FARE is a coalition of financial services firms, industry organizations, and HBCUs working diligently to bring more Black students and Black professionals into the financial services industry.
Faculty and staff at HBCUs indicated a concern with the perceived lack of diversity in financial services careers.1
Students, faculty, and staff unanimously agreed it can be discouraging if students do not see a potential mentor, peer, or executive of color represented in the field they are entering.
FARE was created to address this concern.
We showcase the many careers, internships, and professional development opportunities that exist in financial services firms. We actively seek for talented HBCU students and Black professionals to apply for full-time careers, internships, and scholarship opportunities in leading financial services firms.
We provide internship, mentorship, and scholarship opportunities along with career journey tips to empower HBCU students in their professional journey.
We have programs, that support leadership training as well as mentorship programs designed specifically for the Black financial professional.
Webinars, Career Development workshops, financial wellness seminars and scholarships, all curated to each HBCUs needs, are just a few ways FARE is a resource to HBCUs
FARE Member Firms have the unique opportunity to connect with our students and financial professionals through developmental experiences such as internships, webinars, and thought leadership.
I’m excited to welcome you to the first edition of Forward Thinking: A FARE Quarterly Update — a resource that’s designed to promote and inspire meaningful change through inspirational stories, knowledge sharing and research on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in financial services.
It’s quite a coincidence that we are launching this publication around the same time we instituted FARE three years ago. FARE was created in September 2020 with the mission to increase racial diversity, drive greater equity and foster inclusion within the financial services industry and communities served.
Creating an authentically inclusive and equitable business community requires tackling the root causes of systemic racism and a team effort. Talk alone is not enough. We need corporations to put their money where their mouths are and invest resources into student scholarships, faculty training and research at HBCUs, which have been the guiding light for the advancement of African Americans for centuries. No corporation or university can go it alone. That’s why Hampton University is encouraged to be partnering with the financial industry and fellow HBCUs to launch the Financial Alliance for Racial Equity. The opportunity for our students will be immediate, while our partner firms take another meaningful step towards a truly inclusive corporate America.
IRI is embedding DEI principles in all that we are doing and engaging in deep, active partnerships with key organizations, like FARE, to move our industry forward. Shani Armon, IRI’s Chief Membership & Marketing Officer, had willingness to step up and accept a leadership role on FARE’s board of directors is a testament to her passion and IRI’s commitment to this critical mission.
Financial services and financial understanding is key. [We’re in a] fast-moving economy and financial services are becoming more and more enhanced with technology. So for me it’s about having that knowledge now and understanding how I can use that for my own needs, how to grow and protect my wealth, how to grow and protect clients’ wealth.
We have made progress in making our industry a more attractive place for women to grow and thrive as financial advisors, but we still have a lot of work to do to make it more inclusive for Black, Indigenous and People of Color.
Looking for internship or full-time opportunities in financial services? View and apply for current openings that FARE and FARE-member firms are hiring for.
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