Newsletter No. 18

Featured Article

We hope that you had an opportunity to attend our Inaugural Women in Finance Symposium. According to our conference survey, attendees found the program and content "very valuable". Stay tuned for more STA WIF women executives featured on Eleanor Beaton's "Fierce Feminine Leadership" podcast later this month. Until then, Sylvia Davi, CMO at equities.com reviewed our symposium in the following piece. Enjoy!

Women on Wall Street: How the CEO of the Securities Traders Association is Addressing the Challenge

Silvia Davi, equities.com, 9/28/16

The symposium was a celebration and acknowledgment of women in Wall Street-long needed in an industry still heavily dominated by men. I first attended the annual Securities Traders Association Market Structure Conference 16 years ago when I was working at a trading firm and later quite a few times while working at a global exchange and was always struck by the lack of diversity year after year at this major industry event. Having recently returned to financial services after a few years broadening my background in other industry sectors, it was a nice surprise to see progress at this former boys club event.

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Highlighted Articles

Why We Fail to Report Sexual Harassment

Stefanie K. Johnson, Jessica Kirk, Ksenia Keplinger, Harvard Business Review, 10/4/16

Last month, Fox News agreed to pay Gretchen Carlson $20 million tosettle her sexual harassment lawsuit against Roger Ailes, the network's former Chairman and CEO, who resigned in the summer. In light of increasing evidence against Ailes, colleagues and high-profile figures who had previously doubted Carlson began apologizing for not supporting her.

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First Step to Ending Sexism in Banking: Recognize It

Ghela Boskovich, American Banker, 10/4/16

The banking industry is a bastion of privilege. It is an industry blasted more than others for catering to the haves more than the have-nots. However, there is a more subtle realm of privilege that's also dangerous - one invisible to those who benefit from it and all too glaringly obvious to those who do not. Male bankers suffer from this blind spot, and as a result, are unknowingly benefiting from the oppression of their female colleagues.

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Hedge Fund Targets Companies' Weakness: The Gender Gap

Leslie Picker, New York Times, 10/4/16

The chief executive at a plastics company was playing golf. A lot of golf.

The activist hedge fund the Barington Capital Group, through a website that tracked golfers' handicaps, found that the chief executive was routinely playing 18 holes or more on weekdays, even as the company's stock price was lagging. It was that finding a decade ago that helped shape the career of Dianne McKeever, then a partner at Barington.

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Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Advice for Living

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, New York Times, 10/1/16

"Did you always want to be a judge" or, more exorbitantly, "a Supreme Court justice?" Schoolchildren visiting me at the court, as they do at least weekly, ask that question more than any other. It is a sign of huge progress made. To today's youth, judgeship as an aspiration for a girl is not at all outlandish. Contrast the ancient days, the fall of 1956, when I entered law school. Women accounted for less than 3 percent of the legal profession in the United States, and only one woman had ever served on a federal appellate court.

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Why Trump's Fat Shaming Affects All Working Women, Not Just Beauty Pageant Contestants

Kristen Bahler, Time.com, 9/29/16

Weight discrimination is deeply ingrained in American culture. It's in our advertising, which uses the skinniest models to peddle the fattiest foods. It's in our malls, which house major chains that refuse to stock plus size clothing. It's in our medical practices, which are rampant with outcome-obstructing weight biases.

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Sheryl Sandberg: Women Are Leaning In-but They Face Pushback

Sheryl Sandberg, The Wall Street Journal, 9/27/16

A freelance film director recently described walking into a negotiation. She was ready: She had armed herself with stats and evidence and had practiced her pitch. But instead of diving into why she deserved the project-and the money that came along with it-she began with the following: "I just want to say up front that I'm going to negotiate, and the research shows that you're going to like me less when I do."

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Upcoming Events

STANY Women in Finance Group: Desmysifiying Financial Myths

Common misconceptions about financial strategies can interfere with your future. For instance, do you think you have enough life insurance through your job? What happens if you leave? Do you think your portfolio risk level never changes? Do you think Estate Planning is only for the super wealthy? Learning the truth can help you protect your future.

Presented by

Christina McCaughney & Angela Valeroso,

Financial Consultants, AXA Advisors LLC

Refreshments will be served, networking to follow

AXA Advisors, LLC

1290 Avenue of the Americas

4th FLoor

New York, NY 10104

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

5:30pm-7:30pm