You’re invited to join a SPRING 2024 INVEST FOR BETTER CIRCLE

Led by ______________ and _____________________

IFB Circles are small, peer-led groups who join together to learn, share personal experiences, and support each other in becoming confident and values-aligned investors.

[Our][My] Circle will meet bi-weekly over a period of three months. The learning experience includes periods of self-study, monthly meetings, and accountability buddies.

Circle Structure

When you participate in an IFB Circle, you are in great company. Over 2,500 individuals have participated in our courses and the Circle experience to date – and we are just getting started! Our Circles include:

  • Groups of 8-20 women, who commit to self-study and bi-weekly meetings

  • Leaders, who are selected and trained by IFB to facilitate meetings and build a culture of shared experience and cohesion for Circle members

  • Clearly structured curriculum designed to build knowledge and promote action, yet remain flexible enough to meet the unique needs of each group

  • Accountability buddies, who share the journey with you and help you identify the next steps you want to take to move your money in a financially and socially responsible manner

  • Optional, content-rich events that IFB curates based on member feedback and state of play in the financial markets

Testimonials

“An Invest for Better Circle is a great way to bring together a diverse group to build up their impact investing knowledge. It’s organic, member-led, and authentic. I love watching the conversations unfold.”

“My group lit a fire under me to really make sure all of my finances are aligned with my values.”

“Through Invest for Better, we are equipping women with the knowledge they need to shift their money to align with their values. All investments make an impact, and our group has created a casual, fun space for women to learn from and share with one another about their journey to take control of their money and its potential.”

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Outcomes

By the end of the Core Curriculum, participants will have:

  • Joined a safe trusted space to share their money stories, aspirations, concerns, and successes
  • Understood – perhaps for the first time – how they are currently invested, why they are invested that way, and how they can improve the financial and social impact of their portfolios
  • Learned about new ways of investing, explored values-aligned opportunities, and discussed the best ways to take advantage of these options
  • Completed a simplified Investment Policy Statement that articulates the values and strategies they want to incorporate in their investments in the future
  • Committed to the next steps they will take to move from knowledge to action

About the Course

This Core Curriculum is Invest for Better’s foundational course and tends to be the series most women chose to begin their values-aligned learning journey. Based on Janine Firpo’s book, Activate Your Money: Invest to Grow Your Wealth and Build a Better World, the course starts with conversations that break the taboos around money, helps you understand your current portfolio, and introduces you to values-aligned investment options. At the end of the course, you will be ready to move from knowledge to action.

Course Content

The Core Curriculum was designed to build women’s confidence as investors, demonstrate the power of their investment assets, and show them how to activate those resources to enable a more just and sustainable world for all. Structured to guide participants through a series of steps, the self-study and meetings build on each other. Recognizing the busy lives we all lead, the course creators strove to minimize the pre-work and to make each meeting interactive, engaging, and informative. Prior participants have commented on the critical difference this course has had on their attitude about, and relationship with, their money.

  • Meeting #1:

    Connections & Money Stories

    During the first meeting, participants establish connections with their peers through introductions and story-telling. Ground rules for engagement and confidentiality are also established at this time. Together, these activities set the stage for what is to come.

  • Meeting #2:

    Risks & Rewards

    The second session begins the process of identifying and documenting the way you want to approach your money and investments. This includes taking a quiz to assess risk appetite, prioritizing your values through joint activities, and breaking into pairs to articulate high level goals and aspirations. You’ll also learn about the importance of asset allocation and be introduced to all the asset classes into which you could chose to invest your money.

  • Meeting #3:

    Portfolio Snapshot

    The purpose of the third meeting is for you to really understand – perhaps for the first time – exactly what you are invested in right now. You will capture your current holdings, discover where the money is invested, and recognize how it is allocated across asset classes. Through discussions in the meeting, we are exposed to differences that can exist within the investment process and are able to see how our portfolios are similar to, or differ from, others.

  • Meeting #4:

    Public Markets

    Now that you know where you stand, the next step is an inquiry into what else is possible, particularly in regards to values-aligned investments. This conversation begins in Meeting 4 with a discussion of the public markets, including our cash, fixed income (bonds) and stock market investments.

  • Meeting #5:

    Private Markets & Alternatives

    In this session, you’ll learn about crowdfunding, angel investing, and other approaches to invest in privately-held companies. This session also touches on other non-public forms of investing, known as Alternatives. This enormous asset class includes virtually every type of investment that is not cash, stock, or bonds.

  • Meeting #6:

    Financial Advisors & Next Steps

    In the last meeting of this course, we will talk about the pros and cons of having a financial advisor, including the different types of advisors and services they provide. The Deep Dive (advanced) courses available through Invest for Better are presented, enabling members to determine whether one of those courses might be a good next step. After that discussion, members break down into small groups to complete their Investment Policy Statements and to commit to their next steps.

BECOME A BASIC MEMBER for $50/year (and then purchase the course for $50)

Join IFB

PURCHASE THE CORE CIRCLE À LA CARTE for $100

Circle Only

What it Means to Join Invest for Better

We’re on a mission to help women put their money to work for a better world through values-aligned investing. History has shown us what happens when women step into their collective power — from voting rights to pay equity, powerful things happen when we come together.

We believe the next revolution is financial. Women are set to control the majority of wealth in the United States by 2030 — and yet, many of us don’t know how to align our financial goals with our vision for a better world. Invest for Better equips women to step into their financial power through:

  • Values-aligned investing community

    Invest for Better started with a group of friends talking about how to use their money to create impact in their communities. Although we’ve grown into a global community, at our core, we know that creating safe spaces for women to talk about their money is the first step to harnessing our collective impact.

  • Expert-backed financial education

    We know how overwhelming it can be to find trusted sources for financial education — which is why we designed our curriculum from trusted advisors who have helped us during our own financial journeys.

  • Joining the Financial Revolution

    While transforming our personal relationship with money and our investments is important, systems change happens when we come together in community. Invest for Better members are heavily invested in their communities, and we harness our collective voice to speak up on issues that matter — like environmental sustainability, gender and racial equity, and worker’s rights.

BECOME A BASIC MEMBER for $50 (and then purchase the course for $50)
PURCHASE THE COURSE À LA CARTE for $100

Benefits of Membership

  • Community Engagement

    As a member of IFB, you are part of a movement of women who are empowered to activate the power of their investing to build a more equitable and sustainable financial system. You will join a global community of over 1,000 women, including leaders in the financial and impact investing industries. You will connect with them in learning sessions, live regional events, and through our private communications platform.

  • Monthly Events

    Every month, we host three virtual events:

    1. Special guests, who join us in discussions on finance, investing, women’s empowerment and leadership, and other topics that are important to our community 
    2. Investment examples that open your eyes to values-aligned opportunities that are available across as range of asset classes 
    3. Open office hours with financial advisors, who make themselves available to answer your questions about money and investing

    Most of our events are recorded and archived on our private platform. There, members can access recently released or past versions of insightful talks on talks as varied as portfolio management to investing in food, agriculture, and real estate.

  • Facilitated Courses

    IFB offers a Core Curriculum to get you started in values-aligned investing, as well as a series of advanced courses that we refer to as Deep Dives. All of our courses are delivered in facilitated live sessions that bring participants together to learn, share experiences, and support each other in taking action.

    The Core Curriculum includes 6 sessions that take place over a 3-month period, while the Deep Dives are 3 sessions each delivered over a 6-week period. A la carte participation in the Core Curriculum is $200 and Deep Dives are $100 each. Participation is free for Premium Members of IFB and available at a 25% discount for Basic Members.

  • Educational Resources

    Activate Your Money: Invest to Grow Your Wealth and Build a Better World is a book that was written by Invest for Better co-founder Janine Firpo. Based on her personal investment journey, the book walks readers through each of the asset classes – from cash to the stock market to real estate – explaining investment strategies and providing examples of values-aligned investments. Integrated into many of our courses, Activate Your Money gives you the knowledge you need to make great returns by investing in the communities, people, and companies that match your values.

  • Partner Services & Discounts

    IFB builds relationships with industry leaders so you can benefit from discounts and additional opportunities, such as free access to the ValuesAdvisor platform, which helps you search for a values-aligned financial advisor ($250 value).

“Through the courses I have taken at Invest for Better, I realized it was possible to make a difference with my money. I realized I can do this. And, I realized that am not alone. A lot of women are doing this.”

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“If it weren’t for IFB, I would not have the confidence to have the money conversations that I am having now. I can hold my own in my discussions with my financial advisor, and that is huge! Even my partner notices the change. He watches me and says, “Wow, look at you!”

Jeanne Wolz
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“The Invest for Better sessions opened the eyes of so many women in our Circle about how much more power they hold to make real change than they previously understood. It is so inspiring to be part of this growing movement.”

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“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.”

Vanessa Lowe
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