Doris Roper: A Women’s Financial Advisor

Making the decision to become a financial advisor and planner came very easily to Doris. With her own personal success in investing and managing finances during her first career as a very successful business-owner, it felt like a natural fit.

As soon as it was practically possible, Doris started to focus on the area where her true passion lay, namely working with women to build a solid financial foundation particularly those who are going through or have been through a financial transition such as divorce, widowhood, career change or retirement.

In doing research and interviews with her female clients, friends, acquaintances, and professionals such as therapists and family law attorneys, she found that a large percentage of women did not feel competent and smart when it came to managing finances and investments.

Their lack of knowledge resulted in feelings of anxiety, fear and uncertainty. Much of this comes from childhood conditioning and the belief that it’s mainly a man’s job. These limiting beliefs have prevented countless women from achieving their dreams and goals.

As a result of her findings and understanding the issues women faced from her own personal experience, Doris created The Empowerment Circle, an organization for women to master life and finances in a confidential and supportive environment.

The experience that led to her passion

In 1988, living in South Africa, Doris was homeless and penniless. She had just gone through a very difficult divorce (without a final settlement) from a husband who was behaving in what the psychologist called a psychopathic manner. He physically pushed her out of their home and Jewelry store and locked the doors. Doris was a jewelry designer and goldsmith and had started the business 6 years earlier.

So there she was, out on the street with a five and a 3-year old, no home, no business, no money and no income!

Fortunately, customers whose wedding rings she delivered worked at a Christian holiday resort. They spoke to their manager who agreed to let Doris and her children stay in one of their units while she tried to sort out her life.

For the next two months, she had to get court orders and work with attorneys to try to get her ex-husband to agree to a settlement. The store remained closed and the unpaid bills continued to grow. Since there was a fairly substantial amount of debt that needed to be repaid, the danger existed that if a satisfactory settlement could not be reached, the house and business would be auctioned. As the assets would not fetch nearly enough to cover the debts if auctioned, both Doris and her ex-husband would end up with a large amount of debt and no assets whatsoever. He agreed that if she could pay off the large bank overdraft and take over the other debt, she could keep the house and business.

In the midst of this very anxious and stressful period, something happened (which Doris considers a miracle and is a story in itself) that enabled her to borrow enough money to pay off the overdraft. She moved back into the house, re-opened the business and started rebuilding her life with her children.

Doris was able to do this in a fairly short amount of time because up until then she had taught herself to be smart with money management and finances. Her parents had lacked these skills so had been unable to teach her. In fact her father went bankrupt and committed suicide at the age of 47, which left her mother a young widow.

After successfully running and growing her business for the next 13 years while raising her children, Doris decided it was time for a change. She sold everything and left South Africa to visit Austria, the country of her birth, UK and the USA. It was during her travels in the States that she met her wonderful husband, Arlen and settled down in Carlsbad, CA.

As a blended family, Doris and Arlen have four children and three grandsons. Her hobbies include tennis, traveling, reading, Bridge and educating.

Women realize that something happens when they get smart about money!

Doris Roper is a senior partner of Chapman, Roper & Breslin, LLC, a wealth management firm in Carmel Valley, CA and owner of Roper Financial Planning - A Registered Investment Advisor.

She is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, Certified Senior Advisor, divorce mediator, LPL Registered Principal and holds the NASD Series 7, 63, 66 and 24 licenses with Linsco/Private Ledger as well as Life, Disability, Long-Term Care and Variable Insurance Licenses with the States of California and Florida.

Over the years, Doris has mentored people dealing with emotional and financial issues and served as a Financial Freedom Coach through her church.

Recipient of 2004
Top Producer Award at
Trilogy Financial Services