For those of you uncomfortable with the idea of sending your money to unknown waters, my other feature on DailyWorth discusses an idea that might make potential foreign investors feel more at home.

Few of your favorite products are made in America, as you know.  You may buy cars from Japan or Korea, or trendy hair products from Morocco.

Given the investing credo, “Buy what you know,” consider the international opportunities that are sitting on your shelf. Note: we’re not recommending you invest in these products—but investors today need to know what’s on the global horizon.

Argan oil is from Morocco and it’s found in many hair and skin-care products lately. Lesieur Cristal SA is a publicly traded Moroccan company that distributes argan oil.

Coconut water is considered a natural, low-calorie Gatorade substitute sourced from Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. V V Food and Beverage Co. is a publicly traded Chinese company that distributes it worldwide.

Bamboo, a sustainable resource, is used for flooring, clothing, and multitude of home accessories. The majority of bamboo is imported from Asia. Asian Bamboo is a publicly traded German company that imports it from China.

Goody, goody. What products do you love enough to invest in?

I was recently featured on DailyWorth regarding Brazil’s market being a great place for foreign investment. I wanted to share my thoughts on Brazil with you as well.

Brazil: the land of Carnival, white sand beaches, World Cup soccer—and the world’s sixth-largest economy, ripe for investors.

Brazil’s economy is one of the fastest-growing in the world—especially after recent government reforms. And thanks to its low consumer and government debt, Brazil’s credit rating was recently upgraded.

Need more reasons why you should consider it a crucial part of your IRA?

• Brazil is rich in natural resources like oil, ethanol, and iron ore. Brazil is a key supplier to countries like China in building bridges and roads, and manufacturing consumer goods (think: all the stuff you buy at Target).




• Dilma Rousseff, the current prez, is the third most powerful woman leader in the world (behind only Hillary Clinton and Angela Merkel, according to Forbes). And she’s dedicated to fighting corruption.

Check out a Brazilian ETF, or a global or developing markets mutual fund with a high geographical allocation to Brazil. Consider making it part of your emerging markets strategy and including it in your international allocation.

Blame it on Rio. Which international markets are you invested in? Comment below and share your investment strategies.

The following article was written by a wonderful client of mine, Adina Saperstein, Co-founder and Director of Veneration Inc. (this article can also be found here).  Her honesty and enthusiasm to finally take control of her finances have been an inspiration to me.  I hope it is for you too.

Today I went to see Galia Gichon, founder of Down to Earth Finance. I first met Galia after taking over my mom’s finances when she could no longer manage them.  In my mid-thirties, although I was saving for retirement, I had no savings or investment strategy. I’d lost track of 401(k)s from previous jobs.  I realized I better get my own shit together while I still had time.

Today we talked about savings – the part I won’t touch for the next year as I transition from a full time job to a hybrid livelihood of freelance consulting, real estate management, and non-profit start-up; and the long-term retirement portfolio that needs to be rebalanced annually.

Once we got through all that, she had another topic on her agenda.

“I don’t want to scare you,” she said with a smile, “but that’s sort of my job.” She pulled up a crazy excel spreadsheet that calculated how long I’d be able to live on my retirement savings if I were to retire in 30 years (at age 65), if I kept saving at the rate I have been diligently for the past 15 years.  I’d  barely make it to 80 – well before my life expectancy.

If I think I might happen to live another decade like most of my grandparents, I would need to start putting away $14,000 per year – not the kind of change most freelancers or social entrepreneurs have lying around when December rolls around.  And I’m the exception – according to a recent survey, most of my peers haven’t even starting to save for retirement at my age: the average age younger Americans start saving for retirement is 38, and 60% of my Gen X peers have not bothered to calculate how much they will need to save for retirement.

That much I was prepared for – the next part, not so much.

“I don’t know what your plans are,” Galia said with her firm gaze and soft smile, “but if you don’t think your going down a path that includes a partner and children, I highly recommend you think about long-term care insurance.”

I looked at her, stunned.

“Have you thought about it?” she pressed.

I have thought about long-term care insurance more than probably 99% of my peers.  According to most retirement specialists LTC insurance is the single most important investment that Boomers can make in their retirement. With long-term care costing an average of $6,000 per month, this insurance provides a safety net for people who would otherwise be unable to afford it. And it protects a system that would otherwise have to fund care for the vast majority of the population – bankrupting the system at record speed.

Unfortunately when it came to my mom, by the time we became aware that such a thing existed, it was way too late to get her a policy.

So yes I’ve thought about LTC insurance.  But for myself??

“When do you actually advise people buy LTC insurance?” I asked Galia.

“When you’re 40 you start looking at quotes.” She said.

Since then I’ve been thinking about my reference point for all this.  As a woman who came of age with Sex and the City, my cultural sensitization to the financial lives of single women stretched to shopping, jobs, babies and real estate. But aging?

Did the SATC ladies ever look with dismay at a 401(k) statement? More telling: did any of them ever confront the much more immediate issue of an aging parent?  Correct me if I’m wrong, but in 5 seasons I think only once did a parent appear on the scene – well actually not on the scene, because she was already dead – when Miranda’s mother dies suddenly and the others put on their black dresses and catch the train to Philly for the funeral.  Living, breathing parents, with all their extraordinarily ambivalent relationships, were essentially invisible.

That pretty much reflects the cultural norm when it comes to aging – ignore it.  If those characters were real, those ladies, in their mid 40’s by now, would be grappling with parents and questions just like long-term care.

Popular culture, as well as education, needs to catch up with the realities of our aging demographics.

You can find more resources on long-term care insurance on Veneration’s site by clicking here.

This is the full article by Ann B. Gallops, and is a great look into the spiritual side of money.  You can find her blog article here.

Tax time can be super stressful.  If you’re concerned about finances and looking for support, here are five great ways Feng Shui can help:

1.    Attend to your Wealth corner.
It’s time for a “Chi-Check” in this key part of your home and your office. Take a look at what’s accumulating in the back left-hand corner of your space, the area of Feng Shui’s Bagua Energy Map that represents Wealth and Abundance in your life.  Give it a good cleaning and place an item there that has real value to you

2.    Start a Gratitude journal.
This is one of my favorite ways to start accumulating Wealth – by showing your appreciation and gratitude for the Abundance you already have in your life.  Keep your journal in the Wealth corner of your private space – your bedroom perhaps – to stay in close contact with your intentions for abundance.

3.    Get in touch with your money by paying cash.
Feng Shui is equal parts physical and transcendental, visible and invisible, Yin and Yang.  Using cash – actually touching your money — makes it that much more “real,” getting to the heart of the physical aspect of Feng Shui, and bringing your awareness to how much you actually spend each day.

4.    Enhance your Travel & Helpful People sector.
Activate your intention to get the financial help you need by sprucing up your Travel/Helpful People sector (located in the inside right corner of your space, diagonally opposite Wealth). Place items here that symbolize the types of help you need to get your financial house in order.

5.    Cut down on financial clutter.
Throw out and/or shred outdated paperwork: taxes pre-dating 2005, monthly financial statements, automate as much as possible by paying bills online, and streamline as much as possible to create good Chi flow for your money.

• Some green upgrades you do in your home can qualify for tax credits which saves on taxes. Your state or utility company might also offer a rebate on services, such as insulation, which saves a lot on your heating bill (30% up to $1,500) To see how much energy and money you’d save, visit http://energystar.gov/taxcredits and http://dsireusa.org/

• Use a programmable thermostat; a basic model goes for less than $100. You can save roughly $180 a year on energy.
• Get an annual check-up on your HVAC. A service visit typically costs under $100; it will run more if any work needs to be done. To find a contractor, contact your state energy office or local utility company.
• Replace filters for your systems (air, heating, etc.) at least every 90 days.
• Seal and insulate. Doing so can save you as much as 20% annually on heating and cooling costs, according to the Alliance to Save Energy.
• Get a separate water meter for your exterior hose bibs and/or irrigation system. In most locales, your sewer bill is tied to your water usage. Why pay more for sewer service in the summer when much of the water isn’t going down the drain? Many water utilities allow you to have dual meters, only one of which gets billed for sewer service (the one that feeds your house). Of course, you could also xeriscape, which obviates the need for irrigation and is far more environmentally friendly.
• Insulate Your Attic Access: this will lower your heating and cooling bill, and save energy (costs). If you’re a DIYer here is a step by step instruction manual.

I have long been familiar with Socially Responsible Investing (SRI).  I’ve had many clients over the years choose these mutual funds for their IRAs.  You can find a complete list of almost every SRI fund at socialfunds.com.  It’s a fantastic way to support your causes and beliefs with your investing dollars.  However, my main two complaints about SRI has been that they don’t always provide the best returns and their fees tend to be higher than the Fidelity and Vanguard funds I usually eschew.

As you may know from my recent post, I’ve embarked on an amazing personal and professional journey with the Pipeline Fellowship.  This group trains women to become angel investors through education, mentoring, and practice.  Our goal is two-fold: Invest in a woman-owned business and Pick a business that is socially conscious.  We recently had a workshop on Impact Investing – or SRI for individual private companies.  It was led by the talented and experienced Morgan Simon, co-Foudner of TONIIC.  TONIIC is the most active social investor network in the world.

From strictly a performance and fee perspective, I’m not a fan of SRI mutual funds.  However, Morgan pointed out that a benefit of SRI fund is that while they may not be the top performer, the funds do have shareholder activism; for example getting McDonald’s not to use pesticides. It was a point I had not considered and will definitely take another look at SRI funds for that reason.

Can We Own Both?
As Angel Investors, can we achieve multiple goals at the same time?  Most of us think about making money in one area and donating philanthropy in another.  Can we invest or create a company that is socially conscious and financially solvent?  At a recent Pipeline Fellowship meeting, we had our first discussion about the actual companies we are evaluating.   Our discussion definitely bounced back and forth from the social impact to the market viability, management experience and barriers to entry.  It was enlightening to be in a room of talented women that were able to have both discussions at the same time.  It is a goal of mine to pick companies that are FOR profit, focus on the bottom line AND are socially conscious.  There is no better way to make change than with our dollars!  There is also the 3-pronged approach, which applies more to investing in a group of companies.  While all the companies are designed for impact investing, some companies you choose first for their financial viability, some you choose more for their socially conscious impact and some you choose for equal parts.

Invest Your Cash With Purpose
Morgan suggested an EASY way for us as individuals and organizations to start impact investing RIGHT AWAY!  Where are you putting your cash?  I’ve been a big fan of ING DIRECT for years.  While they have been one of the highest interest paying banks around, the difference these days is nominal and won’t make you rich anytime soon.  One option is picking a community bank that supports your local community and invests in areas that need community support.  For example, a New Orleans bank that invests in rebuilding or Carver Bank in NYC that is minority owned.  They have the same FDIC protection but giving your cash to this type of bank can make more of a difference in local communities.

Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck
We also learned about picking companies that are creating value for the employee.  The obvious way to understand this is through stock options for the employees.  That isn’t exactly what they mean.  When looking at individual companies, choose one that creates value for the employee beyond paycheck to paycheck.  There is an SJF report, “Beyond paycheck to paycheck,” that profiles 12 different ways that companies can create value beyond paychecks (http://www.sjfventures.com/).  Companies will often have up to 35% more productivity and performance.   Some examples are financial literacy programs, retirement plans, profit sharing, individual development accounts, home ownership assistance, and stock options.

After 18 plus years of financial services experiences, I’m thrilled to be learning about investing with a different perspective.  Stay tuned for more about my journey into Angel Investing with Pipeline Fellowship.

I recently embarked on a project a bit different from Down-to-Earth Finance.  While it shares the mission of empowering women through financial knowledge and success, the platform has changed.  I applied for and was accepted to the Pipeline Fellowship.This group trains women to become angel investors through education, mentoring, and practice.  Our goal is two-fold:

1. Invest in a woman-owned business

2. Pick a business that is socially conscious

What is Angel Investing? 
Only 12% of angel investors are women and only 5% are minorities.  This means the number of women-owned companies that are getting funded are minute! I’m setting out to personally change those numbers! Average angel investment is $50,000 vs. $1,000,000 of venture capital investment.  Angel investing is for businesses that have just started and probably raised a minimum amount of funds from friends and family.  It isn’t ready for a venture capital investment because it could dilute the equity of the owners and too much capital to start could force the company not to grow organically and strategically (remember the Dot-Com era of late 90’s?).

Susan Preston, CALCEF Angel Fund, previously Entrepreneur in Residence with Kaufman Foundation, gave an exceptional immersion presentation into angel investing at our first meeting.  Her 20+ years of experience and non-condescending manner taught me so much in a short period of time.  Her commitment to women owned businesses, socially responsible investing and ongoing education makes her a wealth of knowledge.  In a few short hours, she covered the ins and out of angel investing, advantage of investing in a group or network (similar to buying a mutual fund versus an individual stock) and how to start rating deals.

Why did I embark on this venture? Learn Something New, Expand My Entrepreneurship and Give Back.

Learn Something New

I love my work with Down-to-Earth Finance.  I have become a nationally recognized expert in Personal Finance and truly feel that I am helping my clients – tremendously.  With that being said, when I learned about Pipeline Fellowship, my initial thought was excitement about learning a new skill and nascent part of the market.  At our first day conference, I felt so energized learning about the intricacies and practical application of angel investing.

Expand My Entrepreneurship

I love being an entrepreneur.  Both my parents (and grandparents and stepparents…) are entrepreneurs.  While I worked in corporate America nearly 10 years and thrived professionally, I love the flexibility and unbounded ceiling of potential success that comes with working for myself.  Working with the Pipeline Fellowship seemed a natural way to give back to entrepreneurs and share my 10 years of experience.  It also affords me a way to learn about new businesses and follow trends.

Give Back

I was raised with the concept of “Tzedakah” – Hebrew word for charity but also the practice of always giving back to your community and those less fortunate than us.  Since I started working at the age of 16, I have always given a portion of my income to those less fortunate.  The last few years, I started getting involved with charities that were more aligned with my personal beliefs – it has been very rewarding.  I loved that Pipeline Fellowship was dedicated to businesses that are socially conscious, because it lets me be personally involved in creating FOR PROFIT businesses that combine bottom line profits with helping sustain our community.

I will keep you apprised!  Stay tuned for more about my journey and experience with Pipeline Fellowship and Angel Investing.