In the course of writing Undiversified, we were introduced to several terrific organizations striving to get more women into finance in general and investing in particular. Chapter 10 of our book includes profiles of these organizations, and we applaud their efforts to change investing’s demographics.
We are not just talking our book here—we are putting our money where our collective mouth is! All royalty proceeds from Undiversified will be donated to Rock The Street Wall Street (RTSWS), a 501(c)(3) charity focused on introducing high school girls to financial and investment literacy concepts and exposing them to career options in our industry. Its founder Maura Cunningham left a career in wealth management and advisory to pursue her passion project of getting more girls into the “M” (math) of STEM. While (as we discuss in our book) math is by no means the primary skill required to invest well, a baseline level of mathematical competence is essential.
Below are links and brief descriptions of organizations we profiled in the book. And if you’re an organization we haven’t heard of yet—but should have!—please contact us about your work. Who knows? You might be featured in our next edition.
100 Women in Finance’s more than 15,000 members, including the two authors of this book, strengthen the global finance industry by empowering women to achieve their professional potential at each career stage. Its members inspire, equip and advocate for a new generation of industry leadership, in which women and men serve as investment professionals and executives, equal in achievement and impact. Through Education, Peer Engagement and Impact, the organization furthers the progress of women who have chosen finance as a career, and enables their positive influence over pre-career young women. https://100women.orginvesting-conference/
Girls Who Invest (“GWI”), is dedicated to increasing the number of women in portfolio management and executive leadership in the asset management industry. GWI’s program is comprised of an intensive on-campus, four-week educational program immediately followed by six-week paid internships at leading investment management firms in the US, UK and Canada. Its strategy is simple – investment firms say they do not see enough resumes from women, so GWI is creating a pipeline of motivated young women who are prepared to succeed on investment teams in the investment management industry and who leave the program with an ongoing and sustainable community. www.girlswhoinvest.org
Phelps Forward wants to develop and deliver diverse business leaders of the future. The organization provides career counseling, networking and job placement to first generation college students and graduates, all women, from top tier colleges. PF works closely with its business partners and colleges to ensure mutually successful job placements. www.phelpsforward.com
Rock The Street, Wall Street is focused on moving girls forward in the field of finance. Female financial professionals lead classroom workshops on money management and more during a five week period. RTSWS has a cutting edge, open-sourced curriculum rips from the headlines, discusses public policy, economic policy, and stock and bond markets. Their workshops have covered topics from credit card debt to auto financing to blockchain. Their program includes life skills, exposure and community. https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com
A program founded and sponsored by Bloomberg to diversify newsroom sources and ensure fairness and balance in coverage. The initiative has created a database on women newsmakers in business and in finance who have received media training and are ready to be interviewed as authoritative voices in finance.
Founded by Lakshmi Bhojraj, Breazzano Family Executive Director of the Parker Center for Investment Research at Cornell University, in 2010, the Women in Investing Conference is designed to educate MBA and undergraduate students about the rewarding career opportunities available to women in investment management, a field in which women are vastly underrepresented. More information can be found at: https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/parker-center-for-investment-research/mba-women-in-investing-conference/ and https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/parker-center-for-investment-research/undergraduate-women-in-investing-conference/