As a wealth advisor with a foundation in psychology, AAF WEALTH MANAGEMENT Co-Managing Partner Carmen Grinkis, PhD, CLTC, CLU®, CFP®, has spent her career walking alongside women who excel in their intellectual and professional lives, yet often hesitate to bring that same confidence to their financial decision-making. “Many of the women I work with are intellectuals - academics, clinicians, leaders in their fields - who have mastered complexity in their functional expertise but simply haven’t needed to direct that same intellectual energy yet toward their financial wellbeing until a pivotal moment brings it into focus,” explains Carmen.
“What I see time and again is an inflection point,” she says. “A moment in a woman’s life when she recognizes it’s time to step forward and take ownership.” Sometimes it’s an age milestone, retirement on the horizon, a medical crisis, or simply a shift in priorities. Other times it may be the passing of a parent, spouse, or close friend. “These events wake us up. They pull financial concerns from the background into the foreground, and suddenly the questions rush in: Am I okay? Will I be okay? Who can I trust to help me figure this out?”
Despite external confidence, many women still carry a quiet fear around money. They wonder whether they’ll have enough, whether they’re making the right financial decisions now, and whether they’ll be able to care for themselves as they move through retirement and in the years ahead. “Where should they live? How will they pay for healthcare? Are they interpreting the numbers correctly? These are the deeper questions they bring—not just market performance, but the emotional and practical realities of life planning,” says Carmen.
“This is where my background in psychology adds real dimension to the work,” continues Carmen. “Women want an advisor who understands the numbers and understands them - someone who appreciates the emotional landscape behind financial decisions. Increasingly, I’m also seeing more women who are choosing to live independently and prioritize their professional and personal autonomy. Some are young professionals beginning to build their foundation; others are single, highly educated women who want to ensure they are secure, resilient, and self-directed.”
Carmen explains how women influence each other. “When one woman in a circle decides to take ownership of her financial well-being, others follow. Conversations shift. Confidence grows. The impact multiplies. This is why the theme of Leading Ladies resonates with me so deeply - not as a noun, but as a verb. Leading is what women are doing every day: leading their families, their organizations, their fields, and increasingly, leading their own financial futures. My role is not to take the reins for them, but to walk beside them, offering clarity, perspective, and support as they navigate these decisions.”
“Women today are powerful, capable, intellectually formidable - and they deserve financial lives that reflect that,” notes Carmen. “My work is simply to help them see what has been true all along: they are more than prepared to lead themselves forward.”
If you’re navigating a financial inflection point and want to explore your options, Carmen Grinkis is here to help.
cgrinkis@aafwealth.com
401-573-4240
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