.
Can you give us an example of how this affects women’s finances?
A common outcome for women who take a break in their career is to end up with a smaller pension pot when they reach retirement. Consequently, they may not be able to afford the lifestyle they want (and deserve) when they stop working.
Worse still, they may be forced to reduce their standard of living to make ends meet.
This is backed up by research, which found that the average value of private pensions held by men is around £155,000. The average value for women is £88,000.
A lesser-known consequence of this is that women can become reliant on their spouse or partner for financial security. Because of this, the women don’t have financial freedom, which is something that I feel needs to be addressed.
Being financially secure isn’t only about comfort, it’s about safety, choice, and freedom.
As a profession, would you like to see more females become financial advisers?
Definitely. Financial advice needs more women, but it shouldn’t just be for ‘tick box’ purposes, it should be because this industry is evolving and it needs us. I see so many incredible women working within AFH, who have created successful careers in an industry that has historically been dominated by males.
But whether you’re a woman or man, an excellent financial adviser needs to understand complexity and the different challenges all people face in their lives. Empathy and lived experience is what our clients need when navigating their own financial journeys.
That’s why I would encourage more women to step into the financial advice role.
How is AFH helping women?
In two ways. The first is to empower female clients with their money, by helping them to understand the complex world of finance.
This means women can make better choices around their wealth and money, which provides peace of mind and greater financial security. As a result, female clients have greater financial freedom and the ability to live the life they want.
Secondly, AFH provides structured career pathways for women. This helps females looking to start a career in financial services regardless of age or circumstances.
Get in touch
If anyone reading this is interested in starting a career as a financial adviser, please contact us about our innovative and supportive Associate Adviser Programme.
It provides structured training, mentoring and hands‑on experience so that you can achieve the qualifications needed to provide advice, and look forward to a highly rewarding career.
For more information on the Associate Adviser Programme, please contact us on 01527 577775 or email recruitment@afhgroup.com. Alternatively, if you are a woman and would like to discuss your wealth with AFH, please get in touch on 0333 010 0008.
We’d be happy to arrange a no-obligation initial meeting with one of our female Independent Financial Advisers.
6 March 2026