From cosmetics to commodities to travel and tourism, Sandy Chaikin has successfully re-invented herself and her career.Starting in marketing roles, she fine-tuned her skills to open her own consulting firm and a Bed & Breakfast in Connecticut.When the stock market fell in 2008 and she lost 40% of her investments, Chaikin decided it was time to transform once again. After co-founding Chaikin Analytics in 2009, she is now helping other women re-invent themselves as confident and profitable stock market investors.
After graduating from the University of Denver with degrees in Sociology and Psychology, Chaikin moved to New York and started her career in the cosmetics industry.She held senior marketing roles at L’Oreal and Elizabeth Arden. Chaikin then moved to her home-town, Philadelphia, and took a marketing role at The Franklin Mint.
“Marketing a service or product is the same formula in any industry – identify your audience, have a unique product, know how to promote, package and price your service,” she said.
In 1995, Chaikin moved to Connecticut and opened her own marketing consulting firm. It was also around this time that she segued into the travel and tourism business by opening a Bed and Breakfast.
“My personal experience owning a B&B attracted other inns and before I knew it, my consultancy was 100% focused on travel and tourism.You have to be immersed in something to market it and that’s why I was so successful, because it was my business, too.I was an innkeeper and I knew from my own experience how to market an inn – I knew what worked and what didn’t – which I then applied to my clients’ businesses.”
During her days as an innkeeper and marketing consultant, Chaikin invested in mutual funds.
“As my consulting business grew so did my 401K plan and I didn’t feel I had the inclination or knowledge to manage this myself,” she said. “On a recommendation, I met with a portfolio manager and hired a professional.”
When the markets fell in 2008, Chaikin became concerned about her investments.
“I asked him repeatedly if we should make some changes to my portfolio,” she recalled. “I remember calling him several times but he advised me to hold on to the investments. I didn’t have the confidence to over-ride his judgment.”
Chaikin ended up losing 40% of her 401K.
“This was a devastating turning point because I thought I was doing the right thing,” she said. “When you need advice, you go to a professional so I was upset this professional didn’t help me.I took the money out of his control and was determined to do this on my own.I put my money in Vanguard and started investing it myself.”
The Birth of Chaikin Analytics
Sandy’s personal losses in the stock market using a financial advisor was the inspiration behind the launch of Chaikin Analytics. She knew there was a need in the marketplace for novice investors like herself to have access to investment tools that professionals used so she could take control of her own investments.
Partnering with her husband, Marc Chaikin, a 40-year Wall Street veteran, they founded Chaikin Analytics.
“Before he retired, my husband Marc created tools for institutional investors on Wall Street.In 2009, he watched as millions of dollars were coming out of brokerage firms and into self-managed accounts like mine,” she explained.“We decided to take the tools he created for the pros and apply them to individual investors.”
The Chaikin Analytics model takes into consideration 20 different factors that professionals analyze when looking at a stock and boils everything down to one easy-to-understand rating.The ratings categorize a stock as bullish, bearish or neutral.The Chaikin Power Gauge model is also one of the only models that blends technical indicators with fundamentals. Most investors use either technical indicators OR fundamentals – Chaikin’s blends the two.
“I spend about 15 minutes a day monitoring my account and only invest in about 8-10 stocks at a time,” she explained.“I started investing in Comcast and Ebay, both had a bullish rating, and they went up 40-60%, so I was off to a good start. I also picked the two best-performing stocks in 2014, Southwest Air (LUV) and Skyworks (SWKS), and found them early on. I also knew when to get out at the top. 90% of my investments are in individual stocks.”
Chaikin said that if she can manage her own investments with no prior experience, other women can do this too.
Empowering Women in the Stock Market
While Chaikin Analytics is for all types of investors, she targets female baby boomers as well as emerging women.
Focusing on female investors is a smart move.According to BMO Wealth Institute, women currently control 51%, or $14 trillion, of personal wealth in the United States and are expected to control $22 trillion by 2020.
Chaikin Analytics is collaborating with NASDAQ to present frequent webinars educating their audience, of all levels, on how to invest in the market. Her curriculum includes knowing what to buy and sell, timing the ideal exit and entry points, how to avoid common pitfalls as well as how to shed insecurities about investing.
Chaikin cited a study done by Fidelity that only 28% of women feel confident making decisions about their financial investments on their own.This means that 72% of women don’t feel they have the knowledge to participate in the stock market.
“I have found that women are overwhelmed with financial information and find the stock market off-putting, which is believable because I found the stock market like that too. This is why we created this system, it puts everything together in one neat package…. I break it down to following 5 simple steps to build a killer portfolio.”
Besides collaborating to produce webinars, NASDAQ asked Chaikin Analytics to create 3 indices for the Exchange; the NASDAQ Chaikin Power US Large Cap Index, the NASDAQ Chaikin Power US Small Cap Index and the NASDAQ Power US Dividend Achievers.All the indices outperformed in 2014 by 52%, 77% and 49% respectively.
“We took the stocks that are in those funds, overlayed the Chaikin Power Gauge model, and then removed the non-performing stocks,” she explained. “We re-balance once a year.”
Chaikin e
xplains that the NASDAQ webinar collaboration is a pilot program and they hope to expand to other investor communities soon. Her most recent webinar has attracted about 900 attendees.
“Just like marketing an inn, you have to immerse yourself in the stock market if you want to be credible.This is why my webinars are so powerful,” she explained.“I use stocks I invest in as examples – I am one of them.”
Most Proud Accomplishment
While Chaikin has been able to reinvent and transform herself successfully throughout the years, she said conquering her insecurities about stock market investing is her greatest accomplishment.
“This was the one area of my life that I felt I didn’t manage successfully,” she said.“It’s great to have a profitable portfolio and to be making money investing. However, the benefit you can’t put a price on is the tremendous amount of confidence that you get by managing your money and your future.”
Chaikin will continue to produce webinars and help women gain the knowledge and confidence to manage their own investments.After re-inventing herself and her career throughout the years, she believes other women can transform themselves as well.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are,” she said. “Never stop learning and transitioning.”
By, Jessica Titlebaum
Voice of Experience: Amanda Hindlian, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs
Voices of Experience“I also wish that at the outset of major career transitions I’d had the hindsight to enjoy the ride a little more – but then hindsight is always 20/20,” she says. “You might feel uncomfortable any time you make a significant change in your career, but try to enjoy that phase because it’s when you’re growing, where you’re adding to your skills and building new relationships.”
Hindlian began her career as a semiconductor equity analyst in the Global Investment Research (GIR) Division at Goldman Sachs where over the course of six years she assumed incremental coverage responsibility. She then accepted an opportunity to work as chief of staff for the global head of Research, and for several years she worked in different capacities with him and other senior divisional leaders, including as chief operating officer of GIR and senior director of the Global Markets Institute.
In mid-2015, Hindlian joined the Executive Office, working with the president and chief operating officer of the firm to develop and implement key strategic initiatives. Later in the year she assumed broader responsibilities in the Executive Office, working with the chairman and chief executive officer of the firm and overseeing the Client Strategy Group, as well as serving as secretary to the Management Committee.
Hindlian is proud of the relationships she’s developed over the years both inside and outside the firm. “The partnerships I’ve formed and mentoring I’ve received from colleagues has been crucial to my success. It’s difficult to describe the accumulation of knowledge that comes from interacting with and being surrounded by so many incredibly smart and talented people.”
Immersed in Content and People
One project Hindlian is working on now that she particularly enjoys is developing content for executives that facilitates their interactions with clients, regulators, the media or policy makers. “I love thinking about what is top of mind in the world and assessing how we can be helpful to our clients by providing them with our institutional insights on major issues.”
She interacts with different divisions within the firm to identify their specific goals and also meets with clients to understand what’s important to them. She then supplements her advice with research to strengthen that perspective.
Another project Hindlian recently undertook was organizing a dinner for more than 20 ministers of finance and central bankers to discuss what they could do to stimulate global economic growth. Hindlian participated in the two-and-a-half hour family style dinner, where participants discussed key issues from political and economic perspectives.
She is also immersed in people-related initiatives and strongly supports the firm’s efforts to hire, retain and promote the best and most diverse people. “I believe our people are our number one asset and we must remain focused on diversity so that our people reflect the world in which we and our clients live.” Hindlian has found value in being involved in the firm’s Women’s Network over the years and is an advocate for programs and initiatives that support an inclusive work environment.
Mastering the Balancing Act
While Hindlian acknowledges that everyone faces challenges balancing work and their personal life, she notes the unique challenges shared by most working moms – particularly surrounding the notion that there aren’t enough hours in the week. She cites a conversation she had with a group of accomplished women at a recent Next Generation Most Powerful Women event hosted by Fortune: “We each had our own journey, but the one commonality we had was that it’s really hard to balance it all on a daily basis. You have to hope that even if you can’t achieve balance every day that you can find it when you look back over a longer stretch of time, and if you don’t feel that way it’s time to reassess. Parenting and working can be challenging, but for me it’s been such an incredibly rewarding combination.”
A Different View of Mentoring and Networking
Hindlian finds that mentoring should happen organically and believes it’s easier to form a mentoring relationship once you have worked with someone on a project or shared a goal, vision or challenge. Otherwise, she says, the mentor doesn’t have any context to provide advice and advocacy. “You will naturally provide the foundation for mentoring relationships if you are a team player and do good work.”
A Yearning To Travel
Before she had a child, Hindlian says she would travel often, hopping on a plane with her husband for a short trip without hesitation. Now, with a 21-month-old she is enjoying her time with him closer to home, although she can’t wait until he’s old enough to join in their family adventures.
By Cathie Ericson
Save
2015 Year in Review: Professional Women, The Gender Discussion And Why Leaders Need To Be Involved
Career Advice, Featured, Year end reviewBy Nicki Gilmour
I have outlined three crucial points in this article for any firm to take notice of when embarking on this journey. The other continuous notable effort that I think is worth mentioning is the increase in male gender champions and my favorite open letter of the year comes from John Ryan as he writes to Michael Moritz showing us that men also care about the endless stereotypes that make a mockery out of talented people of both sexes.
What do leaders who “get it” look like?
People, and specifically leaders of companies who get how to really create culture change around this very unresolved gender dilemma, all share a common ability. Smart leaders understand that they personally have to get involved as well as re-engineer processes to support behaviors beyond the evangelizing part. Leaders comprehend the strategic nature of what needs to happen, that companies are eco-systems and so every action has a reaction downstream and are prepared to address multiple areas at once. Since the culture of any team, company or even country is simply a culmination of ‘how we do things around here’, what and who gets tolerated, as well as what and who gets rewarded for their work means that any firm who can hold behavioral boundaries can improve their culture for all working there. It can be a win win and not a zero sum game.
Pierre Nanterme, CEO and Chairman of Accenture is the latest leader who is putting his money where his mouth is. He has aggressive hiring targets, revealing his goal as 40% of new hires being female by 2017 as well as initiatives to ensure pay parity at entry level and throughout a woman’s career to ensure women don’t get left behind. This disparity has been documented by Catalyst and others over the years to be almost $500,000 in the span of their career earnings.
Nanterme states, “We believe strongly that gender equality is essential for a high-performing, talent-led organization. This commitment extends to pay, and we strive to ensure that all our people – women and men – are compensated fairly and equitably from the moment we hire them through the milestones of their careers here.”
Why do I believe Nanterme? Or least believe he has a shot at it? Well, other than the fact that he actually believes there are equally talented women as men to hire, unlike Mike Moritz of Sequoia Capital who just last week stated that there are no qualified women for him to hire (in Silicon Valley venture funding), Nanterme has addressed his blind spots whereas Mike has just showed his cognitive bias when he unwittingly revealed his closely held paradigm that hiring women would probably be a reflection of him lowering his standards.
That is the differentiator for me and as an organizational psychologist who is nine years into this topic with several live projects under my belt and the publisher of 4000 articles on theglasshammer.com, I find that the barriers to progress are definitely systemic but correctable, such as accurate succession planning processes and equal pay for the same job done. More interestingly, is that the maintainers of these barriers are actual people and it is entirely feasible to address issues just like any other area of operational efficiency and resource optimization but their refusal to acknowledge there is a problem beyond some sort of Noah’s Ark approach of ticking off lists is where the work gets weird.
We all have bias in the sense of preference but it is how preference is built in us that needs closer examination-let’s face it, when you have all the cards and have bias towards hiring one type of person and the rest of the system is aligned to support the stereotype, the stakes to change aren’t so high to address your own paradigms in life. Hence the word ‘diversity’ is a misnomer because what we are talking about in actuality is about who we choose and authorise to lead us, manage projects and generally get heard. It is all a meritocracy project and meritocracy exists in very few places if at all.
What three things can companies do better in 2016 to ensure progress?
Action #1 Leaders can lead on equality.
Status quo doesn’t change organically ever. There are levers and deliberate actions to take. How managers act will enhance or minimize the effects and impact of any program or policy that even the best HR team or women’s network could produce. So ensure they act well. Why leave that to chance?
By being a sponsor to ensure the right people get promoted or get allocated onto a project, men and the senior women that can “lift as they climb”, this can change the world one person at a time
Action #2 Stop expecting the women in your firm to fix the gender issue
Attracting, hiring or promoting women shouldn’t be a “woman’s” thing. Too many times, I see women’s networks trying to address these issues whilst everyone else gets on with their day jobs. Exclusively outsourcing this work to ERGs, networks and committees is really erroneous. Why would you put the onus on the group that is asking for their fair share of promotions and access to sit at the power table to be the people to fix the inequities in the system?
Not all companies leave all the work to the women and the women’s networks to deal with the issue. Simply put, it is everyone’s problem to fix inequities but some people can fix it faster than others due to their official influence on talent processes and workplace culture.
Action #3 Women and Men all need to address their biases
One of the most surprising elements that I have personally discovered over the years is that some women revere men as stereotypical leaders more than men do, or on a equal par, even if they themselves are arguably the smartest person in the room. Fascinating to say the least and it happens in small and big ways, from deferring to the male counterpart in meetings to unconsciously believing that men make better leaders. I have talked about this at length in other articles in other years.
My advice? Admit you are part of the problem (if you are) because everything you need to know about how ridiculous we all are, based on the binary of gender identity and how being a woman is still somehow a trait that effects a woman’s ability to lead, manage, do deals and generally do well at work can be seen most compellingly here.
While we are on the subject, can we dispel the myth that brain science has anything to do with performance at work (and men are from next door not Mars as it turns out).Social conditioning has a lot to answer for and you can do something about that as the impact is real with the latest research from Accenture showing that Gen Y women despite everything we have told them are still less likely to ask for a pay rise than their male counterparts and 47% of this particular survey respondents cannot see a path to the top.
Finally, can you get everyone on board? Of course not! But those who don’t will be in the minority both in numbers and effectual influence and power, so let’s get started! Smokers still want to smoke on airplanes, right? The difference is culturally a shift took place only because a law and a process facilitated that shift. Think about it.
We wish you a peaceful, prosperous and Happy New Year to all theglasshammer.com readers and supporters.
By Nicki Gilmour
Mover and Shaker: Leonora Xhekaj, Vice President of Operational Risk Management, Voya Investment Management
Movers and ShakersThis philosophy has helped lead to Xhekaj’s successful career ascension. She started at Paine Webber (which was subsequently acquired by UBS) as a client services associate in the institutional equity sales area, providing research to institutional clients. While there she developed a reputation as someone who was persistent and reliable – arriving at work at 5 a.m. if needed to get the job done.
In 2000 she joined Voya Investment Management, previously known as ING U.S. Investment Management, and, at the time, they were involved in a number of M&A consolidations. “I learned early in my career on the buy side that change is the one constant you can count on, and it is something I learned to adapt to and embrace.”
Xhekaj, who earned a B.B.A in management and finance from Baruch College, has held her current role in risk management since 2009. She supports the equity investment platform, structured assets and alternatives group and institutional distribution, as well as other business support areas, such as operations.
Over the years, she has held a variety of positions, including leading the business resilience program for Voya IM including managing crisis events such as Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy. In the days leading up to each, Voya IM activated contingency plans that had been developed and tested, allowing the firm to continue business operations uninterrupted with remote capabilities for all staff with essential functions.
Xhekaj is most proud of her contributions over the years that have led to the development of the company’s effective risk management program that partners with the business to identify, analyze and mitigate risks. “I appreciate that I can contribute to teamwork that benefits the end client, and have opportunities to lead initiatives for the firm that involve collaboration with multiple business areas,” she says.
The operational risk function was relatively new when she assumed the position, offering her an opportunity to help create and establish a key function for the company. “It’s amazing to be in this position where I can offer foresight as we evaluate risks and that I can contribute to enhance programs or processes that add value.”
Working Girl
Even though family and friends warned her that Wall Street was a “man’s world,”Xhekaj learned much of her early career impressions from the movie Working Girl, where she remembers identifying with Melanie Griffith’s character and wanting to be one of those women who succeeded based on talent and skill.
She found breaking into the environment more challenging than expected, but she quickly recognized that becoming a subject matter expert would allow her to push through those barriers. “I was able to earn a seat at the table. I was accepted because I earned respect,” she says. “You can be your own worst enemy if you dwell on the fact that you’re often outnumbered. I decided I needed to think differently and the actions I took showed I belonged and could achieve success.”
Earlier in her career, Xhekaj hesitated to seek mentors and was less vocal about volunteering for stretch roles. But with senior sponsors advocating for her, she realized that they were seeing possibilities in her work that would lead to advancement. Her cadre of mentors ended up being an organic mix of men and women offering a diversity of age and specialty, from backgrounds in risk and investment functions to operations to technology. “I saw it as a major benefit that I could tap into all those resources, views and perspectives to gain as much information on different angles and functions as possible.”
Recipe for Success
From those diverse perspectives she has identified a number of colleagues who display qualities that she would consider important for a role model: humble, inspirational, insightful and credible. One manager in particular stands out for her ability to defuse and navigate through uncomfortable situations with grace and poise.
Over the years Xhekaj has amassed a list of values and principles that she believes provide a path to success: integrity; respect; valuing differences; a positive attitude; avoiding excuses; building relationships, engaging people; and appreciating differences in skill sets. She has also always admired those who don’t say ‘that’s not my problem,’ but contribute to meaningful discussions and provide recommendations instead; or those who are willing to roll up their sleeves to collaborate even if it’s not officially part of their role.
Advice for Balancing Work, Family and Outside Life
At a conference recently, one of the speakers mentioned how outsourcing helped her balance work and life, and Xhekaj realized she had not heard outsourcing used in this context before. She saw that outsourcing everything from housekeeping and other chores to child care can be achieved in a number of ways, such as asking family and friends for help and relying on your partner to contribute more if you both work.Xhekaj says her mom has been her biggest advocate and supporter of all aspects of her life.
Finding that balance has been essential, as Xhekaj is active with a number of groups that grow her professional skills outside of her job commitments. She has been involved with Voya’s New York Women’s Network, her town’s Professional Moms Network and also participates in informal networking and other leadership skill-building conferences and opportunities. Always eager to stay sharp in her field, Xhekaj is a member of a number of industry associations, such as the Security Industry Financial Marketing Association and the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP).
Married with two kids, her priority is to spend as much time as she can with daughters Leyla, age 10, and Hana, age 8. “Both inspire and motivate me to continue to contribute to our culture and community,” she says. She shares her passion for charity, helping with the March of Dimes and juvenile diabetes organizations, as well as other local charities in her town.
She also loves to travel, and together her family has explored different cultures from Germany and Switzerland to Kosovo, Antigua, Montreal and Quebec. Closer to home, the family regularly visits local monuments and historical sites, and as avid readers, they love nothing more than a Saturday in front of the fire at their local library.
Voice of Experience: Olwyn Alexander, Partner, Investment Management, PwC Ireland
Voices of ExperienceAfter earning her Bachelor of Commerce and Master’s in Accounting at University College Dublin, Alexander began her international career at PwC with a quick start. “On a Wednesday they asked if I’d be interested in leaving for Dallas for six months on the upcoming Saturday,” she recalls, knowing that it would provide unparalleled experience.
She subsequently worked out of Boston during a particularly busy season; returned to Dublin; and went to New York City with her fiancé for a planned 18-month engagement that became four years.
While there, she specialized in hedge funds and private equity, a role that set foundations for her future. She enjoyed the challenging work, as well as the opportunity to collaborate with great peers and partners and oversee many projects in the Caribbean, where they would work hard and then scuba dive on a Saturday.
When she returned to PwC Ireland, she realized that her experience was very valuable: The United States was ahead of Europe at the time in this industry, so what was her standard experience was ground breaking back in Europe. Since the industry was just emerging in the U.K., much of her role was developing and marketing the practice, which paved the way for her to become a partner in 2004.
Investing in Her Career To Keep Up With Change
Other moves she made have strengthened her expertise in the area. She earned her Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2003 which she found to be an important investment in her career because it bolstered her credentials for target clients, such as hedge fund managers. She also became involved in an international trade association for alternative assets and co-authored a global guide to hedge fund valuation in 2005, prior to the crisis that was revised and reissued in 2012. She also sat on a working group on valuation for The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) as an expert post crisis.
Being asked to be part of an expert working group for IOSCO and her election to the Alternative Investment Management Association’s Global Board were thrilling professional achievements for Alexander, as has been her work winning new clients and expanding the business. As an example, she cites a client where they were just able to secure substantial new projects as a result of the strong relationship and good work they’ve delivered since 2005. “It’s very rewarding when that’s acknowledged,” she says.
Looking forward she knows the industry will continue to have exciting developments, with asset management moving center stage amid increased efforts to get private money into investments. While the United States is a more developed market in this area, in Europe and Asia funding remains heavily weighted toward banks as the traditional source of funding but with new, tighter controls on bank lending, asset management is playing a larger funding role as an alternative way to raise money. “It’s very exciting to see the changes in our industry with lots of deals around property and private equity. Rather than just investments in stocks and bonds, we are seeing investments in real projects and businesses where we can see the capital go to work.”
In addition, she is excited to see the growth in digital and fintech investments that are being developed at an unbelievable pace of change.
Succeeding Among Limited Diversity
She says that the industry is still heavily male-dominated, so it’s important for women to rise above it and not allow that to be intimidating. One area where she sees that young women need to be mindful when working among men is not to second guess themselves. “If there’s a big job, men will say, ‘This is why I should have it,’ while women will worry if they can do it. You have to have confidence in your own abilities so you don’t preclude yourself from something that could be interesting and challenging.”
Alexander cites the need to raise awareness around the “He for She” initiative, which opens the discussion and encourages people to consider their own personal bias and whether they are being fair with opportunities. But she sees that gender diversity is just one area that needs support. “We have to consider gender, culture, nationality and age because everyone brings different perspectives,” she says, adding that the speed of development means that it’s more important than ever to know what younger people are thinking and doing.
Family Makes the Difference
Alexander tries to make the most of her personal time with her two daughters, ages 7 and 4 and her “amazingly supportive husband who reassures me in those doubting moments.” For her own relaxation, she’s an avid horse-woman and regularly competes in dressage and show jumping events. “It’s important to have a commitment to something non-work related to ensure you enforce your own work-life balance.
By Cathie Ericson
Intrepid Women: Sandy Chaikin, Co-Founder of Chaikin Analytics
Intrepid Women Series, PeopleAfter graduating from the University of Denver with degrees in Sociology and Psychology, Chaikin moved to New York and started her career in the cosmetics industry.She held senior marketing roles at L’Oreal and Elizabeth Arden. Chaikin then moved to her home-town, Philadelphia, and took a marketing role at The Franklin Mint.
“Marketing a service or product is the same formula in any industry – identify your audience, have a unique product, know how to promote, package and price your service,” she said.
In 1995, Chaikin moved to Connecticut and opened her own marketing consulting firm. It was also around this time that she segued into the travel and tourism business by opening a Bed and Breakfast.
“My personal experience owning a B&B attracted other inns and before I knew it, my consultancy was 100% focused on travel and tourism.You have to be immersed in something to market it and that’s why I was so successful, because it was my business, too.I was an innkeeper and I knew from my own experience how to market an inn – I knew what worked and what didn’t – which I then applied to my clients’ businesses.”
During her days as an innkeeper and marketing consultant, Chaikin invested in mutual funds.
“As my consulting business grew so did my 401K plan and I didn’t feel I had the inclination or knowledge to manage this myself,” she said. “On a recommendation, I met with a portfolio manager and hired a professional.”
When the markets fell in 2008, Chaikin became concerned about her investments.
“I asked him repeatedly if we should make some changes to my portfolio,” she recalled. “I remember calling him several times but he advised me to hold on to the investments. I didn’t have the confidence to over-ride his judgment.”
Chaikin ended up losing 40% of her 401K.
“This was a devastating turning point because I thought I was doing the right thing,” she said. “When you need advice, you go to a professional so I was upset this professional didn’t help me.I took the money out of his control and was determined to do this on my own.I put my money in Vanguard and started investing it myself.”
The Birth of Chaikin Analytics
Sandy’s personal losses in the stock market using a financial advisor was the inspiration behind the launch of Chaikin Analytics. She knew there was a need in the marketplace for novice investors like herself to have access to investment tools that professionals used so she could take control of her own investments.
Partnering with her husband, Marc Chaikin, a 40-year Wall Street veteran, they founded Chaikin Analytics.
“Before he retired, my husband Marc created tools for institutional investors on Wall Street.In 2009, he watched as millions of dollars were coming out of brokerage firms and into self-managed accounts like mine,” she explained.“We decided to take the tools he created for the pros and apply them to individual investors.”
The Chaikin Analytics model takes into consideration 20 different factors that professionals analyze when looking at a stock and boils everything down to one easy-to-understand rating.The ratings categorize a stock as bullish, bearish or neutral.The Chaikin Power Gauge model is also one of the only models that blends technical indicators with fundamentals. Most investors use either technical indicators OR fundamentals – Chaikin’s blends the two.
“I spend about 15 minutes a day monitoring my account and only invest in about 8-10 stocks at a time,” she explained.“I started investing in Comcast and Ebay, both had a bullish rating, and they went up 40-60%, so I was off to a good start. I also picked the two best-performing stocks in 2014, Southwest Air (LUV) and Skyworks (SWKS), and found them early on. I also knew when to get out at the top. 90% of my investments are in individual stocks.”
Chaikin said that if she can manage her own investments with no prior experience, other women can do this too.
Empowering Women in the Stock Market
While Chaikin Analytics is for all types of investors, she targets female baby boomers as well as emerging women.
Focusing on female investors is a smart move.According to BMO Wealth Institute, women currently control 51%, or $14 trillion, of personal wealth in the United States and are expected to control $22 trillion by 2020.
Chaikin Analytics is collaborating with NASDAQ to present frequent webinars educating their audience, of all levels, on how to invest in the market. Her curriculum includes knowing what to buy and sell, timing the ideal exit and entry points, how to avoid common pitfalls as well as how to shed insecurities about investing.
Chaikin cited a study done by Fidelity that only 28% of women feel confident making decisions about their financial investments on their own.This means that 72% of women don’t feel they have the knowledge to participate in the stock market.
“I have found that women are overwhelmed with financial information and find the stock market off-putting, which is believable because I found the stock market like that too. This is why we created this system, it puts everything together in one neat package…. I break it down to following 5 simple steps to build a killer portfolio.”
Besides collaborating to produce webinars, NASDAQ asked Chaikin Analytics to create 3 indices for the Exchange; the NASDAQ Chaikin Power US Large Cap Index, the NASDAQ Chaikin Power US Small Cap Index and the NASDAQ Power US Dividend Achievers.All the indices outperformed in 2014 by 52%, 77% and 49% respectively.
“We took the stocks that are in those funds, overlayed the Chaikin Power Gauge model, and then removed the non-performing stocks,” she explained. “We re-balance once a year.”
Chaikin e
xplains that the NASDAQ webinar collaboration is a pilot program and they hope to expand to other investor communities soon. Her most recent webinar has attracted about 900 attendees.
“Just like marketing an inn, you have to immerse yourself in the stock market if you want to be credible.This is why my webinars are so powerful,” she explained.“I use stocks I invest in as examples – I am one of them.”
Most Proud Accomplishment
While Chaikin has been able to reinvent and transform herself successfully throughout the years, she said conquering her insecurities about stock market investing is her greatest accomplishment.
“This was the one area of my life that I felt I didn’t manage successfully,” she said.“It’s great to have a profitable portfolio and to be making money investing. However, the benefit you can’t put a price on is the tremendous amount of confidence that you get by managing your money and your future.”
Chaikin will continue to produce webinars and help women gain the knowledge and confidence to manage their own investments.After re-inventing herself and her career throughout the years, she believes other women can transform themselves as well.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are,” she said. “Never stop learning and transitioning.”
By, Jessica Titlebaum
Overcoming stereotype threat as a woman in technology
Career Advice, Career Tip of the Week!By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist
Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work
Men Who Get It: Bill Brucella, Senior Managing Director/Divisional Chief Information Officer, TIAA-CREF
Men Who "Get It", PeopleBrucella started his own career as a software developer more than 30 years ago. “I did that for five years before I figured out that there were more talented people in that space,” he says with a laugh, “but then I realized that maybe I could lead them.” He transferred into project management and quickly grew into other management roles all while staying in the tech space. Along the way, Brucella held a variety of positions that covered a breadth of IT roles – data center management, networking, systems administration and managing software development teams. Prior to joining TIAA-CREF, he was a senior vice president for a major software development firm. With 150 reports, Brucella managed consulting sales, delivery and data warehouse development for firms in the banking and brokerage industry.
Brucella’s move to TIAA-CREF was deliberate: having worked for technology vendors his entire career he made a quest to work for the end-user side and enjoy a better work/life balance. His new role as a development manager with a staff of 30 may have seemed like a step back, but it removed the travel and very long hours that had been so pervasive.
“I had a young family at the time, and I figured if I have to work 50 to 60 hours a week, I could at least be close to home” he says. In addition, he saw the career move as an interesting opportunity to become a subject matter expert in the fields of trading and portfolio management technologies.
Seventeen years later, he knows he made the right decision. He has since advanced into leadership roles with added responsibilities and is affiliated with a company that he is proud of.
“TIAA-CREF had a great reputation then, and it’s even better now in terms of how it treats its employees. It has always valued diversity and there have been so many cultural elements that are appealing. I knew it was a place where I could grow my career in a reasonable manner.” He mentions the company’s emphasis not just on results but how they are achieving them, ensuring that they have strong, positive relationships with both customers and employees, for example.
For Him, Diversity is Personal
Having worked primarily for women, Brucella has had excellent experiences, one of the many reason he cites diversity as being extremely important. He has also seen firsthand the fallout when gender diversity is not supported: Earlier in her career, his wife experienced sexual discrimination on the job, and he saw how damaging such a situation could be on one’s career when the incident was not resolved satisfactorily. Additionally, with a daughter about to graduate from college, he wants her to be acknowledged in the workplace for the skills that she will bring to the table. Diversity also dovetails with his religious faith, which is founded in treating everyone with fairness and respect and also acknowledges women with leadership roles.
Of course he also sees the benefits of diversity from a business case perspective. “I have always had women on my leadership team, and I find that you get a better thought process, more opinions and innovative ideas with diverse candidates and coworkers.”
That’s why he insists on a diverse slate of candidates, even extending a search if need be, and assigns high-visibility projects deliberately. “I am gender-neutral when it comes to projects and assignments and make sure everyone has an equal chance at these opportunities to build skills and relationships.”
Another area that he keeps in mind is flexibility, and recognizing that sometimes the majority of the work load at home falls on women. “I want them to know they are not disqualified because they have extra family responsibilities. It’s about focusing on the outcomes and not just the hours and the process.”
Advocating for Women
Brucella takes his roles as mentor and sponsor seriously, serving as executive sponsor to the company’s IT Leadership Council for Women and actively advocating for qualified women to be considered when leadership opportunities arise. He recently heard from a woman that he’d been mentoring and had worked with for several years. She wanted to be considered for a leadership role on an IT team, but couldn’t get an interview although Brucella was certain that she had the skills needed. He was able to reach out and urge the hiring manager to consider her as a candidate, and she ultimately got the job.
Another time he worked with a woman who wanted more public speaking opportunities, so he encouraged her to take a Toastmaster’s public speaking class and then placed her in situations where she could present to leaders.
“We need to be visible advocates for promoting women and diversity in leadership roles. I am committed to develop my team, and so I am available on an ongoing basis. Mentors have to be active.”
But most importantly, Brucella believes that encouraging diversity through mentoring is a two-way street. “It’s rewarding to see someone move up in their career, and climb that ladder when they realize that they can and they want to.”
Rooting Out Unconscious Bias
One of Brucella’s goals is to make it safe for people to challenge him; that if they feel they’re not being treated fairly, he has an open door and will accept criticism without being defensive.
“I want someone to ask me if there’s a reason they didn’t get an opportunity. The best way to counteract any unconscious biases that you or others have is to seek feedback.”
For example, recently, he distributed an article he’d seen on bias in the technology industry, and someone who worked for him said it resonated. He responded by sending the article to the larger team, and asked a women leader to gather feedback and help raise awareness by speaking up if they encountered any bias.
Brucella believes that at the end of the day, women should feel empowered to take ownership of their careers, build their personal brand and identify key influencers and mentors who can help them, while continuing to challenge leaders and peers to actively address bias in the workplace.
Voice Of Experience: Carol Johnson, Senior Vice President, Global Consumer Technology, Citi
Voices of ExperienceOne of these networking opportunities has come to Johnson through her membership in Citi’s Women’s Network. “This program has helped me expand my network of women leaders at all levels of the organization and learn that they too were challenged by what I’ve faced. Hearing their stories can be so helpful.”
Move Forward with Confidence
Career Advice, Guest ContributionEarlier this year, the Nasdaq topped 5,000 for the first time in almost 15 years. And, according to the 2014 Sage Business Index, almost three-quarters of women business leaders expect to see growth in their businesses this year.
Now is the time to move forward with confidence, since, as the Latin proverb teaches, “Fortune favors the bold.” Here are four simple confidence-boosters.
Use Social Media
If you’re not sure where to start, social media is a great tool for showcasing confidence in yourself and your business. Dust off that old LinkedIn profile and make sure it lets people know what you’re up to. Join a few LinkedIn Groups and share ideas; you’ll be surprised what a little group support can accomplish. If you’re not tweeting regularly, get on Twitter and talk to people: your customers, professional colleagues and anyone else you interact with in a professional way. And try using Facebook to reach out to new people; it still has a huge user base.
It’s imperative not to use these channels solely for marketing, however. Share good news for your company, ask for ideas, and just talk to people. Link to informative content from other sources to help establish your company as a place where people can get helpful information
And, don’t be afraid to be bold. Showcase an online persona connected to what you want to accomplish this year. Be authentic and, most importantly, be you.
Find a Mentor – or Better Yet, Become One
If you’ve been out in the business world for a while, you probably still remember what it was like when you were just starting out. Chances are, if you could go back and chat with yourself, you’d share all kinds of tips and tricks to boost confidence. But since you can’t go back, you can do the next best thing: find someone else to mentor. Help an up-and-coming woman learn the ins and outs of the business world, and you might even learn a thing or two from your mentee along the way.
If you’re just setting out on your own, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Look for local networking opportunities; a lot of communities have groups designed for just that purpose. Reach out to more experienced women. They’ll likely be happy to share wisdom that will boost your confidence and put you further down the path to success.
Get Outside Yourself
It can be hard to justify anything not directly tied to the bottom line, especially for small business leaders. But becoming a more integral part of your community can be a great long-term investment. If you want people to think of you first when they need a product or service you provide, they need to know who you are.
Get out there and make a difference in your local community. Speak to school groups or sponsor an activity at a local concert or fair. There are many great ways to give something back, and as you give you’ll probably receive, as well. In fact, with only 14 percent of women business leaders responding to the 2014 Sage Business Index survey saying they receive needed support from the government, building a good relationship can help you network with decision-makers in your city or state.
Get Organized
Nothing radiates confidence like someone who knows where she’s going and what she’s doing. And in a business setting, this requires having a plan. That all starts with getting your finances in order. It can be intimidating to make a long-term financial plan, but having a professional you trust to help can make it quite manageable.
According to the 2014 Sage Business Index, 40 percent of women business leaders expect headcount to grow in the coming year. Consider hiring an accountant who can help you figure out where you want to go and how you’re going to get there. Accountants are much more than tax preparers; they can be valuable business partners.
It’s not always easy to show confidence, but you might be surprised what you can accomplish with a more assertive attitude. And, if you must, “fake it till you make it.”
About the author
Connie leads the start-up and small business solutions business, encompassing Sage One, Sage Accountants Network and Sage 50 Accounting. She is also responsible for the Sage Employer Solutions products. With over 20 years of experience in the technology market serving small businesses, she has a passion for helping entrepreneurs and small business owners succeed. She lives in Atlanta.
Making the right decision for your next job.
Career Tip of the Week!Firstly, if you have any kind of financial cushion, make a promise to yourself that you will not make rash decisions and instead take the time to reflect on what you really want to do next. That in itself can feel slightly overwhelming so consider a qualified coach to help you through this time as a good sounding board is exactly what you need to help you frame this situation as an opportunity to get what you want. More satisfaction, more time, more flexibility, more money, a different title? These are all elements that you can now think about as maybe it is time to go up the ladder or go lateral? Either way, it is ultimately an ideal time to take the time to figure out what you want and what works for you at this juncture as last time you interviewed for a job, you might have been in a different place in your life. Not least, you have a chance to think about your enhanced skill set since that last time around.
By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist
Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work