We Inspire. Promote. Network. (WIPN), a nonprofit organization supporting the professional development and growth of women in the retirement plan industry, will celebrates its 15th anniversary Tuesday with a Closing Bell ceremony at New York City’s NASDAQ.
Founded in 2008 and formalized in 2009, WIPN has grown into a 501(c)(6) nonprofit with over 1,500 members and 5,500 subscribers across the United States, including a national virtual chapter. The organization works to advance the careers of women in the retirement plan industry, providing networking, mentorship, professional development, and advocating for gender equity.
WIPN’s 15th-anniversary celebration will begin with the ringing of the NASDAQ Closing Bell on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Following this, crystal anniversary events will take place on October 17 in its Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York, and Washington, D.C. chapters, along with simultaneous “watch parties” hosted by its regional chapters nationwide.
“We are thrilled to celebrate 15 years of WIPN by ringing the NASDAQ Closing Bell today and at events around the country on October 17,” said Rosalyn Brown, WIPN president, in a statement. “This milestone is a testament to the collective power of women in the retirement industry and the impact we’ve made together, helping women connect with and learn from one another, smoothing the path to leadership in the corporate world.”
The 15th anniversary comes as WIPN announces its fourth annual study with Escalent, based on findings from 182 women retirement professionals. Presented at Wealth@wor(k) on Monday in San Antonio, WIPN revealed findings that analyzed the latest “hot” and “bright” spots for women in the retirement planning industry. “Hot spots” are described as topics in the current workplace that need attention from employees and leaders, while “bright spots” are areas where women are reporting career satisfaction.
Among the top bright spots include high satisfaction in work setups, which mainly include working remote with some time dedicated in the office. Women in the retirement industry also said they pursued a raise, up from prior years to 61%. Seventy-seven percent of those who pursued a raise were satisfied with the outcome.
Still, the survey found areas for industry improvement. Eight in 10 women say they have experienced burnout, and 43% reported having a neutral or negative view about their work/life balance. Seventy-three percent described stress as having a “significant impact” on their mental health, and multiple respondents told WIPN that they had not pursued more money or advancement because they believe they would have had to sacrifice flexibility.
“I have other caregiving challenges currently, so the value of time off/flexibility causes my ability to negotiate my salary to be hindered,” said one Gen X retirement professional in the study. “Meaning, I cannot negotiate strongly for pay, when I have other priorities that my employer is aware of.”
Others said they do not self-advocate (13% of Millennial women and 10% of Gen X), and only a third of women overall said they keep documentation of achievements.
In order to drive bright spots while reducing their warmer counterparts, WIPN encourages women pursue mentor and sponsor relationships, no matter the age. This includes younger generations mentoring more seasoned workers on certain skills, like advocating for promotions, WIPN adds.
Other action items listed by WIPN include understanding how to recognize burnout, acknowledging burnout in others and how women can help reduce this strain, learning how to self-advocate to pursue raises and document achievements, not relinquishing advancement just because of flexibility, and sharing caregiving responsibilities when possible.
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