About Zaneilia Harris

Certified Financial Planner

Herstory

“My purpose is to educate women about economic and financial empowerment.”

Zaneilia Harris, Certified Financial Planner of Harris & Harris Wealth Management

Zaneilia Harris,
President of H&H Wealth Management Group

My promise to my clients, current and future, is to be a confidant, a strategist, an advocate and an expert source of information to elevate you to your best financial self. I’ll be candid, you’ll be candid and we’ll make progress together.

As you can clearly see, I don’t look like your typical certified financial planner. I’m one of just a few African-American advisors leading wealth management in the Washington, DC, area and part of an even smaller group of African-American women in my field. That makes me stand out but it’s not what makes me unique.

I celebrate who I am—a wife, mother, experienced professional and entrepreneur—because it helps me connect to the needs, hopes and expectations of my clients.

I understand firsthand the challenges that keep professional women from maximizing their full financial potential. I also know it’s possible to turn that around with just one meeting, one change, one decision.

I worked at a large investment management firm many years ago where I was in the minority both as a woman and an African-American. One day, I was talking to my then-manager about client attraction and he made a poignant statement:

“You will attract people who are like you and those types of people will make up your client base.” I kept that statement in mind when I decided to start my own firm.

Almost immediately, I began getting calls from professional women like me who want more but don’t always know where to start. Voila, a business and a movement were born.

I wrote my blog and book, both entitled Finance ‘n Stilettos, to provide the insider information you need to expand your knowledge and increase your wealth. A safe place for women like me: professionals navigating busy schedules who want more but don’t always know where to start.

Professional women are high achievers. We juggle immediate and extended family, personal commitments and career goals.

Awards & Recognitions

Certified Financial Planner®

You’re great in your career. Make sure your finances reflect that.

Let’s work to ensure you’re making the right choices to increase your growth potential.

Ready to be your “Best Financial Self”

Finance ‘n Stilettos Woman

I work with professional women who are ready to optimize their finances
no matter what stage of their career.

My goal is to make you feel comfortable throughout the process as we develop a relationship based on trust and honest communication. Those qualities are important in any relationship and it’s no different with your certified financial planner.

Conference-with-zaneilia-harris-certified-financial-planner

I work with:

• Women in all stages of their careers, recent graduates to soon-to-be retirees, who want to optimize their finances.
• Women who have powerful titles and a string of degrees however don’t discuss finances because you don’t want anyone to know that you need guidance
• Women who have felt talked down to or belittled by previous financial professionals because you’re a woman
• Women concerned that your current retirement savings isn’t going to be enough to support the lifestyle you’ve worked so hard to create
• Women who stay dressed to kill and drive a car that screams success but, when you pull back the layers are unsure how to handle the many aspects of your finances alone
• Women who are new to the workforce, have no idea where to begin and feel faint at the thought of starting
• Women who want a second opinion to ensure they are on the right track

One of the biggest misconceptions women believe is that you have to make a certain amount of money before you can develop a financial strategy. Actually, it’s more important to just start where you are with what you have. Ask yourself:

Ask yourself:

• What are my feelings around money?
• Why is money important to me?
• Where do I stand financially?
• How do I want to manage my finances going forward?

As we move through the financial planning process, I hope it quickly becomes apparent that I only work with your best interests at heart. My office is a safe space and a judgment-free zone to build your financial freedom.