Women, A Growing Force in Business

Women, A Growing Force in Business

More woman than ever are in the workforce¹, they are starting businesses at twice the rate of men, and about a third of working women earn more than their spouses². The male oriented world of financial services is taking note.

The number of high net worth women, those with three million dollars or more in investable assets, is growing at nearly double the pace of men in this group, that’s according to a recent survey by 1)Merrill Lynch. How do they do it?

Paying attention to detail is key to Jeanette Nostra’s job. As president of G-III 2)Apparel Group she supervises marketing⁴, merchandizing and product development for the company, 3)keeping close tabs on everyone from division 4)VPs to designers. Her hands-on management style has helped her rise through the ranks at the apparel maker⁵ over the past two decades, and her compensation during that ascent⁶ has contributed to her assets.

Jeanette: As a young girl growing up in 5)Brooklyn, money was tight, so I didn’t come from money and I didn’t grow up in a house where money was in, fairly decent supply, it was quite short. So my assets certainly come from both my husband and I working.

Studies show most women with high net worth from 6)Carly Fiorina to 7)Meg Whitman to 8)Andrea Jung, have worked for their fortune rather than inherited it.

As women have become a powerful force in business, many have caught up with men in terms of earning power and assets. In fact, 43 percent of Americans who have over a half a million dollars in assets, are women, and financial services firms are increasingly servicing this high net worth group.

Many of these women have different priorities than men when it comes to managing their money.

Josephine Linden (Coldman Sachs): Women will approach the investment, differently than men, they tend to be more risk-oriented, rather than return-oriented, and they also want to have a very strong connection with their financial advisor⁷.

A recent Merrill Lynch survey of wealthy women, those with three million dollars or more in investable assets, found nearly all of them work with an advisor or private money manager. Women, are very interested in relationships and advice. Women are interested in having long term relationships, feeling comfortable with what they’re doing, getting education about it.

Merrill’s survey showed as they become more educated, wealthy women are interested in tapping into sophisticated investment strategies, like private equity⁸ or direct investments. And where wealthy women differ most from men is in their interests in socially responsible investing.

Hannah Grove⁹ (Merrill Lynch Investment Managers): These women were building families at the same time they were building careers and they’re interested in things that go beyond the realm of pure investments and the bottom line. They’re interested in re-investing in their community, while they’re investing for themselves.

As wealthy women work their way through the highest levels of corporate¹⁰ America, one of the final steps becomes planning an exit strategy.

Debra Nichols (Wachovia): If they’re owning their own business, they’re thinking about succession planning or if they have worked in corporate America you know, potentially looking at some single stock concentration...
Since the tech boom went bust¹¹, Nostra admits her retirement¹² savings¹³ aren’t set, yet but she’s not concerned.

Jeanette: We balance between, I would say bonds, 9)mutual¹⁴ funds, stocks, equity investments, and an annuity¹⁵ here and there, so it’s really a combination.
After all, a balance portfolio¹⁶ is a winning strategy no matter what your net worth.

注释:
1) Merrill Lynch 美林证券（美国著名证券公司）
2) apparel [E5pArEl] n. 衣服
3) keep tabs on 监视，查核
4) VP 即vice³ president， 副总裁
5) Brooklyn 布鲁克林区
6) Carly Fiorina 卡莉·菲奥莉娜，惠普公司首席执行官
7) Meg Whitman梅格·惠特曼，eBay公司首席执行官
8) Andrea Jung 钟彬娴，美国雅芳集团首席执行官
9) mutual funds 互惠基金

商界女精英

越来越多的女性走上了工作岗位，她们创业的增长速度是男性的两倍，有大约三分之一的职业女性收入超过了她们的配偶，一直以来把男性作为主要服务对象的金融服务领域正在关注着这一现象。
美林证券最近的一份调查报告指出，那些有着高值净资产的女性，即那些拥有可用于投资性资产在三百万美元或以上的女性，她们的人数正不断增长，其增长速度差不多是这一群体中男性增长速度的两倍。她们是怎样成功的呢？
留意细节是珍妮特·诺斯特的工作关键。作为G-III服装集团的总裁，她为公司管理着市场营销、商品销售和产品开发等环节，监督着公司的每一个人，包括从各部门的副总裁到设计师。在过去的二十年中，这种亲力亲为的管理作风使她在服装界一步一步地往上走，而她在晋升过程中获得的薪水不断地为她的资产添砖加瓦。

珍妮特: 作为一个在布鲁克林区长大的女孩，日子总是拮据的，由此可见，我并非天生富有，不是在一个东西样样齐全的富裕家庭中长大，而是很多东西都没有。因此，我的财产毫无疑问是来自于我的丈夫和我本人的工作收入。
研究显示，包括从卡莉·菲奥莉娜到梅格·惠特曼及钟彬娴在内的大多数女性，她们的财富并不由继承而获得，而是通过自身的艰苦奋斗得来的。
由于女性已经成为生意场上的一支主力军，她们当中的许多人在挣钱能力和财富方面已经赶上了男性。而实际上，在拥有超过五十万美元资产的美国人当中，就有43%是女性。金融服务界正为这一拥有巨额净资产的人群提供越来越多的服务。
在理财方面，这群女性中的许多人的着眼点会与男性不同。

约瑟芬·林登（高盛投资银行）: 在对投资的态度上，女性与男性是不一样的。她们会更加冒险，而不是太关注投资回报，而且她们希望与自己的理财顾问保持牢固的关系。
美林证券公司最近对那些拥有三百万以上可用于投资资产的有钱女性做了一份调查，报告显示：她们中几乎所有人都与理财顾问或私人金融经理打交道。女性通常对与他人的关系和他人的意见很感兴趣，她们重视与他人保持长期的关系，对自己的投资行为感到满意，并从中学到知识。
这项调查还表明，随着有钱女性在这方面的知识积累越来越多，她们开始着手更为复杂的投资策略，如私募投资或直接投资等。有钱的女性与男性最大的区别就是她们对那些负有社会责任的投资感兴趣。

汉娜·格罗夫（美林投资经理）: 这些妇女在事业上努力工作的同时，也在建立自己的家庭，因此，她们感兴趣的不仅仅是纯投资的东西或投资回报的底线。她们在为自己投资的同时，也对社区的再投资饶有兴趣。
随着越来越多的富有女性逐步升到美国大公司的最高管理层，她们采取的最后的措施之一就是为退出做准备。

黛布拉·尼科尔斯（美联银行）：如果她们有自己的公司，她们会考虑继任问题；如果她们为美国大公司工作，她们会考虑把投资集中在一个股票。
自从科技泡沫破灭后，诺斯特承认自己的退休储蓄还没定下来，但她并不担心。
珍妮特：我们会在证券、互惠基金、股票和股权资本投资，还有养老年金之间进行权衡，所以这实际上是一个投资方式的结合体。
说到底，不管你的净资产值是多少，一个平衡合理的投资组合始终是获胜的策略。

 

1 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

2 spouses   

n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
• An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

5 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

6 ascent   

n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高

参考例句：

• His rapid ascent in the social scale was surprising.他的社会地位提高之迅速令人吃惊。
• Burke pushed the button and the elevator began its slow ascent.伯克按动电钮，电梯开始缓慢上升。

7 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

8 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

9 grove   

n.林子，小树林，园林

参考例句：

• On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
• The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。

10 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

11 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

12 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

13 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

14 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

15 annuity   

n.年金；养老金

参考例句：

• The personal contribution ratio is voluntary in the annuity program.企业年金中个人缴费比例是自愿的。
• He lives on his annuity after retirement.他退休后靠退休金维生。

16 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。