One of the career development relationships stressed by many business people as a means for women to advance in professions and workplaces that have traditionally been male strongholds is mentorship. Although many successful executives of both genders point to mentoring as among the seminal events in their professional lives, mentorship is sorely underutilized despite its obvious and demonstrative benefits.

The following are the accounts of three women in the wealth advisory and investment fields who agreed to briefly tell their stories of successful mentoring relationships they forged along the way. These are the accounts of Janice Olson, vice president, Resource Real Estate; Sheri Pontolillo, managing principal, Integro Group; and Jan Ryan, senior vice president of product development, JCC Advisors.

This article is followed by a Q&A interview with attorney Deborah Froling, who discusses her advocacy and experience with mentoring relationships, as we