Influential Woman · Financial Services

Cecelia Nelson

Owner/Financial Advisor, Nelson Wealth Strategies

Atlanta, GA

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Business Administration degree Cert Series 7 Cert Series 65 Cert Series 63

Her Story

About Cecelia

I've been in the finance industry for about 5 years, though I have a legal background and was in the legal industry for about 8 years before fully transitioning over. I was transitioning for about 5 years, and I interned at a financial firm where I worked as a paralegal doing personal injury cases and some probate cases. I feel like this legal background sets me apart from a lot of financial advisors because I have that legality background as well as understanding how probate works, which goes hand-in-hand with estates. My typical day starts off with me reviewing my meetings for the week and going over any paperwork that has to be completed, and of course, prospecting and marketing. I try to make it my focus to continue to build my brand. When I speak to potential people and my current clients, I focus on holistic planning, which includes anything and everything from estate planning, retirement, investments, fixed products, asset protection, and even complex or exotic investments. I've worked with some pretty reputable clients, helping put together complex planning and advanced planning for them, such as retirement plans for them and their staff. What I love most is the flexibility and the education - I'm able to educate people about financial literacy and how they can be better when it comes to their finances, and most importantly, achieving their goals. I like to tell people that when it comes to numbers, you want to always focus on the goal first and assign the number to it, not the other way around.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Cecelia

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success back to God, of course, and then my mother, and then my business partner and mentor. He's the reason why I am where I am today. I originally started off in the industry working with him, and he kind of helps me shape and put my business together. He was my old boss, now a mentor as well, and he told me to keep going, don't look back. When things get hard, that's when you know you're doing it right.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I've ever received came from my business partner, who was my old boss and is now a mentor as well. He told me to keep going, don't look back. When things get hard, that's when you know you're doing it right.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

My advice to women entering the finance industry is to learn all you can from those you work with. Don't take everyone as competition, but take it as an opportunity to learn what you can from them. Do as much joint work as you can, because at the end of the day, it's not always about getting 100% of a grape, but to get at least maybe like 20% of a watermelon is better than 100% of a grape. So, learn what you can by studying under other people to help you get further to where you need to go, and I promise you, it'll get you where you need to go.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

One of the biggest challenges I'm facing right now, and I think everyone's kind of going through the same thing, is AI. A lot of times, people want to lean towards that for everything in terms of taxes, financial advice, just in general. So, of course, naturally, you kind of have to really stand out and show that you give that value in that constant communication with your clients and prospects to let them know that you provide more value than what AI can, obviously, because it's at the tip of everyone's fingers. That's really one of the main things, and I'm not the only one - obviously, everyone's facing that in their careers and industries.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

When it comes to values, first and foremost, I believe in putting God first, Jesus, and having Him guide me in terms of how I move and having that discernment. When you work with people, everyone's not for everyone, and vice versa, so I like to lean on God and get that advice from Him to know whether to proceed forward or do something particular. When you're an advisor, you're guiding people, so sometimes I have to lean on Him for guiding myself to help give people that advice. That's really important to me in both my work and personal life.

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