The following segment aired on The Balancing Act Lifetime Television. Joining the show was Author, Gwendolyn Beck whose new book Flirting with Finance makes learning about finance easy, fun and exciting.
The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television Host Marybel Rodriguez: Do you know many women who started their finance careers working on a bond trading floor? That is just one of the many accomplishments on the resume of Gwendolyn Beck, who wants to make learning about finance fun, easy and exciting with her new book, Flirting with Finance.
Beck: The reason I wrote the book is that I realized so many people need help with their finances. I started on the bond trading floor at Credit Suisse First Boston and then moved into Morgan Stanley. I was moved into the stock side and the I.P.O. side and after 9/11 went into personal financial planning with Wachovia. I found that so many people did not know the difference between a stock and a bond, and most of the books out there are boring and intimidating and complex. So I set about to write a book that was fun and informative and read a little bit more like a romance novel than a finance book but still had all the important information.
The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: There are a lot of women in this field, correct?
Beck: There really aren’t, no. There’s more today than when I started. The bond trading floor is really no place for a girl. It was tough and especially for a girl like me who loves her shoes and bags, but it was a great place to learn. I had a mentor who would take the complex ins and outs of Wall Street and make them very simple. That is one of the things I’ve done with Flirting with Finance.
The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: Did you put all of your expert advice into this book?
Beck: Yes. It follows the life of a character, Samantha Davis, and as she goes through her trials and tribulations of the financial world, she wants to look good and she wants to live well. She is a fictitious character, however all of the stories are true so we’re following her as she goes through her budgeting, buying apartments, automobiles, retirement accounts and then in the end, we have her actually trading stock.
The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: So you are telling us that we have to be smart with our money, which we know, and have fun with it. What other advice can you give us from this book?
Beck: When you are going to invest in something, go out and go shopping and look at buying a house the same way as you look at buying a pair of shoes. If we do that, then we make it fun.
The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: When people hear about finances, get their credit card statements, they have fear. They are scared. How can you make that fun during the tough times right now?
Beck: A lot of the fear will be taken away if you have knowledge. By realizing that finance is a different language, you’re going to have the knowledge that you’re going to be able to go through all the processes that go along with the fear.
The Balancing Act Lifetime Television: We can go shopping for stocks as if we were going shopping for shoes?
Beck: Once you know what you’re looking for it’s just like going into the mall and looking at all the different stitching and the different lapels.
The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television is the only morning show in America produced by women specifically for women. Every morning, The Balancing Act on Lifetime hosts Danielle Knox and Kristy Villa tackle the issues that face today’s woman. Popular show segments include Live weather updates with Mark Mancuso, surprise celebrity visitors, and news about the latest trends affecting your life, home, career and family. The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television airs daily on Lifetime at 7 a.m. ET/PT. For more information, visit The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television’s website at www.thebalancingact.com.
