women and investing Archives

Is It True What Studies Reveal about Women and Money?

August 21, 2012 By Camille Gaines 1 Comment

Do They Really Think Differently about Investing?

Women and investing was the topic of a recent thought-provoking article in USA Today. In summary, it explains that women are just not interested in learning how to invest their money. The article gives numerous statistics showing that women are earning more money than ever, but they simply don’t show an interest in investment education. Below are a couple of my favorite exerts from the USA Today article entitled Investing Makes Women Anxious (the online title is different from the print version), and my thoughts on each. While I am not a “bra burning female”, I am of an analytical … [Read more...]

What Can We Learn from Bridget Jones?

December 19, 2011 By Camille Gaines 10 Comments

Movies can teach us a lot about life and money. I have found that I now like to watch mostly uplifting movies, and tend to avoid movies that bring me down, such as violent or depressing ones. Last night, I watched Bridget Jones Diary as part of my annual holiday movie event. It’s one of my very favorites! I get so frustrated with Bridget; she’s so pretty, naturally sexy, and smart, yet she keeps repeating the same mistakes. She so longs to be healthy and confident, yet she continually sabotages herself in every area that she longs to improve: her career, her weight, her unhealthy habits … [Read more...]

What Investment Yields Astounding Results?

December 15, 2011 By Camille Gaines 1 Comment

Why is it more difficult for a woman to invest in herself than it is to match food containers with their lids? Earlier this week on Financial Woman I posted a list of 5 year end questions to ask yourself about money. The last question was “Did you invest in yourself in some way this year?” In today’s post, I’d like to expand on the topic of women investing in themselves. A few months back, a very business savvy friend and client of mine was contemplating joining a program for women in business. At the time, she was looking for more work, and she knew the course would expand her … [Read more...]

If Apple Can Do It….

December 8, 2011 By Camille Gaines 1 Comment

In Tuesday’s Financial Woman blog, I wrote “Imperfect action is always better than waiting for perfect action, as it will never come. How many times do Apple, Dell and Microsoft improve their original product after launch? If they can use this strategy, so can we”. In today’s article, I’d like to expand on this topic as it relates to women and money. I hear from many women that they often feel overwhelmed or intimidated about getting more involved with growing their money. There is a misperception about investing, as with many other aspects of life: that we have to know it all … [Read more...]

Buy a Purse Without Checking the Price?

August 10, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

Wow! What a crazy and volatile few weeks investors have had in the stock market! I encourage investors to always check the value of an investment or asset class before buying it. Asset class is simply investing lingo for the type of investment, such as bonds or stocks. This is the same principle that you would use when shopping for anything; you would never buy a new handbag without first checking the price tag, so be sure to do the same with your investments. One of the ways to check the value of an investment is by looking at stock charts, which are no where near as scary as they sound. (I … [Read more...]

Tips from Vanguard on Bubbles (NOT the fun kind!)

July 27, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

Vanguard published a great article on investment bubbles. As a provider of financial education, I constantly hear from women that they have fear around losing their money. Research shows that financial security is a top priority when it comes to women and investing; not that we need the research to know that, right, girlfriends? Understanding bubbles helps you to avoid them, and thus, lower your investment risk. Remember, knowledge is what makes you feel more financially secure. When you know about something, it just feels safer, and you make better choices. This is true for investment … [Read more...]

Does Anyone Else Procrastinate?

January 4, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

One of the most challenging aspects for women and investing is time. I have decided the only hope for me to complete the tasks that need my attention, including those around money management, is to get them on my calendar. Last summer I saw that an amazing exhibit was coming to Austin's Blanton Museum from July though January 2, 2011. Where was I on January 2? I could be found standing in line at the Blanton Museum, of course, with the other Austinites that had procrastinated, but were committed to seeing works by Monet and Pissaro. While driving home after strategically making my … [Read more...]

Comfort and Joy!

December 6, 2010 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

Comfort and Joy! These two beautiful words jumped out as I glanced at the front page of the Austin American Statesman while walking up my long, steep driveway returning from my invigorating walk on this crisp December morning. I love the comfort and joy that I relate to the holiday season. I also thought about how these words relate to women and investing, since this topic is usually on my mind. Isn’t comfort and joy what money ultimately brings when it is managed well? We gain comfort from the shelter money provides, whether home is an apartment filled with our favorite things, or a … [Read more...]

Men, Women and Investing

October 26, 2010 By Camille Gaines 6 Comments

The differences in how men and women approach financial education were shown, once again, while visiting with married friends this past weekend. I was blessed with one of those rare unplanned drop by visits that you can only do with the oldest and dearest of friends while in Houston over the weekend. Don’t you love those relationships? Anyway, I shared that I am writing a book when the talk led to what is going on with my financial education for women company. The first words out of Lisa’s mouth were “Don’t make it boring! You have to make it fun. That is why I don’t like to learn … [Read more...]

Do Women and Money Belong in the Same Room?

October 13, 2010 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

What message are you sending about financial empowerment to the next generation of women? Are you modeling the importance of being involved with your own money management? Generation by generation, the stigma about women and investing is being reduced, but it is still out there, alive and well. The days of bra burning are behind us, thank goodness, but an empowered woman of this century knows where her money is. She demonstrates competence around it; this is how we want our daughters, nieces and our friend’s daughters to feel, not fear and dependence around their money. Take the Financial … [Read more...]