Kathleen Owings, a West Point graduate, past president of NAIFA-CO, and co-founder of Westbilt Financial Group, talked about her service to her country, industry, and clients in an interview published in ThinkAdvisor.

Owings says that being a woman – in the military and in financial services – has been her “super power.” “Part of it is that women are very good at relationships; and in this business, relationships are key,” she told ThinkAdvisor. “Yes, the numbers are an important component. But beyond that, clients want to know that you care about them.”

In both the military and a career in financial services your success is determined by how hard you work, not whether you are male or female, she said.

Owings also talked about the importance of political advocacy as a financial professional and NAIFA member. She testified before lawmakers in Colorado in favor of legislation to protect seniors from financial exploitation. “One of my favorite things is to meet with our elected officials or their staff to talk about issues that impact our clients and their other constituents to help them understand the implications of their vote,” she said.

Read the entire interview on the ThinkAdvsor website.