We’ve got Market Street so why not Wall Street?

What comes to your mind when you think of the term Women in Trading?  Travel back in time and imagine with me women in a marketplace buying and selling produce or products of all kinds. Do you see them? The one selling fabric and jewelry or the one with tomatoes and potatoes? How about the one with eggs and baked bread? What about the other women who are there as buyers? Do you see those women negotiating prices? Do you see them inspecting the fruits and vegetables? Can you see the buyer and seller finally coming to price that they both agreed upon and they make an exchange? Growing up in Kenya I witnessed many of these transactions, which as a young girl I found to be quite entertaining but I never thought of how hard these women worked. Imagine how far they had to travel to bring their goods to the marketplace and then haul them back home only to do it again the following day. Most of them with young babies needing their attention all while attempting to make a sale.

These women in the marketplace exist even today and are all over the world trading their produce and products. In today’s world, there is another marketplace that women trade and that is on Wall Street. Though the numbers do not compare to our male counterparts, women are taking control of their financial future and we do not have to be on the trading floor of the NYSE thanks to technology. Whether trading from home during the day or after work or even during your lunch break at the office it’s quite easy. The only hauling we have to do in terms of setting up to trade is removing your laptop or smartphone from the charger and picking our favorite spot to place our trades. For me, when I think of Women in Trading, I think of my mom, grandmother, sister, aunts and countless other virtuous women whom throughout my life I have seen do what they do best that is TRADE. The book of Proverbs describes the virtues of a noble woman as such:

16 She considers a field and buys it;

out of her earnings, she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously; 

her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable, 

and her lamp does not go out at night.

The definition of Trade is – the action of buying and selling goods and services; to exchange something for something else. There is no denying that when it comes to buying, selling and exchanging we are experts. We buy things when they are on sale, sell what we do not want on craigslist and eBay and if we do not like it we take it back and exchange it for something else or better yet we exchange items with our girlfriends. So ladies, if we are capable of trading on Market Street, why not do it on Wall Street? Why is it that when it comes to finance, money management and oh oh here is the big one INVESTING we all of a sudden freeze and allow fear to come in play?  What if trading on Wall Street could be just as fun and exciting as going to buy a pair of shoes on sale?  Well, that’s why we have created this blog and our goal is to help women gain a better understanding of what trading and investing is all about and to do it with confidence.  Don’t let the vocabulary and charts scare you away. If you can understand your toddler talking to you and describing things in their own language you will too understand trading lingo. Whether you a new trader or a veteran trader there is something for everyone. So, get your high heels on and let’s go on this journey together!