Hey everyone!  We are back with another profile, and for those who are interested in money — from smart investments or building a business — read on!

Investment and the images of women of color may not be synonymous, but if Natalia Oberti Noguera has her way, that will change very soon.  Natalia is founder and CEO of Pipeline Fellowship, an angel investing boot camp for women philanthropists. The Pipeline Fellowship works to increase diversity in the U.S angel investing community and creates capital for women social entrepreneurs.  This is key as women seek to balance the tech industry. Natalia is a game-changer in this area and has some major insight to share!

Name: Natalia Oberti Noguera

Current Occupation: Founder & CEO, Pipeline Fellowship

Favorite Website: Twitter

2013’s Ultimate Goal: Add #morevoices to the table.

Quotations that govern your mission, inspire you, and are just awesome:

When you do the right thing, it may not pay immediately, but it does pay. –Luz Urrutia

Powerful leadership is about understanding that you belong there. –@CarlaHarris

[I]f you don’t have a seat at the table: Bring Your Own Chair. –@midyaponte

People think #feminism is just for women. No fool, feminism is for everybody. –@aminatou

Twitter Handle: @nakisnakis

Madame Noire:  Where are you from, Natalia,  and where did you attend college?

Natalia Oberti Noguera: I’m half-Italian, half-Colombian. My father used to work for the UN, so we moved around quite a bit while growing up, primarily in Latin America (Ecuador, Colombia, Honduras, Dominican Republic). Summers were often spent in the United States, as my maternal grandmother used to live in Pennsylvania. I went to Yale for college and double-majored in Economics and Comparative Literature.

MN:  What were you doing in your career before you started the Pipeline Fellowship?

NON: I built a network of women social entrepreneurs in NYC from about six women to over 1,200 members within two years.

MN: What events led you to start Pipeline Fellowship?

NON: Having the same conversation over and over: “It’s so hard to secure funding as a for-profit social venture.” [It] inspired me to launch the Pipeline Fellowship.

MN:  What have been the results to date for the organization. Why do you feel its important to have Pipeline in place?

NON: In 2011, only 12 percent of U.S. angel investors were women and only four percent were minorities, according to the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire. The Pipeline Fellowship works to increase diversity in the U.S angel investing community and creates capital for women social entrepreneurs. Since running our first angel investing boot camp in April 2011, the Pipeline Fellowship has trained fifty women and has expanded from New York City to Boston, as well as San Francisco, and plans to head to Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. Pipeline Fellowship alumnae have gone on to invest in their third and fourth startups, as well as launch accelerators and angel groups.

MN: Since you focus on women and diversity, I’d love to know if you felt you’ve ever been challenged due to gender and race. How did you handle it? And what might your suggestions be for other women facing similar situations?

NON: Last year, I was invited to judge a tech startup demo. Judges were asked to sit in the front row and that’s where I found myself when a guy told the guy next to him — loud enough for me to hear, however not directly addressing me — “I thought that only the judges were supposed to sit at the front.” I turned around and said, “And what makes you think that we’re not judges–because we’re women?”  My approach is to call out -isms. As an LGBTQ Latina, it can get tiring. However, after hearing Ruth Simmons, former President of Brown University, mention how important it is for us who speak up to continue to do so because others in the room might not realize that they have the right to do the same, I understood that burning out isn’t an option. If you’re wondering how to handle a situation, remember:

Some conversations are uncomfortable but also necessary.  They are so uncomfortable because they are so necessary. –Molly Lambert

Shutterstock

Just today, we pointed out that there are some things you’d be better off not spending a lot of money on. Instead, save the money on things that really matter.

But there are times when the higher price tag does actually equal higher overall value. While you may spend a little more now, in the end, the money will be well spent. So what are these things? We lay them out.

Image: MSNBC

-A survey from the Radio and Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) finds that minority hiring in the media increased in 2012. Minorities working on TV increased one percent to 21.5 percent, and on radio the figure went up four percent to 11.7 percent. Fox affiliates have the highest percentage of minorities (28.2 percent), NBC affiliates, the lowest at 17.4 percent. The number of African Americans is up a bit on TV to 10.2 percent. And on radio, up from 3.9 to 5.2 percent.

-Gawker has gotten its hands on more than 950 pages of financial statements, audits and other documents that reveal some of the secret investments and taxes paid by Mitt Romney and Bain Capital, the private equity firm he ran between 1984 and 1999/2002. We’re still working our way through it, but it’s kind of incredible so far. Separately, Rep. Paul Ryan (WI), the presumptive GOP VP candidate, has, over the past few days, been talking a bit more about economic and financial policy. Also, he likes asparagus.

-One-fifth of the world’s workers telecommutes, which is having an impact on corporate culture, an important factor for retaining talent, hiring and productivity. Tools are developing to foster culture digitally.

-Model Alek Wek made a trip home to what is now a free South Sudan. She recounts her journey out of Sudan as a teenager, her beginnings as a model in London and her work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for The Daily Beast.

-Someone opened fire outside of the Empire State Building this morning, shooting multiple people. The suspect was killed along with one bystander, according to NBC News. That network is also reporting that the gunman could have been a disgruntled Empire State worker. However, the investigation is ongoing. Some info here.

Image: Madame Noire

Women have incredible buying power, but they also have a great deal of anxiety about financial planning.

Studies show that with women increasingly taking a lead financial role in the home or contributing significantly to the household finances, they are having a bigger impact on the way that money is being spent. But women are still apprehensive about making decisions on how that money is invested.

Research cited by USA Today shows that 38 percent of women have “high or moderate” anxiety about retirement; only 12 percent say they have experience with investing; and only 12 percent have tolerance for financial risk.

“If we find ourselves in a position 15 years from now where the husbands start to pass away and the wife doesn’t know what to do in terms of managing money, there’s going to be a lot of bad decisions made, a lot of economic waste and a lot of scared people,” Justin Reckers, a certified financial planner told the newspaper.

A Prudential study cited by the paper shows that in 2012, with more than 1,400 women and 600 men surveyed, found that the majority are the “primary breadwinners” in their families. And for married women and those with partners, 22 percent make more than their men.

Sources in the story say that the financial services industry is still geared towards men and information needs to drop the gender stereotypes.

Women can also help themselves by being proactive about educating themselves in these matters. It’s not only good for you and your future, but that of your family as well.

Image: Hemera

-The Huffington Post takes a closer look at the deflating situation homeowners in foreclosure find themselves in. Back in February, the Obama administration and the nation’s five largest banks reached a $25 billion settlement to resolve “complaints of unlawful foreclosure practices.” Many say things haven’t changed despite the coming October deadline.

-Mitt Romney and President Obama are appealing to women and the working class  during their latest campaign stops. Romney attacked President Obama’s record on welfare.

-Feel like you’re working harder? The Labor Department says worker productivity was up 1.6 percent. That’s a modest figure, but if this keeps up, companies might have to hire. This is a bit of good news following the poor outlook of Monday’s jobs report.

-In Olympics news, Aly Raisman walked away with two more medals, a bronze on the balance beam and a gold medal on the floor exercise, making her the first American to win that individual competition. Gabby Douglas competed on the balance beam, but didn’t medal. Ever gracious, she said, “If it wasn’t my time to shine, it wasn’t my time to shine… I wanted to finish off on a good note. Event finals is something a little extra.” Love her.

Australia’s Sally Pearson beat out her American competitors to take the gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles. Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells, both from the U.S., took silver and bronze respectively. Lolo Jones didn’t medal again, prompting these very sad comments. And now this. Ugh. Allyson Felix competes in the 200-meter race today.

-USA Today offers tips to avoid purchasing a used car that’s been in a wreck.

-Resources for small businesses, and particularly black-owned businesses, are hard to come by. But TIME‘s Gary Belsky makes the argument that it’s a worthy investment.

More on Madame Noire Business!

• The Number of Black-Owned Businesses, and the Need for Resources, Is Growing
• Are You Pinning? Pintrest for Individuals, Small Businesses, and Big Brands
• Sticker Shock! Five Tips to Help You Pay for College
• Are Black Businesses Suffering From an Undeserved Rep for Bad Customer Service?
• How to Tackle Office Enemies
• Small Business Spotlight: Sweet Treats You Don’t Have to Feel Guilty About

From BlackEnterprise.com

Cindy McField-Asamoah views  herself as a minimalist. “I don’t carry a lot of makeup or other items in my purse. I have an iPad 2 that I sometimes carry, and a BlackBerry Torch that I carry everywhere.” The 37-year-old married New York real estate broker switches up her purses according to her outfits, but they’re all hobo style—large crescent-shaped handbags with a long strap. “I need a large handbag because I often travel with my son [2-year-old Kaleb].

I am carrying things for both of us.” A vice president with the Corcoran Group in Brooklyn, New York, she keeps her wallet or clutch organized. “It doesn’t have sections, but my money is grouped together in one area, my credit and debit cards are in another, and my receipts are all in another.”

Why should it matter what’s in McField-Asamoah’s handbag? Robin A. Young, a certified financial planner, says a “purse check” is one way women can do a quick financial assessment. Financial behavior often reflects how you feel about yourself, says Young, president of Women Behaving Wealthy in New York. Money is personal and emotional—and what you carry around every day says a lot about your relationship with it.

For more words about your money, visit BlackEnterprise.com.

More on Madame Noire!

• Happy Until They Got Married: Broken Celebrity Couples
• Training Day: Things You Should Never Have To Teach Your Man
• Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems: Mega Millions Winner Won’t Share Money With Lotto Pool
• Do You Go Too Hard For Your Favorite Celebrity?
• Uh Oh: Is Swizz Beatz Creeping With His Ex?
• Charlie Bell:Kenya’s Recklessly Spending My Money To Get Back At Me
• An Open Letter To Mary J. Blige Re: Her Buffoonish Burger King Commercial
• What Does It Really Mean To Think Like A Man?

By Makula Dunbar

Money matters such as earning and spending are easy concepts that those most far removed from finance careers understand. Though, in the middle ground – where organizing money, planning, strategizing and saving comes into play, many shy away. Coincidently, it is the combination of these practices – investing especially – that separates the wealthy from those who struggle at some point financially.

For African American women, understanding, most importantly jumping on the bandwagon – and taking the first steps toward investing – is a major contributor of living comfortably in the future. Simply put, investments can be any account, savings plan or fund set up to generate future wealth and stability.

Budgeting and Preparing to Invest

“I think the first piece of investing is saving an emergency fund. Somewhere between three to six months of your regular expenses,” says Janet Stanzak, a certified financial planner at Financial Empowerment. “It’s a cushion to have when things come up. Beyond that investment is a retirement plan.”

When Harrine Freeman landed a job just after graduating, an individual retirement account (IRA) was the last thing that she was considering. By the time she was a senior in college, she had overused 13 credit cards and garnered $19,000 in debt.

“I didn’t know who to go to or where to turn. I decided that I wanted pay off my debt, but it was a struggle because the creditors didn’t want to accept the payment I was providing,” said Freeman, now a financial counselor and founder of H.E. Freeman Enterprises.

“They sent the check back and I’d send it right back. Through my persistence they saw that I truly wanted to pay the debt back and after five months they decided to work with me. I put myself on a strict budget and I was able to pay it off in four years.”

Minimizing her expenses to just rent, debt and groceries, Freeman eliminated shopping, eating out and all other fun from her activities.

By Charlotte Young

Alphonse Fletcher Jr. is a man that knows how to play the financial game.

After his rise as a stock trader at the now defunct firm Kidder Peabody, he won $1.3 million in arbitration and started his own firm in 1991. From there, the New York hedge-fund manager boasted only of success. His company saw 300 percent-a-year returns and the flagship fund of Fletcher Asset Management held an 11-year record of monthly straight financial wins.

So when he approached three public pension boards in Louisiana in 2008 with an investment deal of a lifetime (12 percent a year returns) they jumped at the opportunity; ignoring misgivings and advice that the proposition was too good to be true.

The three boards invested $100 million designated for fire fighters and other public employees. But after a delay in their 2009 audit, two of the pension boards requested to withdraw $32 million. What they received in return were promissory notes assuring payment within two years.

Turns out Fletcher’s secret to the game is exploiting legal details. His flagship fund holds “preferred shares” in other Fletcher subsidies, gaining extra-bonuses whenever the market makes a gain and his feeder funds invest in one another. In addition the assets are often counted more than once.

Wall Street Journal’s investigation finds that though Fletcher reported $558 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission  in 2009 year-end total for assets under management, in reality he held about $198 million, most of which belonged to the Louisiana pension funds.

The public pension boards are “concerned” to say the least.  Looks like the investment deal of a lifetime may take a lifetime to access.

(Washington Post) — The most recent look at black financial habits comes from Prudential Financial, which released “The African American Financial Experience,” a survey that is part of the company’s research on multicultural markets.  Prudential found the same thing other financial companies have reported — that although a majority of African Americans want advice on saving and planning for retirement, many say they don’t know or can’t find a professional they can trust.  “Much of the hesitation seems to come from a lack of knowledge,” Prudential writes in its survey report. “Our survey revealed that the lower the level of knowledge respondents had about complex financial products, the lower the level of ownership of these products, the fewer adviser relationships, and the lower the level of industry trust.”

Read More…

(Huffington Post) — Where is the Black capital investment in high-growth entrepreneurs? There are many exciting business incubators and accelerators, like Plug and Play Tech Center in Silicon Valley, TechStars in Colorado,Jumpstart, Inc. in Ohio and many more across the nation. But where is such training, mentoring and investment within Black communities? Where is the investment in channels of access to capital for entrepreneurs? There are more than 500 angel and venture capital groups within the developed mainstream national infrastructure. But there are very few Black American groups. The Minority Angel Investment Network is such an effort. But where are collaborators to help it grow?  A recent rising star, H360 Capital, aims to address this virtually vacant space by raising $100 million in venture capital. How much more effective would its Black principals be in generating the funds they need if they received eager investments from thousands of high net worth Black Americans and collaboration with other like-minded groups?

Read More…