- What led you to write this book?
At the time I was
working with quite a
few police widows. I was struck by how vulnerable they were
to advice. I
felt the book would help them manage a part of their life that was
manageable--the money part. My hope was that they would be
able to use the
information to either do it themselves, or work with
professionals without
giving up thier power.
- What do you feel to be the biggest challenge facing women today when
handling their finances?
Understanding that they are
perfectly capable of
handling their finances.
- How has the atmosphere changed for women investors in the last 10
years?
The financial community has targeted women investors. The
information age has facilitated increased financial curiosity
on the part of
women.
- How will the atmosphere change for women investors in the next 10
years?
As glass ceilings start shattering and more women
become high
profile exec's there will be more interest.
- Where did you start your career and how did it lead you to where you
are today?
This is my second career. I was a manufacturer of women's
accessories and garments for 15 years before becoming a fee
based Certified
Financial Planner 20 years ago. When I was in the garment
business I paid
too much attention to that business and not enough time to my family's
financial planning. That was motivation for getting into this
business.
- How much money do you need to start investing?
This is a
function of
how much reserve somebody needs. Investing is long term.
People should not
start investing unless they are willing to think in at least 5 year
increments and they should not use money they might need on a
short term
basis.
- How should a woman get started investing with no investment
experience?
Either get some professional help or do
homework to at least
get comfortable with the vocabulary.
- If a woman has debt, at what point should she become an investor?
This
question cannot be answered without the whole financial picture.
- Have you published any other books before this one? If so, what are
they?
No.
- What are your future book writing plans?
I am
co-authoring with my
partner Mark Sakanashi "Employee Stock Options.book: A User
Friendly Guide
to Financial Freedom.
