Not sure where to invest in 2022? Turn to the experts when considering the best investments to put your money in the coming year.
A New Year means a whole new opportunity to make smart investments — both ourselves and into the companies we believe in. But what are the best investments for us in 2022? To find out, we turned to some of the smartest female investors in the game to see what they are investing in this year. It’s time to break out your favorite pen and take some notes!
Karen Finerman, CEO of Metropolitan Capital and a panelist on CNBC’s Fast Money
“I am a long-term investor so I am always thinking about the long term, but it’s good to reassess how your portfolio is positioned in the New Year,” she says. “I believe we are in a period of inflation and the Fed will need to raise rates. They have repeatedly told us they will do this. I think inflation will recede from the near 8% level it’s currently showing, but we will still have inflation. That tells me to be invested in low p/e stocks, like banks. I own JP Morgan, Citibank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley. In addition to having a low p/e, bank stocks do well in a rising rate environment.”
Also, market share is a really important thing to have if times get tough (and when times are good), Finerman explains. “For years, my largest position has been Alphabet (Google). The market share, strategic position, profitability of the company and the $100B plus cash hoard make it one of the most extraordinary businesses I’ve ever seen. They also have a lot of investments they call moonshots, and it wouldn’t be shocking if one or more of those become wildly valuable. Good luck!”
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Stephanie Howard, a senior technology industry sales and market strategy executive
“Historically, I’ve been more focused on investing in real estate and in stocks via my brokerage account, but recently, I’ve been looking for a way to diversify my portfolio and investment strategy. I’m currently keeping my eye on “Seed At The Table,” a 100% Black and brown-owned equity crowdfunding platform that caters to founders from marginalized communities because I want my investment to make an impact.”
Black women are the most underfunded of new entrepreneurs, despite being the largest demographic starting new businesses, according to Howard. “Investing outside of the stock market is a new journey, and equity crowdfunding is an opportunity to invest at scale in companies that struggle to get the funding they need to get started, while also learning from other investors more mature in this space. Seed At The Table allows me to invest in more than just a business, it allows me to invest with purpose.” For example, investors at Seed at The Table can invest in Row House Publishing, a woman-owned publishing company focused on highlighting marginalized authors and disrupting the publishing industry. “It is owned and operated by Rebekah Borucki, who became frustrated with the lack of representation in storytelling, and decided to branch out on her own. Through this campaign, she’s raised over $600k. It’s exciting that Seed At The Table has created space for more of these types of investment opportunities,” says Howard.
Dana Bull, a realtor and real estate investor
Dana has a 6-figure real estate investment “side hustle” on top of her regular job as a realtor (and mom of two little ones). She is currently 32; she started investing by “house hacking” at 22. She currently owns more than 20 units, spread across 7 properties, and her specialty is in small multi family homes (i.e., two or three families).
“Right now, I am big on buying well-located small multi-families (such as a duplex, triplex, or quad) in need of light cosmetic updating. Target properties are situated in residential areas near downtowns and ideally within commuting range of larger cities,” says Bull.
Location is key right now in order to capture the many renters who are in flux with their work. “These professionals still need to be close to the city for in-office meetings and hybrid work models, but want the benefits of moving further outside of the city to get more living space. Proximity to downtown or walkable amenities is still a priority, as many city dwellers are not ready to make a full leap to the suburbs,” says Bull.
With real estate prices being at an all-time high, Bull encourages buyers to purchase properties that offer value-add opportunities such as light cosmetic updating. Total fixer uppers, on the other hand, are not for the faint of heart. “Booking contractors and ordering materials is far more complicated than usual, with major delays and pricing spikes being seen due to supply chain problems,” says Bull.
Small multi-families are a great entry level strategy for those who want to get into real estate investing. “The barrier to entry is lower for these properties, both in terms of the experience level needed and wide availability of residential loans to fund them. These types of buildings are prevalent in several pockets across the country such as New England,” says Bull.
Alana Podrx, Founder and CEO of Eve Wealth HQ
Podrx’s first priority has always been to set up a strong foundation on passive strategy. She explains: She has a 6-month emergency fund, she auto-invests into low-fee index funds through a robo platform, she maximizes tax advantaged accounts, and she manages her real estate investment property.
“From there I dedicate ~20% of my portfolio for more active, experimental investing where I have experience, knowledge and can establish a point of view or have greater access to deal flow. I treat this like annual ‘tuition,’ it is a space for me to learn, take accountability, and give myself permission to take calculated risk, so it doesn’t all sit in cash losing to inflation,” says Podrx.
Podrx’s investment thesis for 2022 is around Planet Positive Web3 infrastructure. “The building blocks of society have never had a gender-based lens. With the emergence of web3 we have an opportunity for women to participate in how the future infrastructure is designed, built, and supplied. If you control the infrastructure, you control the container. And I hope we can change that word ‘control’ to ‘community’ in this next evolution. As an early settler in Web3, I’m excited to invest my time, energy and money into building a lasting economy that incorporates feminine-centered design,” says Podrx.
So what does this actually look like? “As a founder, the best investment you can make is in yourself. In 2022, most of my resources will be going into building EveWealth. We help women invest in a web3 world. Our members are part of investor circles that learn & invest together – across investments like crypto, real estate, angel investing, impact and more. Bound by shared values and incentives through a DAO – we create a destination for curated wealth building products, content, and community. As a collective we are all invested in the community’s success and can have greater reach and impact by scaling our content and connections. We help women find financial freedom, understand their portfolios, and connect to a community that supports them. Our network of 100+ expert contributors and role models, set the foundation to inspire financial wellness for the next 1-million+ women.”
As an active angel investor, advisor and contributor – she will be focused on core web3 infrastructure (e.g., low-code/no-code tooling, security/compliance, talent), functional/ yield generating NFTs, and decentralized finance (deFi). Early functional NFTs like the in-game characters (like Vox, Arties, Axies, Meebits, etc.), loyalty passes (like Recur), and InvestmentDAOs (like SquidDAO, Syndicate Protocol etc.) are exciting for her. “Within deFi, I still see opportunity to earn interest on my crypto assets with more passive centralized deFi through crypto investment accounts, more traditional deFi with LP staking on stablecoins or other ‘blue chip’ tokens, and thematic based exposure with crypto index funds like Index Coop Metaverse or DeFi Index fund. I focus a lot of my research on different layer 1 blockchains and scaling solutions. Otherwise, I support projects I like, and invest my time as a contributor. I am a member and contributor of DAOs including Index Coop, Seed Club HQ, and FWB,” says Podrx.
Wendy Diamond, CEO and Founder of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization
Diamond is an investor and advisor in social impact disruptive technologies and funds. For this year she says: “I’m excited to continue in 2022 to invest in impactful, disruptive technology companies and funds that are creating a better future for all!” says Diamond.
“In 2016, I brought Crypto and Blockchain into the agenda for my foundation Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization (WEDO). Bitcoin is the most important High Integrity Non Deflationary Financial Instrument ever created and it finally brings worldwide financial access and empowerment to 2.5 billion unbanked people who are mostly women! This is made possible by blockchain and smart contract technology that are immutable, transparent and traceable, enabling peer-to-peer secure transactions globally. I will continue to invest in funds with high integrity founders and work closely to ensure we empower women and create impact. Recently, I invested and now serve as an impact advisor for Perceptive Capital, where I connect the team with women entrepreneurs in the space! Exciting that one of Perceptive’s portfolio companies, PleasrDAO’s Doge NFT Community, just donated one million dollars to Save the Children to help Afghan children and families.” says Diamond.
Diamond is also passionate about animals. “I will always invest in supporting the underdog. There are 200 million cats and dogs in the US and two-thirds of all US families have a pet, but as pet parents, we need to do better! 54% of all our pets are overweight, diabetes has gone up 88% in dogs in the last 10 years and 80% of dogs have gum disease by age 3. As the founder of Animal Fair Media, the premiere pet lifestyle media company, I am personally interested in investing in disruptive technologies to enable our pets to live healthier and longer lives! I’m currently invested in the “23 and Me” for pet’ – basepaws,com as well as the healthiest dog treat microbiome company www.toothandtailz.com.”
Also, given that women-led startups received just 2.3% of VC Funding in 2020, Diamond is dedicated to supporting women founders via her work as founder of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization (WEDO).
More from HerMoney:
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