On this International Women’s Day, all of us need and deserve some positive, inspiring and enriching stories. After all, so much has happened since March 8, 2020.
My research work 2021 “Hear me roar,,” released today, features 58 investing success stories from smart women all over the world.
Women don’t normally brag about making a whole lot of money, but on this report they do, and ladies and their daughters can learn a lot from them. In honor of today’s holiday, I’m going to share with you five of essentially the most impressive achievements.
Jessica Wu, Associate, HFT Investment Management, Shanghai
“I grew up in Chengdu, Sichuan. My life took an enormous turn during my freshman 12 months of school once I won first place in a national acting competition and have become an actress. Life was exciting and difficult. During my college years and while I used to be studying, I appeared in a movie and other roles. I used to be on the fast track of my profession as a young actress. It was a glamorous job with good pay, but deep down I knew that this profession didn’t satisfy my curiosity and mental needs. I desired to learn more.
“My passion for asset management grew as I watched China’s economic growth create institutional investors – sovereign wealth funds, insurance firms, pension funds and endowments – that usually are not only getting greater but are also on the lookout for more skilled management of their assets. The product range has also evolved, with more cash flowing into equities, fixed income, balanced funds and alternatives, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
“My biggest investment success? In early 2020, I invested in Pinduoduo Inc. (PDD.US) – a Chinese e-commerce platform – and so far my return has been 264%! With a gross merchandise volume of $215 billion – essentially the total amount of goods sold on its platform – Pinduoduo still has a lot of growth potential ahead of it in this huge and fast-growing market.”
Bishat Araya, singer, Stockholm
“I used to be born in Gothenburg within the south of Sweden and lived with my single mother and brother. When I used to be seven, we moved to Ethiopia, where my mother is from, for a 12 months. At 13, I wrote my first song and after performing it at my school’s graduation ceremony and receiving an important response, I knew obviously that I desired to be a musician. I actually have worked in numerous countries: London within the UK, Germany, Los Angeles within the US and today Stockholm is my home again.
“Usually artists and musicians are pretty tousled financially, but this coronavirus crisis has shown me the importance of getting savings. I noticed that I have to be disciplined to save lots of every month and invest what I can, regardless of how big or small. Luckily, I had just finished two big jobs, so had a little bit of money to begin with. I talked to a friend of a friend and began reading up on the stock market, and in late March, right after that big crash, I began investing. I began using an app to get a feel for stock price movements, and I learned something about myself… I like trading!
“This market has been a wild ride – I’ve made a lot of money in a short period of time on stocks like Volvo, Power Cell, Arise, Beyond Meat and Bambuser. In just a few weeks, I’ve made 30% on Volvo and 50% on Bambuser – a Swedish start-up working with live video shopping technology – and doubled my EPR Properties shares. My portfolio is up over 60%. I realize we’re not dealing with a normal market here and I try not to get too cocky – the market is a fickle lover.”
Ellen RosemanConsumer and private finance author, Toronto
“I began investing with a broker within the early Nineteen Nineties after which began an investment club in early 2008. I’m particularly grateful to a lady who introduced our group to Constellation Software in 2011 – a global provider of market-leading software and services to a spread of industries, each private and non-private.
“She told us that the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) was within the means of selling its stake in the corporate and that this could be time to purchase. I purchased a small position at $110 per share and through the years it just kept growing. At least a few times I sold half of my position however it was a standout performer in my portfolio. Today the corporate trades at about $1,200 as of March 28, 2020, about 20% below its all-time high.
“I usually like to own dividend-paying stocks – Constellation only pays a small dividend. But I made an exception – the CEO seems to have a magical knack for finding good companies to buy. He no longer attends analyst meetings.”
Elizabeth Holmenlund, CFA, Vice President, Capital Four Management, CopenhagenDenmark
“I didn’t really know what I desired to do professionally, but because of some scholarships and grants from various foundations in Denmark, in addition to the generous state education support from the Danish state, I used to be capable of move to London to review economics and management on the London School of Economics. When I began on the LSE, I had never heard of investment banking, but while studying there, I became fascinated by finance.
“After graduating, I began working at JP Morgan in London and stayed there for nearly six years. This was the primary time I used to be able to take a position and manage my very own money. I used to be all the time very conscious of the necessity for diversification and since my employment risk was with JP Morgan, I assumed I should limit my personal investment in the corporate. As a part of our compensation package, we got stock options and lots of people held onto them as they progressively vested over time. To diversify my risk, my strategy was all the time to sell my shares as soon as they vested on the primary day of the trading window. This strategy isn’t specific to JP Morgan and, by the way in which, it might have been a superb stock to own, but for me this was purely a risk management strategy and it paid off thoroughly. Another thing that worked for me was to convert all my bonuses from kilos sterling to US dollars. Since all my income was in kilos but my investments were in US dollars, this was a technique to sell kilos as a hedge and likewise to match the currency of my investment assets with the currency of my every day liabilities.
Ng Shin Ein, Co-Founder, Gryphus Capital, Singapore
“I used to be born in Singapore and my younger sister and I grew up in a standard Asian family. My grandparents’ generation treated girls and boys very in a different way: boys were groomed to take over the family business and if there was enough money for an education, then for the son. Fortunately, my parents’ generation was more progressive and my sister and I got essential learning opportunities. We weren’t given formal financial education but my father was a businessman who was very thinking about long-term value investing. Instead of giving us gifts or money for good grades, he gave us shares. My first investment was at age 13 in a listed company in Singapore called Overseas Union Trust (now delisted). This was by proxy as my father held the share certificates but I made a decision when to sell. I held the shares for a couple of 12 months and a half and in hindsight sold them too early as the worth was realized when it was privatized.
“For me, investing isn’t nearly returns. It’s in regards to the excitement of finding founder and a team with potential. Business and investing bring that little something extra to my life and I adore it. My best investment ever was a China-focused startup that became a unicorn: Lalamove, a last-mile logistics company operating in greater than 80 cities in China. I backed them very early on and today their valuation has exceeded several billion dollars.
“Lalamove’s founder, Shing Chow, came from a poor family in Hong Kong but had tremendous tenacity and an unconventional mindset. After graduating, he left Bain to become a professional poker player and made millions in seven years. I loved his spirit and determination! You have to be passionate about the business and the founders. I look for companies that are disruptive and offer a better solution to existing problems.”
On International Women’s Day 2021, we toast to women who’re happy with themselves. And to the tens of millions more women who’re creating wealth all around the world in 2021 and beyond!
If you liked this post, don’t forget to subscribe.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images / Chinnapong
