#1: Money, founder's superpower and first steps to investing – Leitha Matz
Many women diligently save money but rarely take that next step into investment. Money is closely connected to power; such power offers opportunity and choice. Women investing in businesses increases their financial independence as well as their ability to shape and co-create the future. Whether it’s fighting for fair pay or securing one's financial future, directing women into greater power positions through investment is a key building block of gender equity in finance and beyond. In this episode, we speak to Leitha Matz about why we should talk more openly about money matters and how women can take the next step from saving to investing.
Leitha is a Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at FinMarie, a fintech company for and by women, born out of the need to develop financial tools catered to women’s needs. She is also a Co-Founder of Mind the Gap, a financial education non-profit for women, that aims to close gender gaps in investing.
Why do we need financial management products and services that target specifically women?
Not enough women are having open conversations about their financial aspirations. Also, traditional investment tools do not always address their needs, often inadvertently repelling female investors.
What is missing is an encouraging environment that is easily accessible. Removing the barriers to entry into the world of investment, helps women build financial savviness at all stages of life.
A supportive community is crucial when making the first steps in the investment world. Creating spaces where they can share information and perspectives, builds a sense of empowerment with a knock-on effect, that inspires greater financial self-determination.
Wealth Management as a form of self-care
What’s your emergency fund looking like these days? Do you know what you’re going to end up with in retirement? These are calculations we should be making now, in order to make adjustments for a more secure financial future. Managing personal finances in this sense can be seen as a facet of self-care.
Making the leap to entrepreneurship
As a passionate entrepreneur, Leitha tells us why quitting your job and building a business is sometimes the only way up the career ladder.
The shift from being an employee to becoming a founder is an opportunity to re-define oneself and create new horizons.
“Sometimes you need to break away in order to create a new version of who you are.”