Continuing our “Ask Away” Advisor Spotlight Series!
In our featured “Ask Away” Advisor Spotlight Series, learn more about some exceptional LPL Financial advisors partnering with Financial Resources Group — incredible minds with interesting backgrounds. Discover their distinct insights, strategies, and personal stories that have fueled their success.
Each month, we’ll cast a spotlight on a different advisor, unveiling what makes them stand out in the competitive financial services landscape.
The series continues with Karla Ukman, Founder, Wealth Planner, Senior Wealth Advisor, Artemis Wealth Management. Get to know Karla through this Q&A and be sure to watch the short video below where she personally introduces herself!
Q: What inspired you to begin your journey as a financial educator and wealth advisor?
A: I didn’t come from money – I got married and had a child super young, and we had no money. I tell the story of when we used to eat Hamburger Helper without the hamburger because we couldn’t afford it.
I made a lot of money mistakes because I just didn’t have the background. My parents taught me as much as they could. School definitely didn’t give me the resources. Every time I tried to get help with financial education, I was treated differently because I didn’t have money, or I had made mistakes. And if they did give me the time of day, they wanted to talk to my husband instead of me. I just wanted something different.
I had a family friend say, “You should get into this industry!” and I said, “No, no, no – I don’t want to be in this industry. It’s not for me,” but the more that I thought about it, I thought about my experiences with the financial world and how it made me feel. If I was feeling that way, other people may be feeling the same way with the judgment, being ashamed of money mistakes, and wanting help. I knew that the industry could provide something different. I want people to people to feel empowered with their wealth and have the education to build it their way.
Q: I see you have a trademark “I’m Not Your Father’s Advisor™”. Give us some background on how this very unique trademark was born.
A: When I first joined the industry, I knew I wanted to do something different, be different, but didn’t come up with that trademark right away. Throughout the years, I heard stories from women and other marginalized communities about their experience with working with financial professionals and how it felt to them. Then I saw it with my own eyes of how some advisors that have been in the industry for 40 years, were taking more of a non-educational approach and telling and not taking the time to educate. I also noticed that women and marginalized communities were wanting to work with a woman. So, it came to me one night, “I’m Not Your Father’s Advisor™”. My current clients said, “Oh, my gosh, that’s totally you!” So that’s how that tagline was born.
Q: What types of clients do you work with?
A: My brother in law recruited me into it. I wasn’t too keen on the idea, but he is a much better salesperson than I am. He was a teacher who transitioned into the life insurance industry and talked me into coming along.
Q: What is the driving force behind your passion for financial planning?
A: I work with women and historically excluded communities. The reason that I work with these two types of clients is because they are usually not given the same resources as other communities. They are wanting to take control of their finances, but there hasn’t been a space to feel safe and empowered. Many are first generation wealth builders or business owners, and they just have the wealth that they didn’t have growing up. They want education and support to building wealth their way.
Q: Managing finances and planning for the future can seem like a very daunting task for women who have had no prior experience doing so and may find themselves suddenly in charge of this – whether it’s from loss of spouse through death or divorce or who perhaps inherited a large sum of money… what is your message to them if they don’t know where to begin and what does your process look like?
A: Many of the women I work with have usually never had support and it does become overwhelming to them. So, the advice that I give is, let’s take a step back. Money isn’t as complicated as society makes it sound. You are fully capable of managing your money. You already are managing your household – we’re just going to shift our mindset on how we look at money.
Your money goals are going to change depending on where you are in life. Have confidence and understand you will make mistakes. No one’s perfect when it comes to money. Give yourself grace. We are going to work together to help you pursue your money goals.
Q: What was one of the most memorable success stories you’ve had working with a client?
A: I’ve had many, but one in particular is I had a client who inherited wealth from a relative. We met and they mentioned some money mistakes and debts. I assisted her with establishing a budget to address her debt concerns which allowed her to see where her money was going. I felt that it helped empower them with their money, and that’s what I want people to feel with their wealth. I want them to feel they can do anything. We just need to put a plan together.
Q: You have such a passion for philanthropy. Tell us a little bit about your community involvement.
A: Nonprofits are so close to me because it’s something that when you’re looking for boundaries to be pushed, nonprofits are the forefront. A couple different ways that I’m involved in the nonprofit space is I volunteer at a dog shelter in the St. Louis city area. I also support a local nonprofit that partners up with organizations to help people transition to their new living situations and have basic living needs met like furniture and other household items.
Additionally, I am on the board for the Saint Louis Council of Charitable Gift Planners here in St. Louis where we provide education to the community on how they can gift their assets to nonprofits in a way that is good for the client and the nonprofit.
Q: You also have a very robust social media presence and love to use video. What advice do you have for financial advisors who are looking to either get started with social media or enhance their social media presence? Or perhaps are timid with getting started with video?
A: Social media is something that I did not like – I was kicking and screaming – but I knew that I had to utilize it. I started doing research and looked at how people were consuming social media. Video is the number one way that people are consuming their information. I knew I had to get comfortable in front of the camera because I was not comfortable at all. The easiest way for you to get started is just take your cell phone and just start talking – make videos for yourself. You’re never going to post these, but just start looking at how you interact with the camera and get comfortable with what your voice sounds like. The more you do that, the more comfortable you’ll get.
Another suggestion that I have is get a buddy and do a video together. It’s always easier to have somebody else with you because then you can chat back and forth and it’s not as intimidating or stressful trying to figure out what to say. Your true self will come out when you have somebody with you.
Q: When you are not empowering women to pursue their financial goals, what do you like to do for fun?
A: I am a mom and a wife so my family is super important to me. My daughter is 18 and going college in the fall. She plays ice hockey and will be playing for her college. I love watching her. We’re the three Musketeers. We love to go ice skating, watch sports, travel, and I do love to unwind by binging shows like comedies. Music is my thing and I love to play around with instruments or just listen to different genres. I am hoping to get a drum set soon! I also like photography, specifically taking landscape or nature photos.
Q: What makes you tick?
A: That’s such a great question. I would say giving a voice to people that do not normally have a voice. I want to make sure that people feel like they are valued. I want people to know that they don’t just have a place in that space but they that are valued. I want to make the financial world a different experience. That’s my goal, for women and historically excluded communities to build wealth the way they want, in the way that they deserve.
Q: What does the future look like for Artemis Wealth Management?
A: In the near future, I’m going to start a podcast where I’ll be partnering with two other business owners. I also want to do more speaking engagements. I have some booked and I just want to change the way people ingest financial education. I find that people are looking on TikTok and Instagram for financial education from non-registered professionals. I want to make sure that people are getting the right type of financial information and education from someone that is licensed. My goal is to reach women and historically excluded communities across the country.
I am also looking to expand by business. Ultimately, I would love to be on the Today show or Good Morning America where people are saying, “What is she doing and how is she doing it?” That’s what I want. I want people to know that we can build wealth and do it in a way that is empowering.
Meet Karla in this brief video below!
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The opinions voiced are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. Any performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results. All indices are unmanaged and may not be invested into directly.