Make That $$$
Emma Grede & Martha Stewart Want You To Start Saving ASAP
Women aren’t talking about their bank accounts enough. A lineup of smart investors came together change that.
No matter who you are, money can be a particularly difficult topic to broach, but it’s an incredibly important one — especially for women. When it comes to personal finance, there’s a gap between genders. According to SoFi’s 2026 Today’s Money, Tomorrow’s Wealth report, while 83% of women report having some kind of investment account, on par with the 93% of men, they are far less likely to engage in self-directed investing, with only 40% of women saying they makes self-directed investments, compared to 63% of men. That can translate to missing out on thousands of dollars (or tens or hundreds of thousands, if not more) over the course of their lives, putting their future plans, from home ownership to retirement, as risk.
There’s too much on the line for women to avoid talking about money. That’s why, on Friday, Oct. 2, SoFi hosted the inaugural Smart Money Social Club event in New York City. The day-long conference is the first IRL installment of the special event series, aiming to improve financial literacy, and help people of all walks of life feel empowered in their financial choices.
At the inaugural event, SoFi brought an impressive lineup of women to talk about how they learned to manage their own money — including Good American cofounder and CEO and SKIMS founding partner Emma Grede (cofounder of Good American, CEO and founding partner of SKIMS), and the world’s first female self-made billionaire, Martha Stewart.
Talking $$$
Kyla Scanlon, a creator and New York Times-bestselling author of In This Economy?, has made a name for herself by breaking down complex ideas about money and markets, making them accessible for all audiences. Scanlon opened the Win With Women event with a presentation addressing the confidence gap between men and women when it comes to personal finances, explaining how not taking action now can impact women’s financial futures.
Next up: a live recording of The Important Part podcast, hosted by SoFi’s chief marketing strategist, Liz Thomas, featuring Grede and Rebecca Patterson, an independent director at Vanguard and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. The guests spoke about how they built the confidence needed to tackle their finances head-on — from Grede growing up in a single-mother household in East London, and overcoming her dyslexia to become an entrepreneur, to Patterson figuring out how to head her own trading floor for the first time during the 2008 financial crisis.
Money Moves With Martha
The highlight of the day was a surprise appearance from Martha Stewart. The TV host, entrepreneur, and former stockbroker joined Vivianne Tu, SoFi’s chief of financial empowerment and the founder and CEO of Your Rich BFF, for an episode of Richer Lives. Stewart emphasized the importance of taking risks, and aiming for action — not perfection. The most important step in investing is the very first one, and Stewart recommends taking it as soon as possible.
Stewart wrapped up the conversation by sharing the best piece of advice she’s ever received, passing along a lesson from her father: “You can do anything you want if you apply yourself.” That includes saving for your future.
