Your credit score is your adult GPA!
In part two of my conversation with Ann Garcia, Certified Financial Planner, we focus on helping young professionals understand some simple ways to set themselves up for financial success.  Ann shares many easy steps to make the most out of the money you're making today while also beginning to build a safety net for the many expenses at different stages of our lives. 

Topics covered include understanding your credit score, managing credit cards, taking advantage of 401K and other investments, setting a budget, and more!

This is a quick hit of info - about 15 minutes of amazing and useful tips and advice!

Show notes:
I Will Teach You To Be Rich (Ramit Sethi) - Book on personal finance for 20-35 year olds
Round up your purchases for easy saving: Acorn's Investing
 XYPN - Fee-only financial planning and advice
Ann Garcia's book How to Pay for College: A complete financial plan for funding your child's education

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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Want to balance living your best life today and financial security tomorrow?

Check out my conversation with Ann Garcia, also known as The College Financial Lady to find out how it is possible.  Ann is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and managing partner of Independent Progressive Advisors, a financial advisory firm based in Portland, Oregon.  Ann got her nickname of The College Financial Lady by specializing in college financial planning - she’s helped thousands of families save a ton of money on college. Ann has been featured in the New York Times, US News & World Report, CNN Money, and many other publications and she recently wrote the book How to Pay for College: A complete financial plan for funding your child's education.

This is a double dip episode - learn about Ann's path to becoming a CFP and top tips on saving for your child's education!

Don't miss PART TWO of my conversation with Ann where she'll give a great "financial planning 101" for young professionals - releasing next week!

Show notes and links:

• Ann's book How to Pay for College: A complete financial plan for funding your child's education
• Ann's website Howtopayforcollege.com
• FAFSA (Federal Student Aid application website)
• Student Aid estimator tool - use this to see if you might qualify for aid
• Net Price Calculator - Find this on college websites to get a sense of how much that school will cost
• Collegedata.com  and College Navigator - Check out these websites to see data on the percentage of students that need aid and the percentage that was met
  
  

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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Join me as we dive into the fashion industry when I speak with the mother-daughter dynamic duo, Alison Bruhn and Delia Folk, co-founders of The Style That Binds Us, a next-gen media company focused on style and fashion.
Hear about each of their unconventional entrees into the world of fashion and the relationships and skills they developed. Delia shares how she got her first opportunity with an internship at Versace and her first role upon graduation at Barneys New York on the buying team.  After studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Alison became a national style and image consultant.  Alison and Delia talk about what helped them become successful in the competitive fashion world and how their media company The Style That Binds Us is connecting their shared love of fashion and culture with their audience.

Don't miss this episode if you're looking to work in the fashion industry  - or, just love fashion and style!

Additional Show Notes and Links:

Click here to DOWNLOAD the Core Wardrobe Checklist

A few retailers to check out when building your core wardrobe:
J. Crew
M.M. LaFleur
Ralph Lauren
Ann Taylor
Poshmark

Article on the science behind dressing and how we're perceived and how we perform:  Research Shows That the Clothes You Wear Actually Change the Way You Perform (Inc. magazine)

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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Show up. Be curious. Show you're hardworking.

If you're interested in a career in advertising or media but also might love a tech sell - this is the episode for you.  Today we're switching gears over to the digital media and advertising technology space.  My guest is Lauren Benedict,  SVP, Enterprise Sales at MNTN, the leading connected TV performance advertising platform.   Lauren is a recognized and award-winning ad sales leader whose career has included leadership roles at NBC Universal, Hulu, and Disney Media & Entertainment.  Hear about Lauren's early career pivot and how she was able to lean into her ability to build relationships and thrive in a team culture. Lauren gives a great overview of what MNTN does and the advertising technology that enables advertisers to reach consumers while they stream content.  Lauren shares some great career advice including this mantra to always strive for: Show up. Be curious. Show you're hardworking.

A few key notes and links from this episode:

"Readers are Leaders" - Lauren credits her past boss Peter Naylor with sharing this quote, originally made famous by Harry S. Truman: "Not all readers are leaders but all leaders are readers."  So up your reading game!
She Runs It - NYC-based organization paving the way for more women to lead at every level of marketing, media and tech.  Membership includes access to extensive networking, cutting-edge content, mentoring programs, education loan relief, career development, and more.
Chief - the only private membership network focused on connecting and supporting women executive leaders
SXSW 2023 - South by Southwest celebrates the convergence of tech, film, music, education, and culture.

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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Interested in commercial real estate, investment banking - or both? Check out my conversation with David Genovese, CEO of Baywater Properties. David's stellar career includes senior leadership roles with Credit Suisse First Boston and Bankers Trust Company.  Learn about David's career path and the early pivot he had to make. Plus, David shares an overview of the commercial real estate landscape, what the main entry points are, what skills are needed, and how to set yourself up for success. Enjoy the listen!

Hosted by Karen Elders of Launch Career Strategies

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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Attention! Double-dip - two career paths in one episode!

Learn about a career path in the insurance industry AND as a Human Resources professional (or People Team, Talent Management, Human Capital - so many names today!)  This episode's guest is Colin Haupt, SVP, Employee Engagement & Experience for Pure Insurance.  Understand the many aspects of an HR career and what the Engagement & Experience team does. Plus, you'll hear why a career path in insurance is the perfect place to utilize analytical and communication skills, the main entry points, and skills needed to succeed in both areas. Enjoy the listen!

Check out the Pure Insurance careers page

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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Check out my conversation with Kallie Hapgood, Managing Director, Investor Relations with Gridiron Capital. Gridiron is a private equity firm that partners with founders, entrepreneurs, and management teams across consumer, B2B and B2C companies. 

Hear how Kallie started her career in finance and made the shift to investor relations. Kallie shares incredible advice about being a liberal arts undergrad, the importance of networking, and how she navigated her career in finance and ultimately landed her dream job role at Gridiron.

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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In this episode, we hear from James Marciano, Founder of Tuck Advisors, an investment bank that focuses on mergers and acquisition advisory for smaller companies and startups with a focus on the education and health and wellness space.
 
James earned his undergrad degree from Harvard College and went on to complete an MBA from Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business. Surprisingly, James found himself lacking career direction during his undergrad and upon graduation considered joining the Army.  James' career path has included management consulting, founding and selling digital/tech start-ups, and opening his own investment bank and advisory firm.  Listen in for advice on the many paths in and around investment banking - not just through one of the big, more well-known banks. James also shares his insider tips on how to learn about investment banking before applying for an internship or full-time role.

Additional Notes and Links:
IB101.com - Tuck Advisors developed an online platform and course to teach students about investment banking, specifically the M&A sell-side process.  Learn the basics of how an investment bank works and what is expected of an analyst.

Industry Recruiting Cycles by Industry (Washington University)

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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It was the Spring of 2020 and Haley Georgen was stuck home like the rest of us.  Haley decided to combine her love of photography and cheese to create That Cheese Princess, a company that makes unique charcuterie boards for small to large gatherings in the Providence/New England area. Learn how Haley put the marketing knowledge she learned in the classroom to work in real life.  Haley shares her path of experiences including the classes, clubs, and internships that have helped her grow a marketing mindset.   Launch Career Strategies intern Megan Stenberg joins the conversation!

A few links from our conversation to help you learn more!

Companies where Haley interned:

• Idea Village is the owner of many amazing brands including Flawless and Copper Fit.
• Vaya Life swimwear and clothing
• Nantucket Island Marketing

Online resources for learning:

• Hubspot Certification
• Google Digital Garage - learn digital skills in digital marketing, career development, data and tech

A great book that inspired Haley: That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life, Marissa Mullen

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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Listen in to hear how undergrad Roland Afzelius turned his love of the water into a business (Oyster Bay Water Sports) and an amazing learning experience.  This episode has tons of great advice on entrepreneurism, being a computer science major, and how to learn by doing!  Hear what it's like to run a small business and learn about entrepreneurism from the many sides - inventor, finance, funding, marketing, customer service and more.  Roland’s experience launching OBWS and understanding how a small business is run will help him in any career path he chooses.

You may not be the inventor but if you love the excitement and energy around a start up - listen in for ideas, maybe look at marketing or finance or operations or the customer service side of a start up!  Hear about the many ways Roland has educated himself on possible career paths including Tech Track.  

Related episode links:

Info on Oyster Bay Water Sports (OBWS)

Article on OBWS

BC’s Tech Track class - see if your university has something similar or ask that they create one!

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services.  Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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