A historic shift is underway in the world of wealth and finance. By 2030, women in the U.S. are expected to control over $30 trillion in assets, a monumental transition known as the “great wealth transfer."

It's a crucial opportunity for women to influence financial markets and create lasting legacies. Research, however, indicates that only 28 percent of American women feel confident making investment decisions, a statistic that highlights the need for increased education and action.

The Bay Area is emerging as a critical hub for financial empowerment. To find out how, we spoke with five women who are stepping into their financial power, sharing resources, and building wealth on their own terms.

Changing the Narrative Around Money: Britt Williams Baker

Britt Williams Baker, co-founder of Dow Janes(Courtesy of Dow Janes)

Britt Williams Baker is the co-founder of Dow Janes, a financial education company born in San Francisco that's dedicated to helping women of all ages and backgrounds build wealth and achieve financial independence. Many women struggle with financial literacy because "no one is really taught how to deal with money,” Baker explains. “A lot of people inherit the story, ‘I’m bad with money,’ which perpetuates the situation.”

Through workshops, courses, and social media outreach, Dow Janes helps women shift their financial mindsets, tackle debt, and invest according to their values. “Women fuel the good of the world,” says Baker, noting that when women begin to control their money, they tend to be more generous, take care of their communities, and invest in beneficial causes. The ability to control their own money also helps women to exude a new level of confidence, Baker says. “They show up as bigger, bolder, brighter versions of themselves.”

Asking for More: Dia Bondi

Dia Bondi, author of 'Asking Like an Auctioneer'(Courtesy of Dia Bondi)

Dia Bondi, leadership communications coach and author of Ask Like an Auctioneer, believes that financial empowerment goes beyond education. "I don’t want to change how women relate to money at all," she asserts. "What I really want to change is how the rest of the world relates to women who want to get wealthy."

According to Bondi, many women hesitate to negotiate for higher salaries, investments, or business funding due to cultural norms that discourage them from “chasing the bag.” She's helping women to ask bigger, bolder questions to challenge this mindset.

Bondi’s work focuses on opportunity recognition. "It's not about financial literacy...that’s a different conversation,” she explains. "It’s about looking for and understanding and siting opportunities to activate the wealth you have." Bondi urges women to identify their goals and take steps toward achieving them. "The feeling isn't the objective," she says. "The action is the objective. I'm not actually interested in helping women feel empowered. They already are empowered. It's about using their empowerment in ways they haven't seen before."

Bondi also attests to the importance of building a network. “As women inherit or come into wealth, they should put around them a robust diverse bench of advisors to help them navigate and preserve that wealth and be in alignment with their values,” she says.

A New Financial Model: Holly Ruxin

Holly Ruxin, CEO of Montcalm TRC LLC(Courtesy of Holly Ruxin)

Holly Ruxin, founder and CEO of Montcalm TCR LLC, believes that women are uniquely situated to change the economy by leveraging their money. "It's time for women to bring the feminine forward, and the best way to do it is to be engaged with our money," she says.

Ruxin admits that the financial world has been made to seem overly complicated and messy but believes women have an imperative role in reshaping it. She imagines a more feminine model of finance—one that is transparent and creative, built on devotion, integrity, and collaboration. "It’s really time for women to be empowered to notice their own model of what to do," says Ruxin.

The first step she asks women to take is “engagement with a capital E. Once you start engaging," she says, "everything opens up.” Ruxin encourages women to ask questions, embrace decision-making, and recognize their role in shaping the economy. The charge she offers is a compelling one. “You can decide how you want money to move humanity forward,” she says.

Values-Aligned Investing: Janine Firpo

Janine Firpo has trained over 2,500 women in values-aligned investment through her nonprofit Invest for Better.(Courtesy of Janine Firpo)

One way for women to build a world-changing legacy is through values-aligned investing. At its most basic, this means making intentional investments that help humanity rather than spurn it. They can be as specific as funding a real estate venture that creates local affordable housing, or as broad as investing in an equity portfolio focused on companies that are bettering the environment.

Bay Area native Janine Firpo is author of Activate Your Money and co-founder of Invest for Better, a nonprofit that empowers women to invest according to their values. After several successful career pivots, Firpo realized her money was undermining her and decided to do things differently. Women can invest consciously and confidently, she says. "My goal is to get millions of women to wake up to the power of their money. If enough of us do this, we can literally change the economy. It'll change everything."

Firpo views all decisions around money, including investing, as deeply personal. "What we do with our money is really based on our values," she says. "Money is an extension of who we are, and we can use it with the same level of integrity and objective thinking and goals as any other tool we have. It’s integrally tied to us." That might mean working with a bank that re-invests in specific populations, putting money in an ETF that supports solar power, or crowd-funding a local entrepreneur in whose vision you believe.

Firpo believes that learning with and from other women is one of the most effective ways to build confidence and take financial action. That's one reason Invest for Better is starting a regional hub in the Bay Area. “It’s so powerful to be in community and in conversation about these topics that we never really get to be a part of,” Firpo says. “It’s transformative. Full stop.”

A Call to Action: Syama Bunten

Syama Bunten is hosting the Women and Wealth Catalyst Summit in San Francisco on March 27.(Courtesy of Syama Bunten)

Syama Bunten, business strategist and host of the Getting Rich Together podcast, is an advocate of community learning and an inspiration in the world of wealth-building. “Every single person on the planet has a relationship to money," she says. "The idea that we wouldn’t feel comfortable talking about it was a major red flag."

Starting with honest conversations in small spaces, Bunten has brought an authentic and collaborative investment community to life. On March 27, she will host the inaugural Women in Wealth Catalyst Summit in the Presidio, a conference featuring more than 20 thought leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs (including Bondi, Ruxin, and Firpo) that will focus on building confidence, recognizing financial opportunities, and aligning wealth with personal values.

"This is an expander conference," says Bunten, who hopes the summit will inspire women to take the next step in purposefully engaging in wealth-building. "The invitation is for women to really see what’s possible. Hit pause on lunch and dinner and let’s think about what’s available to you and what you want."