No one explained a 401(k) to Anita Battle. She had to ask a coworker, copy what the coworker did, and hope it worked out.

In this conversation with host Syama Bunten on Getting Rich Together, human-centered leadership expert and board director Anita Battle talks about financial literacy for women of color and what gets lost when families never talk about money.

Anita grew up in Oakland wanting to be a lawyer, then became a teacher instead. She later became the first woman of color in national sales at a major telecom company, learned golf because that is where deals happened, and saved her commissions while colleagues bought boats. Her path into financial literacy for women of color started with basic 401(k) advice for beginners and grew into hard-won money lessons for first-generation professionals with no family blueprint to follow.

Anita also describes becoming her mother's caregiver. She explains how to prepare financially for caregiving long before it becomes urgent, and she offers guidance on trusts versus wills in estate planning, especially for homeowners in California. She also covers taking early retirement for women in corporate America, something she pulled off herself at 50.

Financial literacy for women of color has to be visible to spread. If you never see anyone who looks like you, the bridge stays broken. Wealth Catalyst exists to build that bridge. Find a salon at wealthcatalyst.com/salons or join the Wealth Catalyst Summit in San Francisco on October 16.

 

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Growing Up in Oakland and Early Money Lessons

03:49 Choosing Law, Then Choosing Teaching Instead

05:56 A Full-Ride Scholarship to Loyola Marymount

15:23 Breaking Into Telecom at GTE

17:41 Learning About 401(k)s as a First-Gen Professional

23:40 First Woman of Color in National Sales

29:21 Taking Early Retirement at 50

33:35 Becoming Her Parents' Full Time Caregiver

40:18 Pensions, Stock Vesting, and Retirement Surprises

48:16 Travel, Theater, and Giving Back Through Mentorship

Find more from Syama Bunten:

Your money story may be shaping your financial life more than you realize. After hundreds of conversations with women at all stages of their financial lives, Syama distilled the questions that helped her understand her own patterns into The Money Story Reset, a free guide featuring five guided reflections and personal stories from her journey.

Download The Money Story Reset and begin uncovering the beliefs behind your financial decisions.

 

Attend a Salon near you: wealthcatalyst.com/salons

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Join Syama's Substack: https://thewealthcatalystwithsyama.substack.com/

Website: https://wealthcatalyst.com

Download Syama's Free Resources: https://wealthcatalyst.com/resources

Wealth Catalyst Summit: https://wealthcatalyst.com/summits

Speaking: https://syamabunten.com

Big Delta Capital: www.bigdeltacapital.com

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