Her Story
About Susan
My career path was more spontaneous than planned. My background is in conservation biology, and I did work in that field after college. After moving to Chicago, I put my resume on Monster.com and got a call from CNA Insurance company from their structured settlement department. That's how I found myself in this little niche industry, which is just a small part of the entire financial and insurance industries. I've been doing this for almost 26 years now. I specialize in financial planning for people who are receiving legal settlements - I only work with people who have been physically injured in some way, whether it's an auto accident, sexual molestation and assault, or employment discrimination cases. People going through these types of settlements have very unique financial products available to them to help them transition to life after settlement. What I do day in and day out is help people. Just today I got off a call with a young man who was in a motor vehicle accident and now has traumatic brain injury and multiple fractures, and we're trying to figure out how to make that money last for him. I also talk at a lot of female attorney events, and to me, that is the most rewarding - just connecting with other women one-on-one, trying to help them, inspire them, and give them new ideas about their own financial planning and how to empower themselves.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Susan
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think it is just not being afraid of failure. Everybody's gonna hear no, but that's the worst, right? So, why not ask and take that chance, because you never know what opportunities lie if you don't ask. My mom has had the biggest impact on me. For better or worse, she always said to always be independent and be your own best advocate. I think that's helped motivate me to always take the initiative, and not just to sit back and wait for somebody to hand me something, because that's not going to happen. You have to go out and get it. You have to ask, because if you don't, then you won't.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice came from my mom, who always said to always be independent and be your own best advocate. Don't rely on others - you have to take the initiative and not just sit back and wait for somebody to give you something, because that's not going to happen. You have to ask, and if you don't, then you won't get it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to start with empathy and understanding, because the people that we help have all been through some type of traumatic event. We're in sales, so you have to really find the balance between knowing how to connect with somebody and then giving them practical advice.
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