The Devil Wears Prada

In the movie, The Devil Wears Prada (Directed by David Frankel and produced by Wendy Finerman), the main character Andy played by Anne Hathaway feels like she is failing.

She approaches the art director Nigel, played by Stanley Tucci, and complains she is breaking her back.

Nigel asks, “Are you really?”

Then it hits her, she wasn’t walking the walk, that catwalk.

She asks Nigel for help. She amps up her wardrobe, which then helps Andy earn the respect of the girls around her and her boss.

As a senior at UC Berkeley, I wanted to work at an investment bank.

But my interviews were a disaster.

• I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been,

• Said some stupid things, and

• Was even hung over during one of my biggest interviews ever.

Needless to say, I didn’t get an offer.

So I took a job in finance at The Walt Disney Company, making me return to L.A., which was exactly WANT I DIDN’T WANT.

While at Disney and I somehow caught a break. A friend invited me to a closing dinner with Managing Directors from Credit Suisse First Boston. I chatted, I followed up, and I figured out how to add value. CSFB hired me to be an Analyst a few weeks later!!

Fast forward to when I was in my 40s, I was miserable. I was going through the motions of life, family, and job. Like Andy, working hard but not feeling like I was going anywhere.

Where did my fire go? Where did my spark go?

Then I discovered The Secret.

At the beginning of COVID, my daughter, Alexandra, tells me to read the book, The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne. (Happy 16th Birthday Alexandra!!)

The book quotes Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right,” emphasizes how much attitude determines success or failure.

The negative part of The Secret is what you don't want also becomes your reality.

I didn't want to go back L.A. when I graduated, but that's exactly what happened.

The Law of Attraction is about getting what you want. When you go after what you want, your energy goes towards achieving that goal. The universe opens up to you and helps you.

Why else did I get invited to that closing Dinner?

As we think about 2023 and goal setting, let’s get specific about what we want;

what does success look like to you?

For me? I want to continue to focus on:

- strengthening my relationships (friends, clients, kids and husband)

- continue to generate good investment performance and

- keep improving my writing skills.

Relationships are key. The more you serve others, others might want to help you.

Writing is a talent that will keep on compounding.

It helps me go through the following:

- deeper into the story and analysis,

- reflect,

- teaches me to think through insights and

- hopeful to engage you through a story.

The secret to getting what you want isn’t hard, it requires you to define what you want and then go after your dreams.

The photo is of my daughter playing dress-up. ;-)

Happy Holidays!

Your Friendly Wealth Engagement Guide,

Tiffany Kent

Tiffany@wealthengagement.com

Disclosures: Past performance is not indicative of future results. This material is not financial advice or an offer to sell any product. The information contained herein should not be considered a recommendation to purchase or sell any particular security. Forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed.

This commentary offers generalized research, not personalized investment advice. It is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a complete description of our investment services or performance. Nothing in this commentary should be interpreted to state or imply that past results are an indication of future investment returns. All investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to consult with an investment & tax professional before implementing any investment strategy. Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.