For Emily Jaffe, President, OFC Wealth Management, financial planning is about far more than numbers. It’s about helping women find clarity, confidence, and control during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and CDFA®, Emily has spent her career guiding clients through complex financial decisions. But her volunteer work with Savvy Ladies carries a deeply personal meaning.
Emily’s commitment to financial empowerment was shaped by her own family experience. After her father became terminally ill in 2015, she watched her mother struggle emotionally and financially despite being highly educated and professionally successful. Over time, those challenges led to bankruptcy proceedings that Emily helped navigate alongside her.
That experience fundamentally changed how she viewed financial education.
“I realized that education alone doesn’t guarantee financial confidence. What truly matters is having the tools, the awareness, and the willingness to engage.”
Since December 2022, Emily has volunteered with Savvy Ladies, providing one-on-one financial guidance sessions to women navigating major life transitions, including divorce, loss, and financial uncertainty. Over the past three years, she has worked directly with 16 women through personalized Zoom sessions designed to help them move from feeling overwhelmed to taking actionable next steps.
Rather than offering generic advice, Emily focuses on practical guidance tailored to each woman’s situation. Sometimes that means helping someone organize their finances or understand cash flow. Other times, it involves preparing for conversations with attorneys or making sense of complicated financial accounts and decisions.
What sets Emily apart is her ability to combine technical expertise with empathy.
Many of the women she supports are facing emotionally charged situations where financial uncertainty can feel paralyzing. Emily helps simplify the path forward, giving them structure, clarity, and the confidence to make informed decisions.
For Emily, the most meaningful outcomes are not tied to a single recommendation or financial milestone. Instead, they are reflected in the trust and lasting relationships she has built through her volunteer work.
Two women in particular stand out in her memory, one navigating divorce while raising young children, and another managing significant financial and family stress. What began as initial guidance sessions evolved into ongoing conversations and trusted relationships as both women continued seeking support and implementing changes in their lives.
“What I am most proud of is not a single recommendation or outcome,” Emily wrote, “but the fact that they came back. They stayed engaged. They asked questions. They implemented changes.”
Beyond her direct volunteer work, Emily also amplifies Savvy Ladies’ impact through her broader leadership efforts. As a Second Saturday chapter leader in New Jersey, she introduces the organization’s resources to women attending free divorce workshops, ensuring more women have access to trusted, unbiased financial guidance. Her service on the national board of NAPFA further reflects her commitment to expanding access to fiduciary financial planning.
She was recently honored as one of three nominees for the Savvy Ladies Volunteer of the Year award, sponsored by Invest in Others. She also took part in the Savvy Ladies May Volunteer Summit event in New York, where she shared the panel stage.
Emily was joined by Amanda Connaughton, CFP®, Financial Planner at Financial Solutions, Oldham County, and Savvy Ladies Volunteer of the Year Award recipient, Abby Salameh, Managing Partner, Mercer Advisors, Invest in Others Board Member, Leslie Tabor, Director, Business Consulting Services, Charles Schwab, and Jordan Tobias, Program Manager, Foundation for Financial Planning.
At the heart of Emily’s work is a simple but powerful belief: no woman should feel intimidated by money or dependent on someone else to make financial decisions for her.
Through every conversation, follow-up call, and moment of encouragement, Emily is helping women build not only financial knowledge, but also the confidence to shape their futures on their own terms.
