Females in Finance we are crushing on!

At Ladies Financial Club, our goal is to empower women to take control of their financial futures and to get money savvy, but in a way that doesn’t make you want to hit snoozeville. 

Still today, there is a massive financial gap when it comes to women and their salary, pension and investments. This has a huge impact on a women’s future, especially when it comes to finances. 

We want to help every woman be educated and empowered to take control of their financial futures, so we thought what better way than to learn from the best?

So here we have the Females in Finance we are crushing on, and their finance stories below! 

5. Nicole Puado
Owner Manager - BOQ Floreat

LFC: Where did you grow up?

Nicole: I was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia.

LFC: What did you want to be when you were young?

N: Depending on the day either a ballerina or a hairdresser.

LFC: Growing up were you a spender or a saver?

N: Bit of both - I started my first job at 14 and saved for my first car. Once I had achieved that goal I started spending most of what I earnt most likely as I didn't have another goal to save for.

LFC: Did you ever think you would end up working in finance?

N: No! I completed a Science Degree straight from school and then commenced a Post Grad in Research which I discovered wasn't for me. Whilst completing the Post Grad I took a part time role in a Bank and then went full time when I dropped my Post Grad Course and never looked back. 

LFC: Favourite thing about working in finance/business?

N: The clients I get to help everyday and seeing them achieve their financial goals.

LFC: Best money lesson you were taught or learnt?

N: Never spend more than you earn and always set yourself a goal

LFC: The biggest mistake you see women make with their money….

N: Having no systems in place and as a result not budgeting

LFC: Your drink of choice?

N: Anything with bubbles!

LFC: Fave book or podcast you love listening to?

N: I enjoy reading most genres so this can vary. I am currently reading Where the Crawdads Sing

5. Rachel Waterhouse
Chief Executive Officer - Australian Shareholder's Association

LFC: Where did you grow up?

Rachel: I was born in Sydney and moved to Wodonga, Victoria, when I was a baby. I grew up in Fiji and then the Central Coast.

LFC: What did you want to be when you were young?

R: I initially wanted to be a nurse, then a vet. At high school, I really enjoyed economics and decided to study business.

LFC: Growing up were you a spender or a saver?

R: I was a saver, I worked at Video Ezy and Toys R Us and this helped fund my first few years of university.

LFC: Did you ever think you would end up working in finance?

R: I have always kept an open mind to career opportunities and commenced in Finance after a previous colleague recommended I apply for a role where she worked.

LFC: Favourite thing about working in finance/business?

R: The role that organisations and associations can play in educating others and making a difference in their lives.

LFC: Best money lesson you were taught or learnt?

R: Always spend less than you earn and pay down debt and / or invest. Best piece of advice you think it’s important for women to know. Have a financial plan. Ensure you manage your own finances – whether you are single or in a relationship. Be in control of your own finances.

LFC: The biggest mistake you see women make with their money….

R: Not so much a mistake as a consequence of our current social construct, there are many women who don’t have enough superannuation, whether that’s from taking career breaks from the workforce or on a low salaries. Australian Shareholders' Association has created wInvest, a free financial literacy program created by aimed at empowering women to start their investment journey and improve their financial future. (1) 1. Owning your financial future - wInvest by Australian Shareholders' Association (ASA) - YouTube

LFC: Your drink of choice?

R: Green tea or red wine.

LFC: Fave book or podcast you love listening to?

R: A plug for Australian Shareholders’ Association ‘s EQUITY podcast that can be found on our website or Spotify.

4. Emma Stephens
Personal Mortgage Advisor - Smartline

LFC: Where did you grow up?

Emma: Horsham, Victoria

LFC: What did you want to be when you were young?

E: Primary school teacher 

LFC: Growing up were you a spender or a saver?

E: Neither - lol I struggled to save but I also didn’t have enough income to save as much but I always found it difficult and still do to spend.

LFC: Did you ever think you would end up working in finance?

E: Lol noooooo waaaaay

LFC: Favourite thing about working in finance/business?

E: Sounds so cliche but I just loved the relationships I had with my clients / customers and was always proud of finding ways get the the best outcome!

LFC: Best money lesson you were taught or learnt?

E: Take a risk and back yourself - purchasing an owner occ / investment property: do it! If you can make it work and you have to work hard to keep it - just DO IT!

LFC: Best piece of advice you think it’s important for women to know?

E: That you don’t need to be good at math to understand money and how to make it or invest / manage it.

LFC: The biggest mistake you see women make with their money….

E: Some women bury head in the sand as it’s all too hard and complex and don’t want to know. I still feel this way a bit with my book keeping / accounting but I can guarantee that after a while once you allow your growth mindset to learn and be familiar it will be another skill you’ll realise wasn’t that hard.
But times have changed and loads of women are now keen to learn which is why ladies finance club is sooooo cool to provide fun and engaging financial education!

LFC: Your drink of choice?

E: Champagne 🍾

LFC: Fave book or podcast you love listening to?

E: Ohhhh so many.

Book - Untethered soul (life changing).

Currently listening to “Unfuck your brain” by Kara Lowenthal - a feminist rock star bringing “thought work” and live coaching through the clutch. So many incredible thought work discussed on this podcast around money mindsets.

A podcast I listened to years back which really help me to learn and also connect to many other incredible women who are doing epic things and possible out of our line of site is Natalie Drenovac’s, The Modern Women.

3. Andrea Jenkins
Principal - Jenbury Financial

LFC: Where did you grow up?

Andrea: Alexandra Victoria, a small country town with a population of 2,700

L: What did you want to be when you were young?

A: A Teacher

L: Growing up were you a spender or a saver?

A: Spender but mostly because we never had anything so when we had it we spent it

L: Did you ever think you would end up working in finance?

A: No, never. My Year 10 maths teacher told me to give up on maths, it was not my strong suit. Boy did I prove him wrong!!!

L: Favourite thing about working in finance/business?

A: Understanding money and finances is such a practical skill to have and yet not enough people know about it. I love being able to impart my knowledge on others and empower women to take control of their financial future.

L: Best money lesson you were taught or learnt?

A: Divide money in to buckets and add something to them every pay for bills, discretionary spending or saving for a particular goal

L: Best piece of advice you think it’s important for women to know.

A: Don’t overcomplicate investing, it is better to start something and build on it then try to go big first time.

L: The biggest mistake you see women make with their money….

A: Not understand what they are spending it on.

L: Your drink of choice?

A: Diet Coke

L: Fave book or podcast you love listening to?

A: I am an avid reader so my favourite book is always changing, I love anything true crime, or This is Actually Happening and Morbid podcasts.

2. Emma Kirk
Key Account Manager - Listed Funds, Magellan Financial Group

LFC: Where did you grow up?

Emma: I was born in Victoria, but grew up in Central Queensland. It was lovely to grow up out of the big smoke but I did move to Brisbane as soon as I finished school.

L: What did you want to be when you were young?

E: Solicitor – after I saw the amount of money my parents paid when they got divorced!

L: Growing up were you a spender or a saver?

E: Definitely a saver. When I was little, my brother and I would be given pocket money and he would spend it all on the first day and I would save it until the last day. I also started working when I was 14 – I had a real desire to earn my own money and save it.

L: Did you ever think you would end up working in finance?

E: Yes, my mother and my step father were financial planners, specialising in retirement planning. I saw first hand the positive impact that great advice can have on people – the ability to give people comfort about their financial future is something that is really powerful. I wanted to be a part of that. I even did my Year 11 economics assignment on the introduction of the Super Guarantee back in 1992 – that’s how excited I was about understanding saving for retirement!

L: Favourite thing about working in finance/business?

E: The ability to help people understand investing and how money works. I am very privileged to work at Magellan, where my role is to educate everyday people about investing. I see firsthand everyday the lightbulb moments that people have around their own money and it’s wonderful. I have also met some amazing people in financial services (both women and men) who share my passion and I have formed lifelong friendships with likeminded people.

L: Best money lesson you were taught or learnt?

E: The power of compounding! If you understand that, then you are set. I started with a $1,000 investment in a managed fund when I was 18 and dollar cost averaged into for a decade, which included the GFC. The end amount was over six figures and it was all done automatically without me having to make any investment decisions. At 18, I was not an expert at investing but I knew that if I saved and invested regularly, regardless of what the market was doing, then the combination of discipline and time would deliver amazing outcomes.

L: Best piece of advice you think it’s important for women to know?

E: Women make excellent investors. Educate yourself and build wealth on your own terms – there is nothing more empowering than knowing that you are in charge of your financial future and not reliant on anyone. The biggest mistake you see women make with their money…. I see lots of women waiting before they take action. Now, don’t get me wrong – I think being fully informed and understanding an investment before you make a decision is exceedingly important but I think deferring making a decision until you are an absolute expert is wasted time. We aim for perfection and it can cost us in the long run. The sooner you start investing, the better your outcomes will be due to compounding.

L: Your drink of choice?

E: Classic margarita with lots of salt.

L: Fave book or podcast you love listening to?

E: Where do I start! We have a Magellan booklist which has been compiled by all the analysts and portfolio managers and I regularly refer to it for my next book to read. My favourite books are anything by Peter Lynch or Richard Thaler (the godfather of behavioural economics). In terms of podcasts, I love Simon Sinek – A bit of optimism, The Tim Ferriss Show, The Daily, Business Wars Daily, The Happiness Lab and of course, In the Know by Magellan!

1. Tiarne Shutt
Associate Director of First Australians Capital

LFC: Where did you grow up?

Tiarne: Darkinjung Country (now known as the Central Coast of NSW).

L: What did you want to be when you were young?

T: I wanted to be a singer/musician and also a mathematician! I wanted to be a mathematician because I saw a cartoon in my primary school math book of a man with a wizards hat on with numbers on it. So I think I thought a mathematician was some type of wizard who used magic to do math.

L: Growing up were you a spender or a saver?

T: Definitely a spender.

L: Did you ever think you would end up working in finance?

T: Absolutely not. My first ‘professional’ job opportunity was in a major bank but I didn’t accept it because I was scared of money. My switch to finance only happened after I shifted my mindset around money and habits.

L: Favourite thing about working in finance/business?

T: I work with Indigenous entrepreneurs and in an organisation that provides capital to Indigenous enterprises. I have an opportunity everyday to create economic justice for my people and use the tools of the finance system to empower Indigenous people. Finance is still a sector that is riddled with systemic racism and structural barriers for Indigenous people, so I look at being able to flip these unjust systems on their head to support mob.

L: Best money lesson you were taught or learnt?

T: Two lessons that changed my life - live on less than you earn, and the share market isn’t gambling!

L: Best piece of advice you think is important for women to know?

T: I’m big on shifting power in unjust systems, economic empowerment for women, especially Indigenous women is my main priority. With that in mind, undoing the work of the system and the messages it sends to us is crucial. The main one – women aren’t good with money. Women need to resist the urge to continue that rhetoric. As soon as I started to say, I’m good with money, I understand finance, I understand numbers etc - my money habits and confidence changed dramatically. Also, find a village of people to support you. As an Indigenous woman, this is ingrained into us from day dot. You don’t need to do life alone, and we aren’t meant to. So find your village of people to support you on your money journey.

L: Biggest mistake you see women make with their money?

T: I’m wary of putting too much blame on people trying to exist within unjust systems – for which finance is one – but my big red flag is people using money they don’t have to buy things you don’t need. I’m sure men do this too, but I see it a lot in my female communities. I’m not talking about basic necessities (rent, food, etc), that’s a whole other conversation that I think Australia needs to do better at. I think the blame for these actions which put women in a worse position should be laid at the feet of marketers and fast fashion. At the end of the day, we are all trying to exist in a system that wasn’t built by us or for us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be accountable for our actions.

L: Your drink of choice?

T: Sparkling water – I’m a fiend for it.

L: Fave book or podcast you love listening to?

T: My fave podcast at the moment is a true crime one called Red Handed. I keep my podcasts quite varied and generally non-finance related – I get enough of that in my job!