This advisor started a financial non-profit to empower women

Stacy Francis never planned to become a financial advisor, especially one for women going through divorce. But a candid talk with her grandmother shifted her career trajectory. 

Her grandmother, Myra, was a victim of spousal abuse and, before passing, she confessed to staying in her marriage because she felt “financially trapped.”

“That’s what drove me to go into this field,” said Francis, who founded Savvy Ladies, a non-profit providing free financial advice and education for women, along with her advisory firm Francis Financial in New York.

“It really is my love letter to my grandmother,” she said.

Francis, a certified financial planner and a member of CNBC’s Advisor Council, started Savvy Ladies in 2003 through workshops in her New York apartment.

Today, the non-profit offers free virtual advice nationwide, regardless of income, through a financial hotline that connects women with a pro bono advisor.

While there are organizations devoted to women in poverty, Francis sees limited options for those with moderate incomes or assets, such as women starting their first job, getting divorced or seeking advice as a single mother. 

“There’s just a huge swath of women that desperately need this financial advice,” she said.

Judy Herbst, the organization’s executive director, said…