Episode 8: You Are Your Best Investment, featuring Carolyn Leonard
In this week’s episode, Carolyn Leonard - the first woman to trade at the Chicago Board of Options Exchange - chats with Mous and Challin about building wealth, financial independence, and dressing for confidence.
“If you’re going to value a resource - value yourself. Bet on you.”
About Our Guest
In 1976 Carolyn Leonard the first independent female market makers to actively trade in the pits of the Chicago Board of Options Exchange. Leonard was moving into a largely unchartered territory for women.
Until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 single women couldn’t get credit in their own name, so Carolyn’s mother who had impeccable credit cosigned the note to purchase her CBOE seat. That launched her 21 year career of trading options in equities and indexes where she was called “Carolyn Jean the Option Queen”.
Now, leveraging her experience, her expertise and empirical research, Leonard is tearing down the next wall that stands between women and the world of finance. Her latest venture, DyMynd, is creating tools and services that correct misconceptions and empowers women to maximize their personal value.
Carolyn has always had a deep commitment to her community. Today she is one of the Founding 40 Board Member of De Paul University’s Women In Entrepreneurship Institute, Board Member of the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center, Member of the Impact Advisory Board Council of the YWCA, and National Commissioner of the Anti-Defamation League.
Inspiration and Recommended Reading
If your head is swimming and you’re nervous about investing, start with education. Carolyn’s business Dymnd is a great starting point for learning about investment. She also offers coaching services if you’re looking for one-on-one feedback.
Caitlin’s inspiration section included a handful of financial-feminist accounts on Instagram that make investing, saving money, and advocating for yourself feel less intimidating. We recommend The Financial Diet, Ellevest, Her First 100k, Mixed Up Money and Broke Millennial Blog.
The #1 thing you can do to get control of your money is creating a budget which includes saving. Make sure to not make it so severe that you won’t follow it; be realistic and include some money for fun as well. Here’s a link to a helpful resource from Clever Girl Finance.
If you’re in a full time salary position - NEGOTIATE. Advocate for a raise every time you’re eligible. Use websites like PayScale to evaluate where you stand relative to other working professionals in your industry. Never be afraid to advocate for what you’re worth!
Where to Find Us
We’re on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and recently on LinkedIn. Interested in a guest post on our blog, or want to be a featured guest on the podcast? Email us at weareoverworked@gmail.com.
