In Focus

Ladies With Options

This past weekend the Chicks all got together in San Francisco for our bi-annual meeting. We came from Arizona, California, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Canada. We pretty much spread across the fifty-nifty United States and our sister to the North. Why would anyone in their right mind fly from Atlanta to San Fran to meet a bunch of women who up until three years ago, they didn't even know? To make matters seem even crazier, why would they want to stay in the same house as these other women?

It's unexplainable... until Chick Susie gave me this book called Ladies With Options.

I was in St. Louis last week for the Midwest leg of the book tour. Susie and I did some media interviews and a book signing. The next morning she handed me this book and said, "You have to read this. It's us. It's intelligently written, funny, and I swear the author has been spying on us Chicks."

Now you have to understand Susie, or I should say, try to understand Susie. She is our strictly business Chick. Susie doesn't cry. Oh wait, she did a year ago. Susie isn't schmaltzy. You don't tell Susie how much she means to you and how lucky you are that she's your friend and expect a hug. But, if you told Susie that you've been friends for exactly 9 years and eight months and it's been great, she'll correct you and say it's been 9 years, ten months. Susie is careful, calculated and smart. She doesn't say or do something without thought.

This book gift baffled me. And then she suggested that everyone in the club read it. Remember, I'm the Chick whose book list is at the way other end of the spectrum from Susie's. She reads business books, political books, history books and spy novels. She doesn't read fluff. I was worried, but curious, so I stuck my nose in.

Ladies With Options by Cynthia Hartwick is just about the most hysterically funny, real-life fiction book I've ever read. It's the story of the Mostly Methodist Investment Club from Minnesota. The women are frustrated after years of men in their life handling their money so they decide to start an investment club. Having no idea how to invest, they invite expert after expert to speak to the club. A couple of months into the club they realize that their brains are as good as anybody's and they start buying stocks in companies they know and research.

But that is only a small peanut of what the book is really about. The glue that keeps them together, and keeps the book moving, is the personal side. True, they got rich together, but they also loved each other. They were from every walk of life and every age and they were there for each other in every possible situation that could arise. Divorce, death, family struggles, boyfriends, lack of boyfriends, and career hassles. The personalities were all a little off center, but crucial to the whole make-up of the club. There was a character in the book by the name of Deborah. She is our Chick Julie. Early in the book, young Skye becomes the new member in the club. Skye has pink hair. The Mostly Methodist (and polite) Chicks choose to ignore the pink hair and be cordial... until Deborah walks in. Deborah looks at Skye and says, "What's up with the hair? Don't tell me that any of you didn't notice!"

That's Julie. The other day when I asked the club if they really wanted to see the video tape of my television interviews even though they had already heard me speak publicly three times over the weekend, Julie chimed in, "Yeah, we'll watch. We'll just put it on mute."

This past weekend was personality extravaganza, and not one is greater than the other. Lynn is our go-go-go Chick and will throw up at the words "meeting-time." Lynn cannot sit for more than ten minutes. My mom is business, cautious, and funny. Megan is pregnant, but somehow has managed to retain a few brain cells to add intelligence. Cheryl is our cheerleader Chick, always restating an idea to make it look rosier. Lorene cries. She starts to talk, and cries. (Not the easiest time in her life right now, so we let her.) Jana is the "all over the board" Chick. She jumps on a new idea seconds before she hops ship to the next idea. Kristin is organized and sentimental, sometimes stopping mid-sentence to re-clarify her feelings about all of her sister Chicks. I'm a lot like Jana, but she is my real-life sister. I love all the ideas, and wish we could implement them all! (I also look for the fastest route to the refreshments.)

The book is about life and incorporating your investment future into being a part of your life. It's about being a Mostly Methodist Chick, the whole story. Being in a club is not just about portfolio returns. It's not just about finding good companies and buying stock in them. It's not only about putting $50 away every month for your future. It's about being a lady with options. Capitalize on them!