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Why I SOLD My Google Stock (and You Should TOO) #GoogleWalkout #MeTOO #womeninvest

"Until I see real change at Google, I don't want to be any part of it."

When this many employees walk out of a corporation, you know something's gone wrong - very, very wrong. Google has had numerous opportunities to get this right, but they haven't.

For a company that's growing, Google's stock has long been a negative value proposition compared to other big technology companies in their industry. I purchased my Google stock years ago, and I believed in Google then. In the promise of information for all, but since then I have seen them become less of a company that helps people into more of a company that tracks people. They also apparently fire people who report illegal activity within their company.

I've held this stock since before Alphabet split the stock in 2014 (and they only reason they split it was to keep voting rights out of shareholder hands). I originally purchased this stock for $1150. The current price of GOOG and GOOGL is $1075 and $1090, respectively. Sure, they split the stock and both of them are (almost) back to the original price I paid. So it doubled in 5 years, so what? They don't offer any dividends, but offer their naughty executives $90 million dollar exit packages. Source: CNBC

You can double your money with Amazon in one or two years. Microsoft has doubled in price about every 2 or 3 years as well, and they offer dividends (decent ones at that). Why should I hold on to my Google stock, when not only is it not making any money for me, it's also supporting pay inequality?

Natasha Lamb, the activist investor with Arjuna Capital (who has spurred several big corporations into action with shareholder proposals on gender pay equity), was not happy with Google's response to her efforts to obtain pay equity data. Google reported its pay rate on only 89% of its employees, all the while claiming their pay structures were equal for men and women. Source: USA Today

Women and Men won't stand for unequal policies that protect wrongdoers, unfair treatment of employees who speak up, discrimination against minorities and women, unequal pay, and sexual harassment anymore. That's why so many Google employees walked out of their offices on November 1, 2018 in protest. They want real change, and so do I. Until I see that real change at Google, I don't want to be any part of it. I let my money do the talking on my behalf, and I sold all of my GOOG and GOOGL stock, and you should too!

Women investors and the amount of wealth controlled by women is growing daily, and we have a responsibility to make sure the companies we invest in reflect our values. If they don't, divest. Don't support them. Let their stock prices fall so activist investors can scoop up the dirt cheap shares, then introduce shareholder proposals that can create real change. Once companies begin to implement fair practices for all employees, especially promoting women to advanced decision-making positions in the company, companies benefit. Their bottom lines benefit. Those are the kinds of companies I want to support, companies that support equality.

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How to Pay Off Your Mortgage Before 40

Find financial freedom by paying off your home early

I just paid off my home mortgage last month, one month before my 40th birthday. Sound surreal? It's not. You can do it too. Find your financial freedom in your 40s by paying your home mortgage off early too! Here are the strategies I used to pay off my 30 year fixed rate mortgage early...

1. Don't Carry Credit Card Debt

The first step in this early mortgage payoff journey is all about being fiscally responsible. Don't buy more than you can afford. Don't carry a balance on your credit cards. Pay your credit cards off every month. If you already have credit card debt. Stop overspending and start paying it down. The best thing to do is not get into that position in the first place, but if you are already starting from a negative position, it might make this a little harder.

2. Rent an Apartment that Allows You to Save

This next step might be a little hard to swallow, but don't go out and rent the best apartment you can afford. Rent an apartment that is a little below your means. This will allow you to start saving for the down payment for your house. If you rent an apartment that's just below what you're earning, you won't leave any money leftover each month for your house. If you have another means of making your monthly rent cheaper, like sharing an apartment with a roommate - go for it. The less you spend on that monthly rent bill, the more money you'll have left to put in your savings account for your house.

3. Don't Waste Too Much Money on Rent

This one is a little tricky, but it's important to get it right if you want to pay off your mortgage before 40. You want to stay in an apartment long enough to save up your down payment, but you don't want to stay in an apartment too long because you really are just throwing that money away (or really just putting it into someone else's property and pocket). So the sooner you purchase a home, the sooner you can start putting your money into your own property (and the sooner you can pay it off).

4. Buy a House that Costs Less Than You Can "Afford"

This step is key in being able to pay off your mortgage before 40. If you buy the most expensive house that your lender will let your purchase, this strategy won't work for you. If you get approved for a $450K loan, don't buy a $450K house, buy a $250K house. If you get approved for a $250K loan, buy a $150K house. If you get approved for a $750K loan, buy a $500K house. You get the point. Don't buy the most expensive house you can buy, buy something that's a bit less costlier than the bank thinks you can afford. (This will help you with #7 later.)

5. Put Down a Decent Down Payment

You want to have a good down payment to put into your home, since that will jump start your payoff process, but the thing you are really trying to avoid here is PMI (private mortgage insurance), basically the insurance you're required to pay when your down payment is too small. Typically you need at least a 20% down payment in order to avoid PMI. There are some other creative options in avoiding PMI, like taking out 2 loans for instance. Talk to your mortgage broker about what all your options might be to avoid PMI. You really need good credit to have all of the best options in this case. (That's why #1 is so important.)

6. Get a Good Interest Rate

Got a favorite bank you really love? Forget them. The best way to get a good interest rate for your home loan is with a mortgage broker. Mortgage brokers will shop your loan to all of the banks to find the very best interest rate for you. They can also keep you apprised of the mortgage rate on a daily basis (since it fluctuates) if you are looking for a slightly lower rate than what is available today. Trust me, tenths of a point will matter on how much you pay for your monthly payments (especially since you are financing your home for 30 years)!

7. Pay More Than the Monthly Minimum

This step might be a little hard at first since your income will be pretty close to what you can afford, but if you listened to step #4, you should have a little extra money each month. If you ended up getting two loans, put all of your extra money each month into paying off the smaller loan first, then work on the larger loan. Let's say you have just one loan. If your mortgage is $800 a month, try to pay $1000 a month instead (just pretend that's what your payment is so you don't have an option to not pay it). If you can't afford $1000 a month, make it $900 a month. Pay more than your actual mortgage every month. This in an of itself will literally shave years off of your mortgage. If your mortgage is $1100, pay $1500 every month instead. If you can't afford $1500, pay $1200 every month. The point is to set a realistic number that you can afford, and just commit to paying that higher monthly payment every month. As your income increase, commit to paying a little higher payment each month.

8. Refinance to a Shorter Term (and Better Interest Rate if Possible)

After you've had your mortgage for a few years, you may be able to afford an even larger monthly payment. If so it might be a good time to refinance your loan down to a shorter term (assuming the interest rates are still good - or maybe lower than your original loan). If you can afford the higher monthly payment and the interest rates are just as good or lower than your original 30 year loan, you could refinance your mortgage into a 15 year mortgage, or a 10 year mortgage. I actually refinanced mine down twice. If the interest rates are not favorable (better than your first loan), this would not be a good option. Instead just continue to pay a higher monthly mortgage payment as your income increases to continue shaving years off of your mortgage.

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You Won't Be Alive to See #GenderEquality

It's a startling thought, but the latest World Economic Report shows it will take 217 years to achieve gender parity.

"We Won't Be Alive in a Time of Gender Equality." This startling thought came to me courtesy of an HR professional at a Women's Leadership Conference I attended this year. It was a statement made by Ronnie West, the EVP of HR for Ipreo, one of the guest speakers in the "Why Championing Women is Good for Business" session I was in, and I couldn't help but stop. Stop everything. Hold on. What???

My mind went through all of these thoughts in quick succesion, "Could that be true? I will be dead before we realize gender equality? Is that right? Wow, it might be true." West cited a study done by the World Economic Forum. The 2017 results were, with the current rate of change, it will take 217 years to achieve gender parity. The 2016 results were 170 years. So we actually slowed down this past year. I'm hoping the 2018 results are better, but I guess that's yet to be seen.

The next thing he said brought me back out of my own thoughts and back into reality, "...but that doesn't mean we shouldn't fight for it every day." And I cheered, and I was right there back in the game, ready to pick up the flag again.

West shared with us stores of his childhood to demonstrate how he has always been about inclusion. It is his passion. As a child he regularly visited a disabled children's home to bring the children out for a day of fun, to include them. This passion for inclusion led him into his career as an HR professional, now consulting for businesses on high-profile issues like pay parity, diversity, and equality.

Now the issue of gender equality has gone beyond - it feels good, it looks good on paper. Now gender equality comes down to economics. West shared that if there were gender parity in the US, the GDP would go up 5% immediately. Businesses (and shareholders) have now started to take notice.

So my question to Ronnie West was, "How can women approach their companies on the topic of gender parity for pay and promotions into senior positions?" His answer was that the CEO must be behind the cause. So it sounds like for this to work, you really need to be in a leadership position to have a direct influence on the CEO (like the VP of HR). He also said that companies should implement a 50/50 quota for hiring graduates male/female to build a pipeline of potential candidates for internal promotions.

I like his ideas, and they are good. If you are in HR or already in a Senior Leadership position, I hope you'll take them as food for thought to help your company develop its own strategies. However if you not in one of those positions, but you still want to make a difference, check out the article I wrote earlier this year on 7 Ways YOU Can Push for #EqualPay and Help End the #GenderPayGap.

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7 Ways YOU Can Push for #EqualPay and Help End the #GenderPayGap

Everyone has a voice, don't let yours go unheard.

If you think that you have to wait for the government or your company to end the gender wage gap, you're wrong. Those organizations are only going to act when they get enough input from us, letting them know that we're not going to take it anymore. To help end the Gender Pay Gap, here are some things you can do right now to make a difference:

1. Contact Your Elected Officials

This is an easy one that everyone can participate in. Elected officials are going to work on items that get the most requests. If no one is speaking up about pay inequality, then no one is working on it. So every voice counts! Use this government link, How to Contact Your Elected Officials, to find out who your representatives are and how to contact them. Call, email, write them - whatever your preferred method is, just do it!

Tell them you support the Fair Pay Act of 2017, and you want them to support it and help get it signed into law too. The Fair Pay Act expands the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by including race and national origin, as well as gender. This is important considering the Gender Wage Gap is even wider for minority groups.

2. Submit Suggestions to Your Company to Complete a Gender Pay Audit

You know those surveys your company sends out? You know when they call for questions for the company meetings? That's your opportunity. This one takes a bit more bravery, but you can do it, and do it anonymously if you like. If the survey is anonymous and conducted by an outside company - submit your question. Another way to submit a question anonymously - type the question/suggestion without a name on it and submit it under HR's door before or after hours.

Tell them you want your company to complete a gender and diversity pay audit, AND that you want them to fix any disparities. If no one is pushing for this, if no one is speaking up, then the company leaders think everything is fine - no need to take any action to make sure pay is fair. However if people are talking about and pushing for a pay audit to make sure pay is fair among all employees, then the leaders will start to worry that talent will leave their company for companies that do offer fair pay.

3. Support Companies that Are Working to End the Gender Wage Gap

Women control well over half of consumer spending in the US. Some estimates say that women control two-thirds of all consumer spending, some say $5-$15 trillion dollars annually, some estimate $7 trillion dollars annually. No matter what way you slice it, women in the US make more purchasing decisions (in dollar terms) than men. That's a lot of POWER. Make sure you use that power to support companies that are committed to paying women equally.

Techonology:
Adobe, Alphabet/Google, Apple, Cisco, GoDaddy, Intel, Microsoft, Pinterest, Salesforce, Spotify, Texas Instruments, Yahoo
Finance:
Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon, J.P. Morgan Chase, Mastercard, Wells Fargo
Retail:
Adidas, Airbnb, Amazon, American Airlines, Ebay, Estée Lauder, Expedia, Gap, Hershey, Honest Company, Jet.com, Johnson & Johnson, L'Oréal, Nestlé, Nike, PepsiCo, Staples, Starbucks
Services:
AT&T, Care.com, Glassdoor, Zillow

4. Shun Companies that Aren't

Your dollar actually has quite a bit of power, and if women band together to collectively boycott companies that refuse to complete a gender pay audit and fix the disparities found, then those companies will get a strong message. Pay women equally or lose business.

Techonology:
Facebook, Hewlett Packard, Oracle
Finance:
Discover, Goldman Sachs, Key Corp
Retail:
Colgate, McDonald's, Marriot, TJX Companies, Walmart
Insurance:
Metlife, Progressive Insurance

5. Support Investment Funds that are Pushing for Equal Pay

Arjuna Capital is the leading activist investment fund taking up the charge for Equal Pay. They have filed numerous gender pay equity shareholder proposals with the top firms in Technology, Retail, and Finance. They are starting to take on the Insurance industry next. Contact them and let them know you want to be a part of the push for equal pay. The more investors they band together, the louder their voice will be, and the more clout they will have. This will enable them to bring about even more change.

6. Invest in Companies that Are Committed to Pay Equality

Not only can you use your dollars to purchase goods and services from companies that support equal pay, you can also choose to invest your savings in these companies as well. By purchasing stock in companies that support gender equality in pay (and in promotion), you are also picking companies that are more likely to have better returns and shareholder value.

Conversely dumping stocks that don't support pay equity will also send a message to those companies. If you don't support women, women won't support you. The less demand for those stocks, the more value they will lose, pinching the pockets of company owners and shareholders. Also when you purchase stocks that support women, you are helping their share prices and market valuations. If people don't listen when you speak, speak with your money. Then they will listen...

7. Sue Your Company

Finally, if you believe you have been subjected to unequal pay due to your gender, you are protected by law under The Equal Pay Act of 1963. Consult with a labor and employment attorney on whether your case is a case they believe they can fight and win in court. Once a gender pay disparity is discovered and proven, it is then company's responsibility to prove that it is fair and just. If more people start to come forward about pay disparity in court, then corporations and the government will start to get the picture that women and minorities just won't stand for pay inequality.

Sources: 2016 Equal Pay Pledge archives.gov, Arjuna Capital 2018 Gender Pay Scorecard arjunacapital.com

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Women Investors Daily - 7 Ways Women Can "Find" Money to Invest

There's extra money hiding in your monthly budget. Here's how to find it.

If you think there's no way you can squeeze an extra dollar out of your monthly budget to start investing, then check out these tips to "find" some extra money in your monthly budget.

1. Don't Buy Brand Name Bags

I know those Kate Spade or Coach bags are so nice, but you can likely find a similar bags with the latest colors or trends at Target for $25 or less. If you really must have a brand name bag, check for designer outlets where you can score last season's bags for a fraction of the cost. Also second tier retailers like TJ Maxx and Marshalls will usually carry brand name bags for around 50% off.

2. Don't Buy Brand Name Clothes

It is kind of fun to shop at the mall for designer clothes, but why come away with designer pricetag hangover? Just window shop at the malls, and buy similar styles and colors of clothing at Target or even Walmart. If even big box retailers are out of your price range, check out your local thrift shops or second hand stores like Goodwill. Often times you can find designer duds without the designer price tag. Also you'll be giving new life to those second hand clothes (saving them a trip to the landfill) and reducing the need for new clothes to be manufactured.

3. Don't Eat Out (or Eat Out Less)

Restaurants typically mark up their food by 300%. Yes, 300% or more! Yes, it's easy to eat out, and yes, it's relaxing not to have to prep the meal and do the dishes, but is it really worth 3 times the cost or more, rather than just cooking yourself at home? Plus you can control the ingredients (think salt, sugar, and fat) when you cook at home. At restaurants they overuse those ingredients because they know it makes the food taste good, even if it isn't healthy.

4. Shop at Low Cost, No Frills Grocery Stores

Aldi and Lidl are some of the top names in grocery stores where staff and extras are kept to a minimum (no bakery, no deli, no seafood departments) and so are the costs. You bring your own shopping cart back and pack your own groceries. The savings are definitely worth it. Produce? Yes, you'll be amazed at how much less expensive the produce is. If the high costs of produce are preventing you from eating healthy, you'll find tasty and affordable produce at these grocers.

5. Get a Cheaper Hair Cut

Do you really need a haircut from a fancy salon with massage chairs and aquariums in the lobby? Not really. Check your local hair cut options. Most of the time you can find a good haircut for $10-$15. Also many Walmarts feature a Regis salon inside of them - still a decent name in hair salons - with super affordable options for cutting and styling your hair. If those options don't appeal to you, check to see if there are any salon schools near you. Often you can find a designer hair service at a salon school for a fraction of the cost.

6. Do Your Own Nails

Save yourself the time (and expense) of paying someone to do your nails and do them yourself at home (or try going au natural). The cost of a bottle of nail polish (or two) is much cheaper than paying someone to get them done. Plus you'll avoid being exposed to highly communicable nail fungal pathogens from the tools and foot baths at nail salons. This will save you dollars and protect your health!

7. Don't Buy Trash Bags

I know some of you are saying - Gross!, but really it's not. Not only are you reusing (by using the store bag once to carry your purchases home and then reusing it again as a trash bag), but you are also reducing. Why would you throw away lots of empty plastic bags, just to buy a whole box of new plastic bags? What kind of sense does that make??? All of those plastic grocery store bags, big box store bags. Do you really want to throw them all in a landfill, just so you can buy another box of plastic bags to put your trash in? Uh... no.

I know it might be hard to implement all of these changes (at least right at once). Maybe you're already doing some of these things. Adding a few more might not be too hard. However if you're not doing any of these things, they might seem crazy or scary to you. Try just changing one thing, whichever seems the least objectionable to you. Once you get the hang of saving money with one thing, you'll want to do more.

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Women Investors Daily - Learn to Invest with $0

Investing may sound scary, but the first step won't cost you a dime.

The easiest way to get started in investing is to open an account. Sounds easy, right? It is.

If you are just learning to invest in stocks, you might not have $10,000, $2,500 or even $500 to start an account. Luckily for you there are several investment brokerages that allow you to open an account with $0! Yes, that's right $0!

A couple of these brokerages also offer a virtual trading program, in case you'd like to test out your investment ideas with virtual money before you start investing your own money (nothing to lose, but nothing to gain either - except knowledge!).

Brokerage	Account Minimum	Trading Fee	Offers Learn to Trade Virtual Trading
Ally Investing	$0	$4.95
Capital One Investing	$0	$6.95
ChoiceTrade	$0	$5.00
DriveWealth	$0	$.0125 per share, $2.99 minimum
Fidelity Investments	$0	$4.95
FirstTrade	$0	$2.95
Kapitall	$0	$7.95	✓
Merrill Edge	$0	$6.95
Motif	$0	$4.95
OptionsHouse (E-Trade)	$0	$4.95
PNC Bank	$0	$9.99
Robinhood	$0	$0
SogoTrade	$0	$4.88
Suntrust Banks	$0	$29.95
TD Ameritrade	$0	$6.95	✓
TradingBlock	$0	$7.50
US Bank	$0	$8.95
USAA	$0	$8.95

How to pick which brokerage to open an account with?

Compare the trading fees. A higher fee means you'll make less money on a trade. So lower trading fees are definitely a major consideration.

Take a look at their web sites. Do any of them appeal to you? This is the site you'll be using and logging into whenever you want to make a stock purchase or sale.

Call their customer service number. Can you get a live representative? What are their call center hours? Are they convenient for you?

Check out which ones have learn to invest. Do you want to try investing with fake money before you put real money in?

Read the Company names. Do you recognize any of them? Do you have an existing bank account with any of them? Are there any companies on the list you already know and trust?

How to open the account?

After you've figured out which brokerage company is best for you, all you need to do is open the account. Most brokerage allow you to open your account online.

Just look for a link on their main page that says Open an Account. Follow the prompts and fill out the forms, and that's it. You're done! ✓ You've completed the first step in investing - the first step to realizing your own financial possibilities.

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