Meet Samantha Compton of Wise Wealth & Wise Women

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Compton.

Hi Samantha, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I have divorced about 14 years ago and suddenly found myself trying to support my kids and myself as a single Mom as well as learn how to manage life as a single person. I had only worked part-time jobs after my kids were born so I had been out of the job market for quite a few years. I struggled greatly financially.

At one point, we lived in a pop-up camper in a friend’s driveway until I could find a place to live that I could afford. Fast forward a few years and I ended up interviewing with a major financial firm after a friend recommended me because of my people skills. She said, “they can teach you everything else you need to know.”

They ended up hiring me and that began my new 10-year journey in a career as a Financial Advisor. I have learned more and grown more than I could ever have imagined. A little over 5 years ago, I moved to an Independent Fiduciary Firm in downtown Lee’s Summit called Wise Wealth. Now, I specialize in helping singles and couples who are within 5-10 years of retirement create and implement a written retirement plan so they can feel confident in their ability to retire as they complete their working years.

I teach a class called “Simplify Your Retirement” which is a comprehensive course about all things retirement. It also teaches how to anticipate and create the income they will need in retirement and how to protect against the major risks in retirement. Over the years as a Financial Advisor, I have met with hundreds of singles and couples and helped them create a long-term financial plan for themselves, In those meetings, I have heard over and over from women that they wished they understood long-term finances and investments at a deeper level.

I have found that women often hold back in certain kinds of financial conversations because they don’t want to expose their lack of knowledge or understanding. Many women just “hope” that their spouse has everything in order. But, did you know that more often than not, a woman will end up outliving her spouse? That means that more often than not, a woman will eventually find herself in charge of all the finances. If she doesn’t have a basic understanding of what she has in place or what is needed, she is at risk for making unwise decisions, simply out of fear or lack of understanding.

Years ago, I began to dream about starting a group for women that would create a safe place for them to learn and grow together in all things financial. I wanted this place to be a place that women feel comfortable asking questions about all kinds of financial topics and being able to give and receive support in these areas. Four years ago, I finally started that group. It’s called “Wise Women” and we meet in the Lee’s Summit area for monthly Luncheons. At these Luncheons, we cover financial topics as well as other topics that often seem intimidating or too complex… but are important to know about.

Wise Women, LLC has grown and flourished and we are now launching an Overland Park Chapter that will begin in March of 2022. Wise Women is not a networking group… it’s an educational group. But, the women who attend are committed to growing and learning and supporting each other… which always leads to networking and supporting each other personally AND in business. We usually have 75-90 in attendance each month and have monthly sponsors who allow us to meet in beautiful spaces for our Luncheons.

The Wise Women Mission is: To educate and guide women investors on the path to the financial significance where they are FREE to GIVE, SERVE and LIVE like never before! In living out the pillars of giving, serving, and living, we sponsor a different non-profit each quarter and sell raffle tickets at each Luncheon to raise money for those non-profits. We also serve our community through those same organizations as opportunities arise. And, as we grow in wisdom together, we learn to live like never before!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My journey has definitely not been smooth! In the beginning, I just prayed that I would still have a job each month! I was about 15 years older than most others who were starting their careers as Financial Advisors. I was also one of only a few female Advisors in the group who were hired around the same time, who successfully passed all of the securities exams. I fought the fear of failure on a daily basis. (sometimes hourly).

As a female in a male-dominated industry, there was a lot of pressure to “do things as a man would”. There were also times that I was looked down on or dismissed because I was a woman or because I had different thoughts or ideas for how to do things in my practice. But, as I grew in my confidence and functioned in my own set of strengths, I realized that there are many unique qualities that being a woman brings to the financial planning world. And I believe the financial planning world is better because of their presence and the balance we bring!

Another challenge has been the struggle with “Imposter Syndrome”. Many successful people struggle with that thought or feeling that they really don’t deserve to be successful or they really aren’t qualified to be successful and they have a secret fear that someday they’ll be “found out” and failure will quickly follow. I now understand that these kinds of thoughts are very normal… especially for women. When they come, I know how to deal with them!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an employee of Wise Wealth, LLC but I run my own practice as a Financial Advisor at that firm. I started Wise Women, LLC, as a women’s financial education group under the umbrella of Wise Wealth. I am a Sr Financial Advisor at Wise Wealth, LLC which is an independent fiduciary firm in downtown Lee’s Summit, MO. I am also the President and Founder of Wise Women, LLC.

As a Sr. Financial Advisor, I work with singles and couples in helping them create and implement a written retirement plan that allows them to know that they can confidently retire. I believe in educating my clients as we work together so that their confidence grows in their understanding of what they have in place for the future.

What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is living a life committed to integrity, seeking wisdom, and loving others. My faith in God is foundational to my life and it is only through my relationship with Him that I am able to live this way.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.wisewomen.education

Image Credits
Tiffany Matson Photography, and Debra Lawrence at Abundant Moment Photography