A Modern Investment Club
My grandpa worked in a button factory along the Mississippi River in Iowa. He started college but never finished—drafted to serve in the war, where he became a mailman in Hawaii. It was a different time. He lived a long, happy life, and now I have a vintage tin of pearl buttons to remember him by.
Through hard work, prudence, and an optimistic spirit, he supported his wife and four children, invested in stocks and real estate, and left an inheritance for his family. His success wasn’t just luck—it was built on smart financial decisions and the power of community.
In the 70s, my grandpa joined an investment group. This wasn’t a formal fund but a group of local businessmen who gathered to discuss companies, pool resources, and invest in stocks together. On a small scale, they mirrored modern ETFs or mutual funds. But it wasn’t just about the investments—it was about the friendships, shared wisdom, and support.
Today, we don’t need to gather in person to invest. ETFs and mutual funds make it easy to own a diversified portfolio with a single share. It’s like subscribing to Netflix instead of buying individual seasons of Real Housewives. Yet, something valuable has been lost in this modernization: the human connection.
Indeed it is a different time. Another obvious difference is women are taking an important leadership role in investing. For many years they have been the person in control of day to day budgeting for a family, but for various reasons women have shied away from investing. And even though women investors are proven to outperform men, there still remains a confidence gap when it comes to investing.
My grandpa’s investment group wasn’t just about money—it was a safe space for sharing ideas, navigating challenges, and building a community. Much of his personal success—and the legacy he left—was rooted in that collective wisdom and mutual support. With the largest wealth transfer in history underway as Baby Boomers pass down their savings, it’s a pivotal moment to rethink how we invest—not just our money, but our time and energy.
In my experience as a financial professional, many of our concerns around money cannot be entirely answered by a strategy you picked up in an online course. Instead the concerns are more existential - more about how to make the most of our lives, how to best invest our energy which is inclusive of money. My version of an investment club would be one where we would cross promote one another’s businesses, where we would encourage each other to rest and indulge in what makes us happy, where we would grow stronger because we are growing together.
That’s why I created Money Mastery Club—a modern twist on my grandpa’s investment club. This is more than a place to learn about stocks and bonds. It’s a space to share our money questions, navigate life’s financial shifts, and support each other’s growth.
Here, we’ll look at the bigger picture: How are we investing in our lives? Our businesses? Our joy? Together, we’ll build confidence, wealth, and community.
And we will help each other rise, by taking the necessary steps forward: whether that be sticking to a revamped budget, paying down debt, earning more, or learning how to invest.
If you’re ready to rethink your relationship with money and grow alongside a supportive group, I’d love for you to join us. Check it out here!
