Introduction
Kara Leigh Dowling
At
Bradley, Foster & Sargent, we believe that
everyone should be treated with courtesy and respect
when seeking assistance with managing their assets.
We recognize that, in
large part, the financial needs of women, whether
married or single, are often underserved or simply
overlooked. Kara Leigh Dowling, the Director of
our Women's Initiative, and the BFS Team are addressing that need through an initiative that
focuses on "Women & Investing."
Kara joined Bradley, Foster & Sargent in 2008. She
has an BA in Economics from Harvard College and
an MBA from Columbia Business School. She started
her investment career in 1995 with Goldman Sachs
in New York City. Most recently, Kara served as
the Director of Program Development for the Saint Francis
Hospital Foundation in Hartford, CT where she was
responsible for Foundation communications and donor
relations programs. Feel free to contact Kara at
or call 860-241-4638. Here are some of Kara's thoughts
on Women & Investing.
Your Well Being Matters.
As caregivers (mother, daughter, spouse, teacher…),
we spend a large amount of our
time looking out for others. This is wonderful, critical
work as well as very rewarding (most of the time!).
However, we need to make sure that we also carve
out time to care for ourselves - including our
financial well being.
Do You Feel Secure?
A very simple but often overlooked concept is that
it is essential that we feel secure
in our lives. We do not function well when we do
not feel secure. Instead of enjoying
life and doing the things we love to do, we become
preoccupied with worry, and end up putting things
off, causing ourselves greater stress
and strain. While our sense of security comes from
many areas of our lives, our financial security
is critical to our sense of well being.
Why Do We Hesitate?
One of the many reasons we tend not to be proactive
about money is that as women, regardless of our
background, education, income, etc., we can often
feel uncomfortable with the idea of financial management.
This is true for many reasons.
All too often women are met
with patronizing attitudes
when it comes to managing our money. This is
never acceptable. We need to be
comfortable, happy, and excited about being part
of the financial management process. Just like any
other relationship, our relationship with our
financial advisors, accountants, lawyers, etc.
should be positive ones.
Another reason women may hesitate to be involved
with financial management is simply because it
is something we have never done. Experience to
date is not the same as ability. We have the ability.
Ultimately, you may simply not have the time or
interest to be the next Suze Orman or Warren Buffett.
However, it is important to be proactive and involved
enough with your financial matters to protect and
sustain yourself. Too many women wait
to address financial matters until a moment of crisis
when, whether we want to or not, we have to deal
with these matters. We can help by showing you how
to get started. At Bradley, Foster & Sargent,
we welcome and encourage your involvement. The following
are the key steps you need to take.
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