PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lincoln Financial Network’s LincABLE (Lincoln Accelerating Business Leadership Experiences) program recently earned the Equity Award from the Urban League. The company’s program was highlighted for providing mentorship, financial education and career development opportunities for Black and African American high school students in Philadelphia. With only 2.9% of financial advisors in the industry today identifying as Black or African American1, LincABLE also aims to increase representation in the financial services industry, a core tenant of Lincoln Financial Group’s overarching diversity, equity and inclusion strategy.
In the first year of the LincABLE program, college-bound seniors enter a paid job shadowing program and complete a curriculum covering capital markets, resume building and professional development. In year two, students are offered a paid college internship with Lincoln Financial Network. In year three, students are welcomed to return to another more expansive paid internship with higher exposure to leadership and networking. Today, LincABLE has approximately 30 students participating in various phases of the program, including high schoolers and returning alumni who are now college students.
“As a Black woman in financial services, my interest in the industry began as an economics major at the encouragement of a former Lincoln employee who I looked up to, who also was a Black woman,” said Jennifer Burks, assistant vice president, Investment Products & Platforms at Lincoln, and a manager of the LincABLE program. “LincABLE is designed to deliver that same type of impact, providing transferable knowledge on personal and professional finance, enhancing students’ future employment competitiveness and contributing to increasing diversity in the financial advice industry with a pool of next-generation, high-caliber talent.”
Now in its third year, LincABLE continues to gain momentum, including receiving the Urban League’s 2023 Equity award.
“The Urban League of Philadelphia is committed to empowering the youth of Philadelphia and the surrounding areas by engaging them with innovative programming and opportunities like the LincABLE program,” said Darrin Anderson, President and CEO of The Urban League of Philadelphia. “We are excited to have the opportunity to link high school students to Lincoln Financial Group and their great employees. The organization and their employees have shown their commitment and passion for preparing the future workforce by their support of the LincABLE program and the student interns they continue to mentor and employ each year.”
In addition to local recognition, LincABLE was also recently named as a finalist for WealthManagment.com’s 2023 Industry Awards in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) category, which honors outstanding achievements by companies, organizations and individuals that support financial advisor success. LincABLE was also named as a 2023 ThinkAdvisor LUMINARIES finalist within the Community Impact category, which honors firms leading community-focused efforts that serve as role models of both excellence and demonstrable impact with demonstratable results.
Click here to learn more from the students in the LincABLE program.
- Cerulli Associates, Parity Is an Uphill Climb for Women and BIPOC Financial Advisors, January 14, 2021
About Lincoln Financial Network
Lincoln Financial Network is the marketing name for the retail sales and financial planning affiliates of Lincoln Financial Group and includes Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. and Lincoln Financial Securities Corp., both members of FINRA and SIPC. Consisting of approximately 14,000 representatives, agents, and full-service financial planners throughout the United States, Lincoln Financial Network professionals can offer financial planning and advisory services, retirement services, life products, annuities, investments, and trust services to affluent individuals, business owners and families. Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (LNC) and its affiliates. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Sign up for email alerts at http://newsroom.lfg.com
About Lincoln Financial Group
Lincoln Financial Group provides advice and solutions that help people take charge of their financial lives with confidence and optimism. Today, approximately 16 million customers trust our retirement, insurance and wealth protection expertise to help address their lifestyle, savings and income goals, and guard against long-term care expenses. Headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE: LNC) and its affiliates. The company had $290 billion in end-of-period account balances net of reinsurance as of June 30, 2023. Lincoln Financial Group is a committed corporate citizen included on major sustainability indices including the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America and ranks among Newsweek’s Most Responsible Companies. Dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion, we are included on transparency benchmarking tools such as the Corporate Equality Index, the Disability Equality Index and the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index. Committed to providing our employees with flexible work arrangements, we were named to FlexJobs’ list of the Top 100 Companies to Watch for Remote Jobs in 2022. With a long and rich legacy of acting ethically, telling the truth and speaking up for what is right, Lincoln was recognized as one of Ethisphere’s 2023 World’s Most Ethical Companies®. We create opportunities for early career talent through our intern development program, which ranks among WayUp and Yello’s annual list of Top 100 Internship Programs. Learn more at: www.LincolnFinancial.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Sign up for email alerts at http://newsroom.lfg.com.
