FINANCIALLY SAVVY WOMEN SERIES | LET’S GET STARTED
The following post was written by Kaitlyn Mahoney, Delta Pi–San Francisco State University. It is part of an ongoing blog series about financial health for the modern woman.
As a woman fully immersed in the male-dominated industry of finance, I see the stats firsthand. Each day, women are overlooked in the board room, the wage gap continues and successful women are underrepresented across most fields.
Growing up, I lived in a very small country town nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I had many wonderful experiences, like the birth of horses, visits from deer each night in my yard, digging for fishing worms—it was truly a postcard life.
I didn’t experience diversity, oppression, or occupational sexism until I went to college.
When I started at San Francisco State University, I worried I wouldn’t make connections or have a ‘perfect’ college experience. Those fears were conquered when I found a sisterhood and my home away from home—Alpha Gamma Delta.
My collegiate experience offered me so many things, like sisterhood, support and guidance. Yet, the most significant door it opened for me was witnessing the obstacles women face daily. It completely changed my life—and I still ee those obstacles even more so in my adult career.
That’s’ why I have dedicated my practice to support solely women. Finances have always been a taboo topic for women, and I pose the question, why? Women make up trillions of dollars within the consumer market. Despite earning 20% less, women have higher savings rates and retirement plan participation than men. Even though 65 percent of women would rather sit down with a female financial advisor, only 15 percent of financial planners are women.
It is my passion to fill that gap the best I can—and I cannot imagine there being more deserving audience to have this type of conversation with than my fellow Alpha Gams.
From corporate powerhouses to recent graduates to full-time mothers or caregivers, I want to break the stigma around talking about money—and we are going to start the conversation here on the Alpha Gam blog.
My goal is to educate my fellow sisters and provide you with the tools you need and empower you to reach financial freedom.
So, let’s talk. Through education and conversation, I look forward to sharing my next post—How to Improve My Relationship with Money.
Kaitlyn Mahoney
Financial Representative