Ellevest’s Emily Green on motherhood, money, and the modern wealth mindset
By Kristen Oliveri
In today’s wealth landscape, conversations about money are no longer just about markets, they’re about meaning. At the intersection of motherhood, ambition, and social media, women are rewriting their financial narratives. Few people understand this shift better than Emily Green, Head of Wealth Management at Ellevest, the firm built to close the gender investing gap.
With more than a decade in private and corporate banking at J.P. Morgan, Green brings a deep understanding of how traditional finance operates, and what needs to evolve. In this conversation, she reflects on how motherhood shapes financial futures, the growing influence of social media in how women learn and talk about money, and how her banking background prepared her to champion a new kind of wealth leadership at Ellevest.
Q: As both a wealth leader and a young mother, how has motherhood influenced the way you think about investing, legacy, and financial independence?
A: Motherhood completely changed the way I thought about legacy. Ten years ago, I would have told you that wealth management was focused solely on growing your wealth, period. But today I understand that it is about the tools that allow you to create the life you want to live. This could look like not taking the highest paying job, but taking the job that allows you to achieve your financial goals, while getting to experience life with your family. I often joke to our clients that, “you can’t take your wealth with you!” My grandfather was a doctor and ran a hospital, so he definitely had enough money. When he died, his kids didn’t inherit anything. Why? Because he lived his life to the fullest. He took all the grandkids on a ski trip every year, joined us on trips to Disney World when we were kids, and traveled almost every month until he got sick. He lived his life to the fullest. It wasn’t ever about a bank account to him. It was about a purpose.
Q: Ellevest has a unique mission of empowering women financially. What does that mission mean to you personally, and how does it show up in your day-to-day leadership?
A: My grandmother was legally blind. Yet, she spent her life trading stocks (and watching the Chicago Cubs). I remembered when she passed away, her estate was buttoned up perfectly. I was at the same time working with the wealthiest people in Manhattan at a large bank, and I realized this wasn’t the experience of most women. I was astounded. These were powerful women. Women with big jobs. The mission of Ellevest became deeply personal to me. I wanted other women to have the same lived experience I saw my grandma have while she was alive.
Leading a mission-driven firm is completely different. While our jobs may be the same on paper, they are very different in practice. We have a purpose, a “why” beyond just being a great wealth management firm and making a profit. That changes the way we hire people, the clients we serve, and the way we show up every day. I think a lot about how we bring that “feeling” to our clients and our employees. It’s what makes Monday feel like a gift and not a burden; it’s what makes us excited to talk to each of our clients. I feel lucky to be somewhere that keeps me energized every day.
Q: Every great leader has a superpower. What would you say yours is and how does it serve you in wealth management?
A: When someone says no or something becomes challenging, I become even more determined to accomplish my goals. I graduated during the Great Recession. It was hard to get a job in finance. No one was hiring, but I was determined to get where I wanted to be. I think that made me a more resilient person.
In wealth management, building relationships and having persistence are paramount. It's very difficult for people to change wealth advisors. They have a lot of trust in people they work with and it is daunting to make a big change. You have to be ready to spend a lot of time building relationships and practice a lot of patience.
Q: In today’s landscape, storytelling and authenticity are as important as financial expertise. How do you use storytelling to connect with clients and inspire them?
A: Being able to share our own journey is very important in wealth management. I think there are a lot of assumptions out there that everyone around you knows what they’re doing with their money, but you. Let me tell you that it is not true. Sharing what we learned, the journey that took us there, and the ups and downs along the way is just as important as the destination. Showing that we aren’t perfect is what makes us authentic.
I have a long-time client who comes from an extremely wealthy family. When she first moved her assets to us, she moved half to us and half to another advisor. Her reasoning was that “Emily and Ellevest is my advisor that I think of as my peer or my friend, that understands my life experiences,” and “the other advisor is like my dad giving me guidance”. A few years later, she ended up moving all her assets to Ellevest. It meant a lot to her to understand what I would actually do or what I have done in similar situations. It brought more peace to her decision making knowing I wasn’t someone who just read a book and regurgitated advice back to her. It was advice I was giving myself.
Q: Social media has become a surprising platform for conversations around wealth and investing. How do you view its role in shaping the next generation’s relationship with money?
A: I have a mixed relationship with social media and financial advice. On one hand, it has broadened the conversation, which we all know is so important. More people have access, it's free, and it leads to more comfort in conversations with money. At the same time, I see a lot of broad advice given on social media.
My husband came to one of our “money dates” one night with lots of financial ideas. On the one hand, it is fantastic to have a dynamic conversation about money, and him not just defaulting to me as the financial advisor of our household. On the other hand, I could tell right away that all the ideas were from TikTok stars. Advice that gets given broadly, yet applies to very few people. They made it seem so simple to him, yet it wasn’t the right guidance for our family.
My hope is that this trend changes the next generation's view that money is something taboo to talk about. It becomes something we talk about with our friends and family. If we start talking about money, we will change our relationship with money. That’s powerful.
Q: You’ve spent more than a decade in banking before moving into your role at Ellevest. How has that career journey shaped the way you advise women and families today?
A: Working for a big bank taught me a lot. Working with large companies before moving on to individuals and families taught me a lot about decision making and about how leaders in many corporations make decisions differently from how an individual makes a decision about their personal wealth. There are different goals and emotions involved. One thing I always tell my team is to understand how a family or couple makes a decision and who the decision maker is in the group. You can spend a lot of time building a relationship with and winning over someone who ends up not being the ultimate decision maker.
The other thing that sounds so simple that I always found amazing was that people often just don’t speak to the woman in the room. Or they don’t put her name on the deck. Just being aware of this is a very simple but powerful tool.
Q: Finally, what’s on your nightstand or in your earbuds right now? Books, podcasts, or voices that are shaping your perspective at the moment?
A: I am very eclectic in this sense. On my desk is, Happy Medium: A Guided Creativity Journal by Tayler Carraway. I try to take a few minutes a day to get out of the grind and just think. I find it brings me back to my purpose or my why. It gets me thinking big again. I also love podcasts. I have been listening to Simon Sinek’s A Bit of Optimism. He interviews actors, astronauts, authors, etc, about their journey and why they do what they do. I find it very inspiring and reminds me why I am driven to a greater purpose.