We’re so honored to welcome Diana Britton, the Managing Editor of WealthManagement.com In the Suite. Diana is celebrating her 11th anniversary at the publication, covering independent broker/dealers, regulation, and the registered investment advisory channel, among other things.
She’s also the host of ‘Transparency with Diana B,’ a podcast that explores the deepest struggles and hardships that many advisors face in hopes that others may find healing and support.
A native of Los Angeles, Diana was born in a beautiful beach town in Southern California. She completed her undergraduate degree in Communication in San Diego. She followed up her undergraduate coursework at NYU and earned her Masters in Journalism after deciding to pursue her excitement for writing.
The transition from her beautiful beach town in Southern California to the high-maintenance lifestyle of New York was difficult. It was a culture shock to her suburban bubble. However, navigating life in New York City while being a reporter helped define who she was on a professional and personal level.
Diana’s efficient work in content management systems, AP Style, InDesign, and SEO have been honored by the Trade Association Business Publications International (TABPI) and SIIA’s Jesse H. Neal Awards.
As managing director at WealthManagement.com, Diana expressed gratitude towards her mentors Tim Harper, David Armstrong, and Bill O’Connor, who have been highly supportive throughout her career.
In today’s podcast, Diana takes us through her personal and work journey, in which she also reveals how reporting and editing have changed since the pandemic. She explains that while it has been easier to get in touch with top executives, she misses her team and the newsroom feel. She believes that nothing can replace the relationships you build in person.
Diana also talks about what keeps her rooted in the financial services space, the emerging trends, how we can encourage more women to join the sector, and how her podcast ‘Transparency with Diana B,’ has given her a new and different perspective on life.
From our conversation with Diana, below are the top takeaways:
- If you want to level up as an advisor, lean in towards the future trends. As an advisor, you want to make sure you have up to date technology and create future career paths for younger advisors within your firm. Diana advises to take a look at the winners of the Wealthies Awards in specific categories. Those winners are constantly innovating and can help you to level up.
- There are more women in finance than we think. Diana recently shared a quote on InsideETF’s, Inside Wealth Stack, and Women’s History Month, which reads, “women still represent just 18% of financial advisor headcount.” In our conversation, Diana reveals that per Kate Healy, the Chair of the Foundation for Financial Planning, the number of women across the industry is likely 46% when taking into account those in support and operational roles.
- Advice for Advisors when working with reporters: Diana encourages advisors to approach reporters proactively so that they can work together and have accurate, up to date discussions on the financial trends, challenges, and behind the scenes. Being quoted and mentioned in the press shouldn’t be the sole motivation and may not always be the case. Instead, focus on having an intelligent, honest, and energized conversation.
Show Notes
It is an absolute pleasure to welcome Diana Britton In The Suite for this episode. Diana is the Managing Editor at WealthManagement.com and the host of ‘Transparency with Diana B,’ a podcast about advisors’ personal struggles and healing.
Having started her career as an intern at The Daily Breeze, Diana is a self-made woman with an illustrious career who is now celebrating her 11th anniversary at WealthManagement.com, the industry’s premier publication.
Furthermore, just a few years back, Diana was acquired by Informa, a leading international intelligence, events, and scholarly research group that is listed on the London Stock Exchange and a member of FTSE 100, with over 10,000 colleagues working in more than 30 countries.
Her efficient work in content management systems, AP Style, InDesign, and SEO have been honored by the Trade Association Business Publications International (TABPI) and SIIA’s Jesse H. Neal Awards.
Diana holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the prestigious New York University. In the podcast, Diana admits that she ‘fell’ into the financial industry. The transition from her beautiful beach town in Southern California to the high-maintenance lifestyle of New York was difficult. It was a culture shock to her suburban bubble. However, navigating life in New York while being a reporter helped define who she was on a professional and personal level.
In the podcast, Diana shares her initial day experiences, from learning the basic financial terms and tasks on the go, to writing detailed reports on everything from finance and investments, the trucking industry, entertainment and media, religion, social justice issues, and general news.
Diana was recently featured on InsideETF’s, Inside Wealth Stack, Women’s History Month, in which she shared a quote, which reads:
“Women still represent just 18% of financial advisor headcount. The wealth management industry needs to create better career paths to bring more young women into the industry.”
Diana said.
In our conversation, Diana gives us fantastic updates on this figure and provides advice to women who want to be in the finance industry.
Diana hasn’t missed a beat during the pandemic. She moved from Queens to Long Island with her husband and two young children, continued to work remotely as Managing Editor, and continued working on her podcast ‘Transparency with Diana B.’
The podcast follows an open, transparent, and refreshing narrative in which she talks to financial advisors on their personal struggles and healing processes. Her mandate is to bring these issues out into the open so that others may find healing. A podcast that will no doubt resonate with you and change your perspective towards life.
From our conversation with Diana, listeners will learn the importance of being independent, proactive, a fighter, and some life lessons on living the moment.
Join the conversation to hear about:
- Diana’s background (03:00)
- Diana’s journey to NYC (06:30)
- The positives and negatives of reporting during the pandemic (10:50)
- How Diana got into WealthManagement and Financial Services Reporting (17:20)
- Diana’s advice to financial advisors (22:20)
- Upcoming trends for 2021 (25:30)
- How WealthManagement.com fits into the Informa universe (30:00)
- About Diana’s podcast (39:30)
- Advice to women who want to be in the finance industry (50:20)
- Diana’s Book Recommendation (54:40)
Resources
- Diana Britton – Twitter
- Diana Britton – LinkedIn
- Transparency with Diana B – Podcast Link on WealthManagement.com
- Transparency with Diana B. Podcast Episode – John Hyland CFP Private Advisor Group
- Diana Britton, Managing Editor of WealthManagement.com
- WealthManagement.com Industry Awards
- Wealthies Circle Digital Forum Marketing
- Foundation for Financial Planning
- Inside Wealth Stack Conference September 27-29, 2021
- Winning the Talent Shift: Three Steps to Unleashing the New High Performance Workplace by Berta Aldrich on Amazo
