Podcasts

Hustle and Hard Work

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Episode 68: Hustle and Hard Work
Guest: Winnie Sun

Women Rocking Wall Street is back and better than ever! Our first guest is a woman who’s done it all. A hustler who has reinvented herself time after time. Winnie Sun started her career in Hollywood, owning a television audience production company that brought in audiences for shows like “America’s Funniest Home Videos”, and “Wheel of Fortune”. This was her first successful business. Despite its success, Winnie’s Chinese immigrant parents didn’t delight in her chosen profession. Winnie decided to take night classes at UCLA, getting her certificate in financial planning. Shortly after, she received an offer from Smith Barney. That’s when everything changed. While cold calling at Smith Barney, Winnie sought out a more strategic way to solicit new business. She stayed after hours and made her cold calls while all her colleagues went home. She left voicemails, getting callbacks from individuals who actually wanted to talk to her. A few firms and years later, Winnie now leads a group of practitioners at her Sun Group Wealth Partners, a financial advisory firm in Southern California. She writes for Forbes, is on CNBC’s advisory council, and is a mother and a heartfelt advisor. Winnie’s focused on reshaping the image of advisors and inspiring the next generation of investors and audiences.

    • Winnie Sun: Twitter
    • Winnie Sun: Facebook
    • Winnie Sun: Instagram
    • The Icarus Deception
    • Coffee for Badass Segment: Leslie Fram, Tracy Gershon, and Beverly Keel are three successful music executives who started Change the Conversation. Change the Conversation was started to bridge the gap of gender inequality in the country music industry. Country radio stations were playing very few female artists songs. They created change with their dedication to improving the environment for women in music and their goal to become obsolete and “to never have this conversation again”. 
    • Lily Trager: MAKERS
    • Lily Trager: LinkedIn
    • Morgan Stanley: Diversity & Inclusion

 

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Diversity & Inclusion

This podcast has been sponsored by Morgan Stanley, a Firm where diversity is an opportunity – for both clients and employees. By valuing diverse perspectives, Morgan Stanley believes it can better serve its clients while also helping employees achieve their professional objectives. Morgan Stanley’s corporate culture is one that is open and inclusive, which is fundamental to its role as a global leader.

The guest speakers are neither employees nor affiliated with Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. (“Morgan Stanley”). The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley. The information and figures contained herein has been obtained from sources outside of Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley makes no representations or guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of information or data from sources outside of Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley is not responsible for the information or data contained in this podcast.

This podcast does not provide individually tailored investment advice and is not a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security or other financial instrument or to participate in any trading strategy. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it.

MAKERS@ Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

Since 2013, Morgan Stanley was one of a select group of companies, and the first financial services firm, invited to participate in the organization’s MAKERS@ corporate initiative to annually recognize women across Wealth Management who serve as groundbreakers, innovators and advocates along with the men who sponsor and champion women’s advancement. To date, Morgan Stanley has recognized 95 women and two men.

CRC# 2450415  03/06

Challenging the Gender Gap

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Episode 52: Challenging the Gender Gap
Guest: Emily Viner

I am so excited that it’s April and winter is finally past us. I hope that you’re enjoying the weather and being outdoors as much as I am.

My guest this week has been making a difference in gender balance in the financial industry and sales, and she is calling on others to help. Emily Viner, Vice President of Agency Management & Leadership at The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America has found her passion and is hoping to help other women find theirs too.

After graduating  with a degree in Marketing and Economics, Emily spent some time applying for marketing positions. During one interview she was asked to do a typing test. Concerned that she would be seen more as a secretary, she knew that there was more purpose in her life and turned down the job. Eventually, she came across an ad for sales in finance. Not knowing what that meant, she went and spoke with people at the company. After learning more, she became fascinated, especially by the fact that she could help others while making a comfortable living.

Knowing that women make great advisors and that women tend to buy from other women, the Guardian conducted research on why there was such a gender gap in the financial industry. After surveying several thousand women, they found that it was the sales portion of the industry that wasn’t appealing. They also found that women spent most of their time being competent and less time being confident, which has also been validated through brain science. This results in women not being comfortable with taking risks.

If this sounds like you, Emily recommends being authentic but to also learn how to say “yes” even when you don’t know how. The pressure to always be perfect and to avoid risks is holding you back. Also, we all need to get better at helping other women gain more confidence and to pull each other up.

Emily took her research and presented it to the industry through a conference with over 26,000 attendees. After her presentation, Emily challenged the industry to form a coalition to help encourage change towards gender imbalance. Over 400 people came together to look at several pieces that needed to change, and to encourage the sales aspect of the industry. During a 90 minute session, there was a huge response, which included companies from 8 different countries. At the end of the conference, 150 people signed up to take part in the coalition, with a goal to make an impact by March of 2017.

I’ve provided the executive summary and infographic to provide more context to what was discussed today. To find out more or to get involved, reach out to Emily at EViner@glic.com.

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of the Women Rocking Wall Street show! If you liked what you heard, be sure to hit subscribe, share it with others and write us a quick review on iTunes.

 

Getting Generational

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Episode 39: Getting Generational with Sheri Fitts

Welcome back and happy November! This week’s episode of the Women Rocking Wall Street show is a little unique. Last year, I had the pleasure of speaking at an event about the differences within various generations and how to talk to each of them about money in an effective way.

Did you know that there are currently four generations that shape our workforce today? There is the Traditionalist (born 1925 – 1945), which in 2014 made up eight percent of the workforce. This generation is conservative in their actions, and they prefer their communication in the form of the written word (memos). Compare that to the Millennials (born 1981 – 2000), who were raised with technology, prefer to communicate through text messages, are used to having adult-like conversations and want a level playing field right out of college, rather than putting in the time (as the Traditionalists would typically prefer to see). In between those two are the Baby Boomers (born 1946 – 1964), who are the optimists and want to be involved in the decisions and the GenX (born 1965 – 1980), who are skeptical because they’ve seen quite a few people fall from power. Again, these two generations are a very interesting contrast.

Each generation has their way of communicating and their beliefs about money. However, one thing is similar across all generations – people’s relationship with money is personal. The conversation should be based around emotions and aspirations and not around fear, shame and doubt. The goal should be to build a plan and to build a personal relationship rather than a business relationship

“When you have a dream and a plan working together in the construction of a life chapter, you have a ‘mission,’ a circumscribed purpose that defines your use of time and space for the duration of this particular life chapter. People with a mission know where they want to go.”

Frederic M. Hudson
Mastering the Art of Self-Renewal

If people can understand the vision of their future where they can redefine what it means to work and give back to their communities and make a plan that talks about their life rather of their money, they may become a little more engaged around the conversation around their finances.

To view my full presentation, here it is. If you liked this episode be sure to share it with those you think might find this valuable. Also, head over to iTunes and write a quick review if you liked what you heard. Lastly, thanks for listening!

Rocking an Interview

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Episode 36: Rocking an Interview
Guest: Margot DeMore

It’s officially fall and it is absolutely beautiful outside! I hope you’re enjoying the leaves, and all the pumpkin mania, as much as I am.

We’ve all been in a situation where we’ve had butterflies in our stomach when getting ready for an interview. The stress of preparing for the interview is only half the battle. This week, I had the pleasure of chatting with Margot DeMore, founding partner of Broad Street Consulting Group, a search firm specializing in retained executive search and consulting services for the traditional and alternative investment community and insurance industry. Her whole career has been playing matchmaker between companies and potential team members.

Margo lives and breathes interviews, and has some great tips and tricks to make sure we rock them. According to her, many of us are great at researching and understanding the organization when preparing for an interview, but tend to fall short on how to share our story in a way that highlights our strengths and attributes.

Margot recommends writing down all the adjectives that describe your strengths and think about how it fits with the position and organization you’re interviewing with. Next, brainstorm stories that highlight each adjective. The last step is to practice, practice, practice! Tell you stories to you partner, colleagues or even the mirror.

There are plenty of things that you can do to increase your chances of a successful interview. Be sure to check out Margo’s cheat sheet for more tips. For more information on Margot, visit broadstreetconsulting.com, or find her on LinkedIn.

This is a great episode for everyone so be sure to share it with your friends, colleagues, college graduates, and even high school students. Also, head over to iTunes and write a quick review if you liked what you heard. Lastly, thanks for listening!

Negotiating Salaries 101

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Episode 35: Negotiating Salaries 101
Guest: Jim Hopkinson

We’ve all been there where we’ve felt like we’ve rocked an interview and then dreaded question comes up. “What is your current salary?” Or even worse, “what are your salary expectations for this position?” It’s common for us to hesitate in answering that awful question because on one hand we don’t want to throw out a number that is too high (and risk losing our chance at the position) and, on the other hand, we don’t want to low-ball ourselves.

My guest this week is Jim Hopkinson, and he has come to our rescue! A speaker, writer, and teacher, he helps ambitious professionals overcome their fear of negotiating their salary. Jim has helped a lot of people push past the discomfort of asking for what their worth, and his number one advice is research. Understanding what your worth is the key to being able to ask for more. One way to determine what the market value is for your position and experience is visiting websites like salary.com, payscale.com, and glassdoor.com. He also recommends talking to your internal network. Once you have all your research, you can put it into a report and provide it to the company looking to hire you or presenting it to your current boss. The more research you do, the stronger your case.

To jump back to the dreaded interview question, Jim recommends countering with: “Oh I’m sorry, my current employment contract doesn’t allow me to reveal that information. It’s private company information. What kind of range did you have in mind?” By turning it around, you’re opening up the conversation and allowing room for negotiation!

If you want to learn more after this episode, visit salarytutor.com/fastclass for a 7-day free email class that will teach you how to negotiate your salary. If you liked this episode be sure to share it with those you think might find this valuable. Also, head over to iTunes and write a quick review if you liked what you heard. Lastly, thanks for listening!

Funding Research for Change

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Episode 34: Funding Research for Change
Guest: Michelle Clayman

I can’t express how excited I am to share this week’s episode with you. My guest, Michelle Clayman is a CFA, Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of New Amsterdam Partners LLC, an institutional money management firm in New York. She has been published in the Financial Analysis Journal, the Journal of Investing and NYSSA Financial Professionals’ Post. She is also a frequent commentator on Bloomberg and other financial media.

Having gone to an all girl’s school, Michelle was encouraged to set her aspirations high. She attended Oxford University and eventually attended the business school at Stanford University. She began her financial career with the Bank of America in London and eventually found her way to Wall Street. Through her experience, she found that there was a gap between quantitative research and money investment. Being bold, she decided to start her own business, along with several other partners and New Amsterdam Partners LLC was born.

Michelle is not only a successful woman and entrepreneur – she is a philanthropist. Having been involved since 1993 in what is now known as The Clayman Institute for Gender Research, Michelle first sat on the National Advisory Panel and seeing that there was a lack of resources, she worked hard to move them from “bake sale” fundraising to more sustainable funding sources. Eventually, the opportunity opened up for an endowment fund, and Michelle felt that it was the perfect fit for her. Today, the Institute is doing great work, with research even being referenced in the book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg.

If you’re interested in becoming involved in philanthropy, Michelle recommends thinking about causes that are important to you and then getting involved. Also, consider putting aside a certain amount of money for charitable giving. Whether it’s through volunteer hours or monetary donations, it’s about supporting those causes closest to you.

If you liked this episode, be sure to share it with your friends and colleagues. Also, visit iTunes and write us a quick review. Finally, thanks for listening!

Inspiring Women to Be Women

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Episode 33: Inspiring Women to Be Women
Guest: Bri Seeley

Do you recall the power suits in the ‘80s? The shoulder pads, unfitted suit jackets – anything to hide the feminine figure. While the corporate dress code has improved and has slightly embraced the feminine figure, there is still plenty of room for change. This episode’s guest, Bri Seeley, is working to inspire women to be women by re-embracing their femininity and their feminine energy.

Working in the fashion industry, Bri found that women were not buying her clothing because her brand consisted of flowing, feminine pieces. Women would try on her pieces and would tell her that they couldn’t wear the clothing in the “real world.” Bri was shocked that these women were telling her that if they were to dress as women, they would be able to achieve success in business. As a result, she had an epiphany and wanted to impact women on a deeper level. Bri is now a mentor, leader and author of the Inspirational Women Project Book.

Her mission is to inspire women to be women; to help them re-embrace femininity and their feminine energy to be successful in the world and to stop relying on the more masculine traits to get them to where we want to go. By not using our feminine energy, Bri says that we are not aligned with our true selves and our true gifts.

To learn more about Bri, her work and to read inspirational stories of other women, visit www.briseeley.com. Thanks for listening to this episode of Women Rocking Wall Street. Be sure to share this podcast with your friends and colleagues. Also, head over to iTunes and write a quick review if you liked what you heard. Increased reviews help increase the visibility of this podcast, which means more listeners (more listeners, more impact!)

Women and The NASDAQ

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Episode 31: Women and The NASDAQ
Guest: Maureen Lowe

Just imagine the sense of achievement you would feel if you were asked to ring The NASDAQ Opening bell. That’s what my guest this week had the opportunity to do. Maureen Lowe is the President and Founder of Financial Technologies Forum (FTF), a media company for Wall Street, which provides content, specifically for people and companies that drive the post-trading processing industry.

While she has grown a successful business, which has gained enough notice that she and her team were asked to ring The NASDAQ bell, Maureen still faces challenges because she is a woman on Wall Street. Over the years, she has developed a thick skin and has worked at building up her confidence around being a successful businesswoman within the financial industry.

Being a female entrepreneur on Wall Street is challenging, but Maureen has proven that it is possible. When asked what advice she would give to her 27-year-old self, Maureen says, “there will be tough times. You need to have failure and experience mistakes because that’s where you’re going to learn and grow.” She also recommends not to be afraid of failing, not to be so hard on yourself and to celebrate all the successes. Women can and are succeeding each and every day.

Be sure to share this podcast with your friends and colleagues. Also, head over to iTunes and write a quick review if you liked what you heard today. Increased reviews help move the podcast to an even more visible place in the iTunes world. (More visible, more listeners. More listeners, more difference!)

Planning to Be a CFP

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Episode 30: Planning to Be a CFP
Guest: Eleanor Blayney

Hello there, and welcome back to Women Rocking Wall Street. A couple weeks ago, I spoke with Renee Amochaev about her fight for gender equality on Wall Street. And this week, I’m continuing the theme and encouraging women out there to research the opportunities that a career in financial planning can bring. Well, who better to speak about this topic than Eleanor Blayney, author of “Women’s Worth: Finding Your Financial Confidence.” In addition to being an author, Eleanor is a CFP and consumer advocate for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.

In 2013, the CFP Board launched Women’s Initiative (WIN). Under the leadership of Nancy Kistner, then chair of CFP Board’s board of directors, WIN conducted research about why there are so few women in financial planning—the number has remained flat at 23% for several years. Based on the research, the WIN Advisory Panel released a white paper called “Making More Room for Women In the Financial Planning Profession.” The research found that, compared with men, women are much less familiar with the financial planning profession and the requirements for CFP certification. And when it comes to financial advisers who do not have CFP certification, 39% of men said they would “definitely or probably” pursue it, compared with 23% of women.

If you’re a CFP who wants to tell women more about this exciting career, consider becoming a WIN Advocate and spreading the word. By sharing your story with your community, you can make the profession more attractive to women. Please visit this link for more information about becoming a WIN Advocate. Every action we take like this can help close the gender gap!

If you have a passion for helping others, I would encourage you to explore a career in financial planning. As Eleanor says, it’s not all numbers, sales and production—it’s a career that calls for creativity, relationship skills, communication and an interesting in helping people achieve their goals. Sounds pretty nice, right?

Thanks for listening, and as always, please head to iTunes and tell us what you think about the episode. And share this podcast with friends and family! Until next time.

Investing in Gender Parity

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Episode 29: Investing in Gender Parity
Guest: Eve Ellis

Welcome back! I hope you’re still enjoying some nice, warm weather – wherever you may be. I am excited for this week’s episode of Women Rocking Wall Street because I have the pleasure of speaking with Eve Ellis, Financial Advisor with The Matterhorn Group at Morgan Stanley.

Competitive by nature, Eve started her career as a professional tennis player. Having served her well on the court, she now uses her competitive drive to help her clients prepare for their individual financial goals. In addition to supporting men, women and nonprofits, Eve is also the portfolio manager for The Parity Portfolio, a capital investment strategy that only buys into companies that has a minimum of three women on their boards.

According to Eve, gender parity on S&P 500 company boards are minimal and the progress is slow. Over the past two and a half years, the number has only increased by 2.3%. Although Eve is working to change that, she is also benefiting her clients. Research indicates that corporate boards that have three or more women have a 46% higher return on equity, 60% higher return on invested capital and 80% higher return on sales.

If you’re a woman struggling to make your way in your industry, Eve recommends that you speak up with authority and remind yourself that men should just “move over.” We have a responsibility to bring along other women, be supportive and educate others about this issue. Together, we can create gender parity.

If you’re a longtime listener of Women Rocking Wall Street, you’ve heard me mention the 30 Percent Coalition (of which Eve is a member of). If you’re new to the podcast, you can learn more about this initiative by listening to these past related podcast episodes: “What’s Behind Your Investments,” “Let’s Get to 30%,” and “The Getting Along Paradigm”. To learn more about Eve, you can find her on LinkedIn.

Be sure to share this podcast with your friends and colleagues. Also, head over to iTunes and write a quick review if you liked what you heard today. Increased reviews help move the podcast to an even more visible place in the iTunes world. (More visible, more listeners. More listeners, more difference!)