Are you super excited about the Tokyo Olympics kicking off this Friday? 

I’m particularly watching out for Athing Mu (track), A-ja Wilson (women’s basketball), Simone Biles (gymnastics), Simone Manuel (swimming). And, I will miss Sha’Carri Richardson! If you’re unsure who to keep tabs on or follow, check out this New York Times spread on 40 Athletes to Watch This Summer.

I get particularly pumped up for the Olympics because the games showcase what it means to strive toward excellence. Whether you're a sports fan or not, I think the Olympian quest to literally be the ‘best in the world,’ offers lessons to you and me. And, the Olympic games bring out both our collaborative and competitive spirit through a shared global community.  

What if you treated everyday with a belief that you want to strive for excellence and be the best in your daily pursuit, albeit professional or personal?

Would you make the most of each day?

Would you stand for things that matter and use your platform to inspire change?

And, could you create a community around you in your quest?

I am challenging you this week to tap into your Olympian energy so that you can be the best version of you and bring others along in the journey. 

And, you can use part of your Olympian energy to do what you need in your investment pursuits. I’ve received a lot of feedback from Charisse Says members that it is sometimes hard to truly take action on some of their investment goals. 

Well, you have the perfect environment to help you take action right now as it relates to your potential stock investments. We are heading into earnings season, which always creates volatility in the market, which means opportunity for buying and selling. Even in the midst of some uncertainty of a COVID-19 Delta variant across the globe and disruptions in the U.S. labor market, there still lies opportunity. The tech sector has been on a book, for example. 

What investments have you been holding back from making?

Is it individual stocks, ETFs, mutual funds in your brokerage account or retirement account, crypto, or shares of individual companies through trading platforms like Robinhood. Will you consider buying on the dips in this market environment? 

I am particularly interested in stocks like Beyond Meat that are leading the curve in new trends and innovation, but also took a toll in the middle of the pandemic and has been aggressively trying to boost its supermarket presence.

Also, I eat a lot of Beyond Meat products since my husband is a pescatarian, and I’ve actually enjoyed the taste of most of them (after adding some seasonings). CEO Ethan Brown is building a global protein company and believes that consumers will choose food options like his where consumers will say ‘This tastes like meat, it’s better for my body and I could pay less for it.’ according to an interview he gave in the WSJ.  

Make sure you are prepared to take action in your portfolios. 

A Wealthy Girl Corner

Over the past few weeks, I have reflected on what happened to Nikole Hannah-Jones, and her quest for tenure at UNC-Chapel Hill. If you haven’t been following or need a refresher, you can read Nikole’s full statement about declining to come to UNC-Chapel Hill. I admire her work, especially the New York Times The 1619 Project. Nikole is the epitome of ‘A Wealthy Girl’ because of her own strive for excellence, the working of her craft, and desire to create wealth in her life and others through a tenured position. That said, powerful and dominant white institutions wanted to deny access to her opportunity in spite of her qualifications. One of my favorite lines from her statement is: 

“At some point when you have proven yourself and fought your way into institutions that were not built for you, when you’ve proven you can compete and excel at the highest level, you have to decide that you are done forcing yourself in...For too long, Black Americans have been taught that success is defined by gaining entry to and succeeding in historically white institutions. I have done that, and now I am honored and grateful to join the long legacy of Black Americans who have defined success by working to build up their own.”

I agree wholeheartedly with Nikole’s statement and it resonates so much of how I believe you should define your true wealth. Remember what I said in my book, A Wealthy Girl: 

“I am tired of being exclusively defined by the same systems and structures that have historically tried to prevent me, a young Black female, from fairly participating in the traditional accumulation of wealth. Most Western cultures were built on imperialist systems and structures of patriarchy, sexism, racism, and classism that have tried to put me in a box. I want to break that box wide open. Why chase a single standard that never entirely had me or you in mind anyway?”

We should be celebrating Nikole’s #WealthyGirl actions. 

You can look to Nikole for inspiration in your own wealth journey!