My name is Veronica (aka Vee) and I love learning about money and what people do with it! My journey in finance started over 9 years ago when I was just 18 and had been out of high school for a few months. I was working as a cashier at Dollar Tree and quickly realized I wanted to work somewhere where I could earn more money and have the opportunity to grow my career. I was just starting college, though, so I couldn’t commit to a full-time job.
I applied to Bank of America and soon was hired as a part-time teller. I worked there for over 5 years as I went through college and honestly loved it. Working as a teller, I got a chance to meet so many people and learn things that I still apply in my everyday work-life. One of the most important things that I got from the bank was an insight on people and how they managed their money. It was what really sparked my interest to pursue a career in Finance.
While working at Bank of America, I went to school full-time and eventually got my Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). During my time at CSUF, I was part of the Applied Security Analysis Program where a team of students managed an endowment fund for the University (college kids managing real money, I know scary). I graduated from CSUF, left the bank, and now work at a Wealth Management firm where I get to do what I love every day — it’s pretty awesome!
One thing that I learned early on was how underrepresented women are in Finance. Only about 30% of U.S. Financial Advisors are women! Do I think everyone reading this should become a Financial Advisor? No! I do, however, think everyone reading this should know more about finance, specifically their own money.
All of this brings me to this blog. I started Vee Makes Cents with the goal of making cents (see what I did there?) of money and finance for you.