Let's Talk About It: Victoria Marshall
- Kinetic Kares
- Apr 23
- 8 min read
“Let’s Talk About It” is a series presented by Kinetic Kares to enhance our collective knowledge base about our finances. We think talking about salaries, personal lessons we’ve learned, and experiences in our financial journeys could be advantageous to women anywhere – especially when these topics are still not regular conversation items. We’re picking the minds of brilliant women and asking them advice on some questions that have real life implications for our day to day.
April 2025
We had the pleasure of interviewing Victoria Marshall – President and founder of Marshall Insurance and Financial Solutions. As an advisor, Victoria is dedicated to listening to the needs of her clients. She founded Marshall Insurance and Financial Solutions in 2003. The firm focuses on helping clients understand the complexities of financial success and building unique solutions. They take pride in taking it “personally”- the responsibility for their client’s strong financial futures - and they strive to create a compassionate and integrity forward approach.
Kares: What should we know about you?
Victoria: I run a full financial services firm and I’ve been in this business for thirty years. What sets me apart from other firms in the area is probably my compassion and my empathy for the families I sit in front of. Thirty years ago, there weren’t many women in financial services it was a very male dominated industry. It wasn’t easy for me to push through all those expectations and carve my own path in this industry. Now, I am one of the very few women that can really take care of a client from A-Z. After all these years, the company’s reputation speaks for itself.
Kares: How did you get into finance?
Victoria: It was by accident! I applied for a position and didn’t understand what it entailed. It was a position for an IMO in Orange County (IMO stands for Independent Marketing Organizations – these are companies are intermediaries between insurance carriers and independent agents that offer a range of services to help agents succeed). I worked directly for the owner as his right hand. I learned everything to do right, and learned from everything he did wrong. For ten years, I was responsible for recruiting agencies nationwide. Recruiting is, by nature, very tough. I was in charge of recruiting, building the recruited agency, training and getting them up to speed with our procedures on business processing. During that time, we even went through a couple of recessions. It is very hard for successful agents to stay in the industry if operations aren’t running smoothly. We had a good, machine-like, practice. Unfortunately, the original owner passed away. I stayed for three more years and decided at that point to open my own corporation. I surrounded myself with people I respected, who were doing big things and who aligned with my vision. That was probably the smartest move I ever made. I think it’s important to know yourself, know where your ambitions are and have the ability to recognize where you want to go. Keep putting one foot in front of the other; It’s not easy. It’s amazing when I think of the firm and how far we’ve come and I’m still having fun!
Always be a student of the business. Always learn, surround yourself with good positive people and never give up no matter how hard life gets; I think those are the key factors to success.
Kares: What are your other passions?
Victoria: I love philanthropy. Outside of work, I’m big in the cancer community. I belong to Beloved foundation. The Beloved Foundation is very unique in that it focuses on individuals and families who have received a Stage 4 diagnosis. A Stage 4 diagnosis is usually terminal, but that doesn’t mean it’s always the case. I’m a two time Stage 4 Cancer survivor of sixteen years. You can keep surviving! I met the foundation at one of the Believe Walks here in the Redlands, where they asked me to join the board. Mainly because I was a survivor as well, but also because I am in financial services. I can take a deeper dive with our families into their financial picture and give guidance and help with communication especially as it comes to healthcare finances. What happens to many families that don’t have means of financial assistance or family support, is that it drains them financially and emotionally. A loved one must take off work so sometimes bills get kicked to the curb. This is where Beloved Foundation comes in. We help with rent, or mortgages, utilities, food, medical copays, and transportation. We just try to alleviate some of that financial pressure when someone is ill. I’m very happy because I’m very hands on with the organization. The board interviews the family to determine if and what areas our resources can help them. It’s very rewarding to say the least. Pay it forward! I feel like this is my purpose.
I’m also involved in my local rotary club that helps with scholarships for high school seniors. We do a lot of fundraising throughout the year. I stay busy.
Kares: To say the least! We feel very special to be able to take a little of your time to seek your advice.
Victoria: The journey I had was not easy, so I feel supporting women is extremely important. Also, I think things have changed, back in the day, I didn’t like asking financial questions. It seemed so private. But now there is recognition that it’s an obligation. Clients are prioritizing personal connections more than they did when I first started. That’s what I offer, a personal connection. Bottom line, if you lead with trust and empathy and genuinely care about people, they recognize that and gravitate towards that. This is important when people are making financial decisions.
Kares: We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Here is our first question: Do you think it’s important to support other women in your career/community, if so, why?
Victoria: It’s important because when women support each other, they create role models for the next generation. Encouragement, building stronger networks, building confidence and growth. I look at my daughter who is a Junior at UCSD (University of California San Diego). She had me go speak there about my business. The feedback from these young individuals was amazing. Being a role model for the next generation is huge, and as a woman, it’s even more inspiring. We have to show them that success is possible in any field you choose. Many industries still have gender disparities. We need to lift each other up and create more opportunities in the workplace.
What makes me so proud is my daughter has the same mindset. But she’s even ten times more than I am, which makes me so proud. She’s building these networks in San Diego that are going to help her throughout her life. When we talk about building a supportive community, the mentorship, sponsorship, opportunities for collaboration; those are the keys to someone’s professional growth. It’s crucial to support each other. We have to continue building, building up others and ourselves. I’m not excluding anyone, but it’s important to make sure we’re connecting and growing as women and leaders in our industries.
Kares: Have you ever had a professional situation where you have been undervalued because you were a woman?
Victoria: Back in the 90s, being a woman, they didn’t listen to you. It’s different these days. I overcame that by making sure I understood the value that I was bringing to people and my colleagues. Just knowing myself and doing it my way. Not the way I was taught by my previous employer back in the day. I surrounded myself with those people that inspire me, and this was important because I got to know who I really was and how I wanted to run my business. The best decision you can make when you’re in a workplace where you are consistently undervalued, despite every effort you make, is to remove yourself from that environment. Remove yourself from any environment where you feel undervalued. That’s what I did when I opened my firm.
I’ve always told my children; you are who you “hang” with and you are a product of your environment. Surround yourself with positive people who are like minded and you will go far. But if you’re stuck in a rut, where you’re undervalued and the people don’t recognize what you bring, you need to remove yourself.
Kares: Following that advice, if there’s a woman that feels undervalued, but worried about the practical “adulting” financial ramifications of leaving a job, do you think she should leap and remove herself from that job right away?
Victoria: I would say she should try to communicate first. If someone is feeling undervalued, communicating with whomever you need to is vital. Sometimes we’re reactive, so we have to really know ourselves and figure out the best timing to speak up, but you have to speak up. Hopefully, things will change but no matter what the outcome, speaking up and taking the risk of communicating is going to build your confidence. Even in a perfect world, you join the workforce, and you’ll have good days/bad days, good colleagues/bad colleagues but you should never feel undervalued for your efforts. You’re going to have a bad day, but you have to know your worth.
Kares: Our last question: What's your number one practical advice for any woman in her 30s-40s who feel like they haven't done enough to prepare for retirement/future financial security? (For those of us who feel like: "I didn't start early enough…", "I'm an adult but I feel behind in financial maturity!")
Victoria: This is something I see every week. Keep it simple, start where you are right now. Focus on your progress, not perfection. You’re not going to get it right the first time. Building your financial road map is not one and done, it’s a constant progression. There are so many people that feel like they’re behind. The most important thing is to take action. Do a step by step process. Know what you want, figure out what you have now, what you need and then prioritize.
If I have a client who has a 401k or 403b, I ask them, “how much are you paying yourself?” You have to pay yourself first. Contribute to your retirement plans that are available. Set it up, make it automatic and build consistency. Never think its too late. Most people that I see in their 30s, 40s, 50s and sometimes even 60s; they don’t know what they have until they start a plan. There are so many adjustments that can be made. Never think its too late. Surround yourself with financially savvy people. If I could just talk to the younger generation, start anywhere. Just start.
We used to have monthly financial meetings with our kids. We would ask them what they want to invest in. We started it when they were old enough to get birthday money. We told them they could spend half and put half in a brokerage account. And then we would have them choose the stocks they wanted. My daughter’s choice of Disney has made her a pretty great foundation.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to reach out for professional guidance because we’ve seen it all. If I can help somebody along the way, that’s my passion. That’s why I’m in this business, right? Don’t be ashamed you haven’t done it. It’s DOING it, that’s important. Even if you’re behind, don’t worry, the right plan can get you there faster than you think. Just start the process, its easier than you think.
We can’t thank Victoria enough for sharing her story and her thoughtful advice. If you want to find out more about Victoria’s firm Marshall Life & Financial Solutions, Inc, visit: https://marshall-life.com/. To find out more about Beloved Foundation and ways you can help, visit: https://www.belovedfoundation.com/
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Disclosure: This advice is not intended as specific financial advice for your specific situation. Please work with a financial advisor for personal advice. Kinetic Investment Management, Inc. is owned by the founder of Kinetic Kares. This article is not intended as promotion for Kinetic Investment Management, Inc.
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