My 3 reasons why listening can make you money.
As a teenager growing up in L.A. with my single mother, I had no choice but to be responsible and independent.
If I didn’t make my orthodontist appt, then my braces would stay on forever.
If I didn’t manage my weekly allowance, then I wouldn’t be able to go to lunch with my friends.
If I didn’t help my mother write out her checks to pay her monthly bills, then the landline phone might not have worked.
This taught me to be mature at a very young age.
I wore the look of responsibility. Kids told my friends I looked old for my age.
However, there was a big problem with this independence that I didn't realize until much later in my life.
I didn’t listen. I thought I knew it all.
I made it this far on my own (in my 20s).
So why would I need anyone else’s advice?
Or why could anyone care enough about me to advise me?
- Failure to listen and care enough about someone else’s story, cost me a nice relationship with an old boyfriend back in business school.
- Failure to listen also meant not knowing what to do with my career which cost me time and money.
- Failure to listen also doesn’t let you connect with people and discover new investment opportunities.
When I started to listen, I mean, really listen, to people’s stories, magic happened. Here's why....
1. I didn’t love investment banking and wanted to do something different in finance. Listening to an old boyfriend about the reasons he wanted to move to the buy-side helped me explore this opportunity for myself.
2. Shared with a new friend Marc at Business Coach Atlantic over breakfast a couple of years ago about a huge loss at work. Marc then told me I should start my own firm. I listened to him.
3. I listened to an assistant about why she loved #lululemon in 2013 way before anyone had heard of the company. I bought the stock.
People can see things you can’t.
Listening to people helps you connect, deeply understand where they are coming from, and it can help you generate ideas about what is possible and draw connections to new ideas.
This helps you learn, grow and make more money in ways you can’t do independently.
When we don’t listen, it hurts.
My son talks a lot and he knows I tune him out sometimes.
To show me how much it hurts him when I don’t listen, he broke down in tears.
As an investor, I’m constantly looking at the world around me, talking to people, reading and searching for ideas, connections and opportunities.
It’s fun to have the world and people to help us connect the dots and continue to grow.
Join me on my journey and let's discover new stories and ideas.
Thank you to Zachary Isenberg for posting photos from #beverlyhillshighschool yearbook on FB!!
Tiffany Kent, CFP ®
Wealth Engagement LLC
3715 Northside Parkway Bldg 100, Ste 500
Atlanta, GA 30327
Office: 404-795-6124 or 917-826-5955
Schedule an appointment: Book a call with me!