“My grandfather prepared free meals every day for thousands of people. My family was very good at giving,” Krupali Patel said as she reflected on her money story. Having grown up in Zambia, Krupali was aware of two starkly different worlds from an early age. Her father, who had started with nothing, became quite successful. So, the family never wanted for anything. At the same time, she saw children walking to school barefoot because their parents could not afford shoes. While she was blessed with an excellent education, Krupali knew that many of those children would never have the same opportunity. As a result, she grew up with a consciousness about how to spend money and with a commitment to serve.

That desire took Krupali to the United States where she attended college, then medical school and residency. Having witnessed people dying from easily treatable diseases, Krupali knew that she wanted to work among the poor who suffer under deplorable health conditions and medical systems. She also knew – or thought she knew – that the way to financial freedom was to work hard, save your money in a bank, and spend it wisely. That was the case until she participated in the Financial Courage course that is a collaboration of Invest for Better and the Women’s Money Lab.

In her words, the course was a “godsend.” She always wanted to make a difference in the world through good works, but had no idea that it was possible to do so with her money. Before joining Invest for Better, Krupali had never talked about money. She hadn’t thought about where she kept it or that there were ways to invest it for positive change. “Through the courses I have taken at Invest for Better, I realized this was a possibility. I realized I can do this. And, I realized that I am not alone. A lot of women are doing this.” In addition to the Financial Courage course, Krupali also participated in two Deep Dives. “This experience gave me so much hope and made me feel so much more confident. I can’t believe it has been less than a year since I started. I have grown so much!”

If you would like to share a story about your money, your work, or your leadership with the Invest for Better community, please let us know. 

According to Fidelity’s 2021 Women and Investing Study, the number of women who are investing outside of retirement jumped from 44% to 67% between 2018 and 2022. What happened? In part, the answer is the pandemic, which left women with more time to think about their money and the implications of not taking action. One of those women is Ashima Aggarwal, an IFB member and Circle Leader.

Although Ashima claims that she grew up with parents who had a pretty typical approach to money, we believe it was anything but that. Her father was so interested in financial matters, that he said he would be a financial advisor if he could do another job. So, it is not surprising that Ashima turned her portfolio over to her dad and let him manage it – on and off – for decades. After all, she was busy attending law school, growing into her current role as the Associate General Counsel and Vice President of Legal for John Wiley & Sons, and raising a family. When did she have time to focus on making investment decisions?

During COVID, Ashima began thinking about her child, intergenerational wealth, and money. As she started doing research, Ashima decided it was time to take control of her assets. Around that time, she attended a webinar where Janine spoke about her book, Activate Your Money, and about Invest for Better. Both felt so accessible and meaningful that Ashima wanted to share them with others. So, she decided to lead an IFB Circle. Ashima brought 19 women in, all of whom were very excited and enthusiastic. As they worked through the curriculum together, Ashima began to realize that there is such a thing as having a relationship with your money. That awareness had a profound impact on her. As she said, “Discovering Janine’s book and working through the Invest for Better curriculum and Activate Your Money are among my greatest joys and proudest accomplishments of 2022.”

If you would like to share a story about your money, your work, or your leadership with the Invest for Better community, please let us know. 

An IFB Circle Leader, Vanessa Lowe retired at age 56 by using lessons she learned about money and life from her parents. They met at Livingstone College, an HBCU, in the early 1960s, then left their southern roots, heading to New York City as part of the Great Migration. There, they built lives around three daughters, public service careers, and their faith community.

Vanessa’s appreciation for money came from allowances and talks with her parents about credit cards, interest rates, and investing. She recalls the pride of getting her first savings passbook before she could see over the teller counter. Basic wealth-building principles, like the power of small but regular saving and living within her means, were embedded early.

She followed her parents in building a career in the service sector, first spending 10 years in Philadelphia’s legal service agencies, then 21 years in federal service. After graduating with an MBA from the Wharton School, Vanessa vowed to pay off her $75,000 in student loan debt in 10 years. Making good use of 0% interest credit card transfers and moving from nonprofit wages to federal service salary and benefits were key factors in achieving that goal. Her mother’s continued counsel and guidance also helped.

Throughout her federal career, Vanessa worked in community development finance. She was – and remains – passionate about the need within underserved communities for equal and affordable access to capital.

Now retired, Vanessa pursues passion projects similar to her career focus. She serves on the boards of her denomination’s endowment and a local women’s foundation, helping each to move toward 100% mission alignment, particularly centered on racial justice. Since George Floyd’s murder, she’s revamped an old investing class, sharing examples of strategies and investment vehicles to answer the question so many people have asked – “What can I do to address systemic racism and the racial wealth gap?” A recent episode of a radio show she launched in 2018, focused on Reparations, particularly as a tool for faith institutions. You can stream episodes of her podcast at Vanessa’s Money Hour.

One of the strategies she covers in her class is joining learning communities like Invest for Better. Vanessa believes she found us at just the right time when access to her retirement funds allowed her to make her first private impact investment through Portfolia. “I loved that Invest for Better was a learning circle for women. I loved being a participant in my first circle, but really loved when I was able to create and co-lead a circle dedicated to Black women. The sharing went to a much deeper level because of the similar perspectives and experiences we had around money and wealth.”

We applaud Vanessa for her commitment to capital access, racial justice, and the movement to put women’s money to work for a better world.

If you would like to share a story about your money, your work, or your leadership with the Invest for Better community, please let us know. We would be happy to consider it for a future edition of the newsletter.