This week’s podcast features Lauren Pearson and Emily Lassiter, the co-founders of The Wealth Edit, a new online membership-based community for women looking to confidentially discuss and expand their knowledge of personal finance. The company is officially launching in New Orleans with a series of virtual and in-person events on Thursday, Nov. 19.
Lauren Pearson is a co-founder of the Wealth Edit. A Charlotte, NC native and current resident of Birmingham, AL, Lauren attended The University of Georgia, where she graduated with a journalism degree in 2002.
Following graduation, Lauren worked at The Advisory Board Company, a healthcare best practices firm in Washington, DC. After three years, she felt a calling to change career paths, and, having always been interested in finance, made the switch to the financial industry. She took a job at a large investment management company, where she honed her skills and expertise over the course of ten years.
In 2016, Lauren embarked on the journey of starting her own private wealth management practice, Hightower Somerset Advisory. During this time, she began to notice that many of her female clients lacked the confidence and knowledge to speak about their individual financial needs and aspirations. This led Lauren to realize that women, as a whole, had been grossly underserved in the financial industry and inspired to her to seek out a solution.
After bonding over their shared passions of serving and empowering women, Lauren and her fellow co-founder Emily Lassiter established The Wealth Edit in March 2020, with the goal of giving women a higher confidence when talking about money and their individual financial needs. Through this online community, women of all ages are able to gather, learn, and plan their financial journey through virtual courses, weekly guest speakers, and educational content.
In her spare time, Lauren enjoys spending time with her husband and three daughters, volunteering within the community, and practicing yoga.
Emily Lassiter is a co-founder of the Wealth Edit. A native of Montgomery, AL, Emily attended Auburn University and graduated with a business degree in 1997. She decided to continue her education and attended The University of Alabama School of Law, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2000.
Following graduation, Emily practiced law for the next 14 years, practicing at Walston, Wells, Anderson and Bain for four years, and then went in-house with Robinson Adams Insurance Company – now Arthur J. Gallager. After losing her husband at a young age in 2014, Emily sought out a support group for widows that she spoke with regularly. One topic that was continually brought up were questions regarding personal finance and wealth. Realizing there was an unmet need for women seeking out wealth advisors who understood their individualized needs and trajectories, Emily began researching how to fill this void. During this time, Emily was introduced to HighTower Somerset partner, Lauren Pearson, and the two of them instantly connected over their passions to serve and help women throughout their financial journeys. Wanting to be a part of this inspiring effort, Emily shifted her career at the age of 43 from legal work to financial advising, joining the team at HighTower Somerset in 2019.
Together, the duo founded The Wealth Edit in 2020, an online membership-based community for women looking to confidentially discuss and expand their knowledge of personal finance. Emily firmly believes that “knowledge is power,” and works every day to provide financial knowledge and encouragement for each of The Wealth Edit’s members.
Emily currently lives in Birmingham, AL, and in her spare time enjoys reading and traveling with her two teenage daughters.
