LISA SEERY

^{(Sen. Holly Mitchell in 2014, source: Flickr)}

Looks like the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, once nicknamed the “five little kings”, will need a new nickname…

Because for the first time since its inception over 150 years ago, the LA County Board of Supervisors now consists of all women! Its latest member, Senator Holly Mitchell, recently won the board’s 2nd District race against LA City Councilman Herb Wesson by a huge margin.

Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, a...

We already know that women earn less than men, but that’s not the only reason why women shouldn’t be waiting to invest their money. According to data from the Vanguard Center for Investor Research, women often have retirement balances that are half the size of men (source). 

In order to support yourself for however many years you’ll have in retirement (and it will keep increasing as we live longer), investing now in preparation is essential. We may not be able to close...

Even though only 13% of the American population define themselves as superstitious, 35% will act superstitiously if a chance presents itself, like picking up a penny from the ground for good luck. (Source: MSN)

I feel like no matter your culture, background or upbringing, there are always money beliefs, or old wives tales about money, that we hear about and carry with us. 

1. Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck (but only if it’s heads up!)

You may...

With the elections just around the corner, it got me thinking about equality and the right to vote. We’re all aware that the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote, and when it was passed in August 1920, it ended almost a century of protest, known as women’s suffrage.

But even though this new law passed so that no one would be denied the right to vote on the basis of sex, it was not that simple. Poll taxes, local laws, and other...

In 2016, it was found that the typical white family had a net worth nearly 10 times that of a Black family. But this isn’t recent - this persistent racial wealth gap has been disadvantaging Black families and communities for centuries. And now in 2020, it has been posited that the racial wealth gap is as wide now as it was in 1968 (source: The Washington Post).

What I've learned in the past few months is that while the Black-white wealth gap is multifaceted, the racial inequality in...

Latinx Heritage Month takes place between September 15 - October 15, and so far I've learned a lot of things from all the amazing Latina women I follow on Instagram.

Like how the Latina pay gap is 46% less than white men and 31% less than white women. 

And not only are Latinas are paid less than white men for doing the very same jobs, but when they do ask for promotions and raises (more often AND at higher rates), they don’t get the same results (source: Lean In). 

Recognizing...

There’s been some great news about women breaking the glass ceiling, as from 2021, Jane Fraser will take over as Citigroup CEO, becoming the first woman ever to become CEO of a major global bank. This comes after her 16-year tenure at the company, during which she ran its consumer bank, handled the strategy division and recently oversaw the bank's emergency pandemic response.

A Harvard Business Review study revealed that senior positions in venture capital and private equity, women hold...

Do you remember, investing in September?

“Ooo ee ooo, selling in September…”

Most people remember September from the Earth, Wind & Fire song, but when it comes to investing, most people would rather forget it all together. September is considered, by some, the worst month for the stock market because there is so much market volatility.

The History Behind the September Effect

When looking back at trends throughout history, on average September is when the stock market's...

According to RBC Wealth Management, everybody has a “money script” - although I prefer to call it a money personality. Our money personalities are informed by our personal experiences and family circumstances, which affect our mindset around money and how we spend it.

For example, if you grew up in a low-income household, you may carry this scarcity mindset into your adult life and live super frugally. Although, on a different side of the coin, once you come into more money (and...

I’ll let you in on a not-so-well-kept secret… there’s a transfer of wealth happening. Women are changing the financial narrative and FAST. More and more studies are being conducted where they are showing women coming in on top when it comes to an increase in overall wealth and with financial planning decisions.

But as women, we still don’t seem to be normalizing conversations about money. Why is that?

Our Ideas of Money are Shaped as Children

Maybe it’s lack of...