‘A responsibility to lift others up as we rise,’: The SER Summit for Latinos in FinServ continues to grow

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DENVER, Colo. -- The SER Summit for Latinos in FinServ was born at a conference in the fall of 2022.

Co-founders, Vanessa N. Martinez and Ana Trujillo Limon met at an industry conference where they were among the few Latinos in the room.

“Vanessa and I started talking about how we could bring more Latinos in the industry together,” Trujillo Limon said. “And while I am a dreamer about what’s possible, once I told Vanessa some ideas, she was the catalyst to make everything happen.”

The goal was to create a community for Latinos and allies in the financial services industry to continue to attract and retain more Latinos, which has been a success, according to former attendees.

“No matter where you are in your career journey, SER is a great place to connect with other professionals in financial services,” said Anthony Duran, director of product at Seeds.

“It’s hands down the best conference I’ve been to,” said past attendee Pedro Dominguez. “It’s a space where you can be yourself, make friends, build connections, and help each other grow.”

Because the community has traditionally skewed toward newer professionals, the committee is intentional about creating mentor/mentee relationships.

“We feel we have a responsibility to lift others up as we rise,” said Martinez, who is the founder and CEO of Expressive Wealth, a $200 million firm based in Chicago, Ill. “And we believe in this mission so much, that we are willing to volunteer our time and resources to build it.”

Martinez and Trujillo Limon put together a team of industry peers in the spring of 2023 to plan the first event, which took place in Phoenix, Ariz., with only about 50 attendees. And this year the SER Summit will take place at the Grand Hyatt in Downtown Denver and it expects to draw around the same number of people as its record-breaking event in Chicago last year--about 150 people.

“Every year, more people and companies see the vision and the value,” Trujillo Limon said, noting that the planning committee is incredibly grateful for the sponsors who make it possible.

The first big sponsor the event ever attracted was LPL Financial, which signed on as a Gold sponsor for the second year and has continued to do so. Last year, they welcomed Prudential Financial to the ranks, and this year, Morgan Stanley signed on as the newest Gold sponsor, moving up from the Bronze level in 2025.

Silver sponsors are Hilltop Securities and Future Planner Careers, which sponsored several young professionals to attend the event, paying for airfare, hotel, and ticket costs.

“At the SER Summit, I've found more than a network. I've found friends, champions, and a community that understands the importance of lifting one another up,” said Cely Castillo of Hilltop Securities, who serves on the SER planning committee. “As Latinos in financial services, we celebrate each other's success with optimism, pride, and the belief that there's room for all of us to thrive.”

Bronze sponsors include Left Brain Wealth Management, Expressive Wealth, and Allianz. While supporters include Bair Financial Planning, the Wealth Consulting Group, Trillium Asset Management, the Financial Planning Association, and Cambridge.

“I have twice left the SER Summit feeling reinvigorated with strong purpose and identity rather than approaching my work as just another day on the job,” said past attendee David Marmolejos. “SER reminded me that we’re paving the way for other Latinos to have success in financial services.”