Is The Way You Talk About Money Fatphobic? | These Latinx Founders Raised $30 Million To Help Families Find Eldercare | And More

Plus: 3 Nonverbal Cues You Can Use To Be More Persuasive

Happy 2022, everyone! I hope the year is off to as good a start as can be for you, and that you were able to take some sort of a break over these last two weeks.

Longtime readers of this newsletter may recall that I’m no fan of New Year’s resolutions—I much prefer the idea of setting goals, or intentions, whenever you feel motivated to do so—but I do want to talk about two January buzzwords: budgets and dieting. And specifically, whether the way you talk about your finances invokes diet culture or fatphobia.

ForbesWomen contributor Virgie Tovar recently interviewed certified financial planner Landon Tan about the ways in which personal finance can invoke fat shaming—consider phrases like “tighten your belt,” “trim the fat from your budget,” or even “money makeover.” Or, think about the emphasis on personal choices as a way out of a situation that is too often shaped by systemic imbalances. 

“The idea that dollars are like calories, budgeting is a diet, and financial advisors are personal trainers is wrong, but I hear it all the time from people in the industry,” Tan says. “Weight loss is triggering for many people and especially traumatic for fat people… It just does not need to be invoked in financial planning.”

Cheers to that!
Maggie

P.S.: This newsletter was on a break when writer Joan Didion and comedian Betty White passed away in December, but like so many of their fans around the globe, we at ForbesWomen are reflecting on their legacies with appreciation and fondness.

ICYMI: Stories From The Week

Elizabeth Holmes, the former Theranos CEO who was accused of defrauding investors, doctors and patients who used her company’s blood testing machines, was found guilty on four counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud Monday.

Famed stock picker Cathie Wood of $60 billion (assets) Ark Invest kicked off 2022 by doubling down on some of her favorite growth stocks, looking to bounce back after her funds widely underperformed the market last year.

After reaching new highs in 2020, the percentage of women directing top-grossing films declined in 2021. According to a new report, women made up 12% of directors working on the 100 top-grossing films in 2021, down from 16% in 2020. 

We have two pieces of funding news from companies built for children: Little Otter, a digital mental health company for kids founded by mother-daughter duo Rebecca Egger and Dr. Helen Egger, has raised a $22 million Series A round of funding to better fuel growing demand for its services. Yumi, a subscription baby food services, announced a $67 million Series B in late December. 23andme cofounder and CEO Anne Wojcicki participated in the round, which brings the company’s total funding to $79 million.

A recent Netflix ratings update had an interesting factoid: Sandra Bullock had two of the movies in the top seven, making her the streamer’s top movie star.

Check List

#1: Defend democracy. On the first anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, companies can recommit to defending democracy by pulling funding from politicians who reject the results of the 2020 election and speaking out against voter suppression laws.

#2: Stop multitasking. This is one of three very good tips from one neuroscientist on how to maximize productivity in the new year.

#3: Identify whether you have imposter syndrome. We know that imposter syndrome can hold you back in the workplace, but the first step towards combating it is determining which of its counterproductive behaviors you might be displaying.

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