Ashlie Johnson has been drawn to the financial industry since before she graduated college.

Now the vice president, financial advisor and senior portfolio manager, Johnson has been with The Syringa Group at Morgan Stanley in Coeur d'Alene since 2012. 

"I was in my last year of college when I got interested in the business," Johnson said. "I was doing an internship at the hospital for social work — doing crisis intervention — and realized that wasn't what I wanted to do. So, I decided to pursue a career in brokerage." 

Financial advisors work with a variety of clients, but over the years, Johnson has zeroed in on one particular group. 

"A lot of advisors work exclusively with 401K plans. I think most would say that they work with higher net worth clients that are getting close to retirement," she said. "My team works with retirees or those who are very close to retirement." 

Helping people plan for their future, Johnson said, can be challenging. 

"Sometimes we find spouses or partners who are not on the same page; they have different priorities," she said. "One wants to retire early, and that could mean some adjustments to what the expectation is for income have to be made." 

Being a financial advisor often requires a specific skill set, Johnson said. 

"You don't have to have a traditional finance background or a particular educational background. My degree is in social work," she said. "But you do have to be sociable — be able to relate to people and gain their confidence that you are a trustworthy individual." 

Johnson said the brokerage business is often a second career for advisors. 

"For instance, some may have a mining background, and there is a downturn in precious metal prices, so they go into something like this and build their business from a circle of their professional connections," she said. 

Scouring the internet for investment brokerage websites often reveals that most financial advisors are men. But Johnson said that shouldn't discourage women who want to follow that career path. 

"It's definitely a male-dominated industry, and that can be intimidating, but there's a real need for more women in the industry," she said. "Statistically, men pass away before women, and there's this large transfer of wealth that's happening to the female partner or the wife and traditionally, that person is not the one who's been in the driver's seat for managing that part of the household.  

"I think women advisors can best empower that person to be more involved and have an active role in managing finances, so that it's not so jarring when they lose their spouse." 

When asked what Johnson likes best about her job, she replied, "Every day is different." 

"We're constantly learning because the industry changes daily, and we can relate the impacts of that to our clients," Johnson said. "This has been a great career for me. I have two young daughters at home, and this gives me a lot of flexibility to help with school events and spend more time with them. 

"If anyone is interested in getting into the industry, I just encourage them to reach out to any of the local firms and explore what that would look like." 

Johnson said people can contact her at 208-665-4255 or by email at ashlie.johnson@morganstanley for more information.