October 7, 2019 – Women and Investment Habits

On October 7^th, Monica Elvira of PIMCO and Lydia Jun of J.P. Morgan organized and hosted the last WIPN NYC Chapter of the year to unite women across generations and industries around the topic “Women and Investment Habits”. Alison Cooke Mintzer, Editor-in-Chief, of PLANSPONSOR moderated a panel featuring top female leaders within the finance sector, Christine Long, Head of Defined Contribution Marketing at PIMCO, Maura Coolican, Managing Director, Head of Retirement at Morgan Stanley and Samantha Azzarello, Global Market Strategist, at J.P. Morgan.

The interactive panel provided a fresh and candid look on this subject which is often raised by financial professionals.The audience learned the cultural shifts of investing responsibilities within the traditional household and discussed why women tend to shy away from investments. The panel discussed the technological and legislative developments in the space to encourage investing.

Personal stories of women from and outside the retirement industry about their understanding of money were shared during the panel and networking over drinks and light appetizers. Importantly, panelists and audience offer solutions for taking ownership over personal budgeting and finances, such as the Employee Assistance Program. The panel was coordinated through the support of Serendipity Labs, Sing for Hope, J.P. Morgan Asset Management and T. Rowe Price.

3rd Annual “Cruisin’ for a Cause”

On Wednesday, July 24th, the New York City chapter of Women in Pensions Network celebrated the summer on a sunset boat cruise on the Hudson. Lydia Jun of J.P. Morgan Securities, Monica Elvira of PIMCO and Val Ferrara of Wilmington Trust organized the 3rd annual co-ed Women in Pensions NYC’s “Cruisin’ for a Cause”. The 80 attendees from the retirement industry raised money as well as shared awareness around the two nonprofits, Restore NYC and 4.01k Race for Financial Fitness™ – New York City.

The following firms kindly sponsored the gathering: American Century, BlackRock, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Franklin Investments, Lord Abbett, MassMutual, MetLife, T. Rowe Price and Wilmington Trust.

If you’d like to get involved with Restore NYC, visit www.restorenyc.org or contact Fay Sardjono ([email protected]) or Elizabeth Kim ([email protected]). One exciting opportunity to highlight is their 10th Anniversary Freedom Gala, which will take place on September 12 at Pier Sixty. If you’d like to get involved with 4.01k Race for Financial Fitness™ – New York City, please visit www.401krace.com or contact Allie Rivera ([email protected]).

Women in Finance Delivering Social Impact – May 8, 2019

The New York City chapter of Women in Pensions Network hosted by Monica Elvira and Lydia Jun welcomed women from various industries at P.S. Kitchen to moderate a panel of inspiring women who give back to the community of New York City and across the world. We were fortunate to hear April, Barbara and Sylvia walk us through their missions, share the impact of their volunteering, discuss the challenges that can arise and determine which organization is the best fit for us. We also had the opportunity to network over lunch and share experiences of other nonprofit organization and their involvement in the NYC area.

The “Women in Finance Delivering Social Impact” event featured the three female executive panel:

• April Tam Smith, Managing Director of Equity Derivatives – co-founder of P.S. Kitchen, a vegan restaurant which donates 100% of its proceeds to nonprofits including Restore NYC, Justice Rising, ShareHope and Sing for Hope
• Barbara Delaney, Principal, StoneStreet Advisor Group – a teacher of a financial literacy class at Aquinas High School in Bronx, NY
• Sylvia M. Alvariño, Director of the Americas, Insurope Services, Inc. – a board member of Trekking for Kids, a non-profit focused on organizing purpose-driven treks

 We’d like to extend our thanks to the following sponsors: OppenheimerFunds Alger, ADP, and Janus Henderson Investors.

March 28th: Washington Update and Networking over Coffee with Brian Graff

The New York City chapter of Women in Pensions Network hosted by Monica Elvira and Lydia Jun welcomed forty women from various parts of the retirement fund industry at the J.P. Morgan’s board room. The audience listened to Brian Graff, CEO of the American Retirement Association, provide updates from Washington D.C. The audience had many questions and considerations around the policies in discussion which included the proposed Wall Street Tax Act and Multiple Employer Plan bill. Transamerica sponsored coffee and snacks as the professional women interacted and exchanged contact information and learned more about each other’s professions in the retirement fund industry.