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The Bank that Stood the Test of Time and Tides

On December 26th, 1993, Robert Gaughen took over Hingham Institution for Savings as CEO during a tumultuous time for the bank. A former Hingham president was arrested on charges that the illegally approved loans costing the bank millions, and for which he allegedly received $240,000 in illegal payments.  The bank was also underperforming. Non-Performing Assets were $9.4 million in 1992, 6.2% of assets, which were quickly reduced by 90% to $0.9 million, 0.62% of assets, in 1994, and only continued to improve from there. Asset quality is critical to the survival of a bank, and along with these improvements, Hingham began paying a dividend in 1994.  *Source: Hingham Institution for Savings’s 1994 Annual Report  Over the next 26 years, the company’s loan quality improved, its branch network expanded outside of Hingham, Massachusetts, and Book Value per Share grew 14 times. The company’s share price has grown 15.6% per year (including dividends).  *Hingham Institution for Savings’s 2018 Ann
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Lighthouse: Women Leading the Way in Finance

I am pleased to announce that my second book, Lighthouse: Women Leading the Way in Finance , is published! It is currently available on Amazon as a paperback and eBook. See below for book reviews: "Lighthouse is a must-read for anyone looking for inspirational female role models in finance. Through a series of in-depth personal interviews, Maya reveals the real-life struggles and strategies of women who overcame obstacles to succeed in a male-dominated industry, on their own terms." — Rupal Bhansali, CIO of International and Global Equities, Ariel Investments, Author of Non-Consensus Investing "Lighthouse is filled with women who bet on themselves and beat the odds to make successful careers. This book is a great way to learn from leaders in their field." — Annie Duke, Author of Bestselling Book, Thinking in Bets , and Former Professional Poker Player "Lighthouse: Women Leading the Way in Finance is not just about the success of women lea
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Alyce Lomax: A Lighthouse And A SRI Champion

Lighthouses in Alyce’s Words “I would say a lot of my current and former Motley Fool colleagues are lighthouses, but if I have to pick one person, it would be my mom. She has always believed in me and has been so proud of my accomplishments but also at times has steered me in ways that I might not have gone on my own. Granted, I don't always do what she thinks I should—me interviewing at start-ups in people's houses used to freak her out when I was in my twenties. That whole concept was so new back then and older generations were used to people working for one company all their lives and then retiring with a pension. Still, she is always my biggest cheerleader and defender and at times, makes me step back and think of things in a different way.” From 1988 until 1992, Alyce attended St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where she majored in language and literature. Although that was a formative experience that molded much of her life, for personal reasons, she withdrew f
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Monsoon Pabrai Prevailing with Force

Lighthouses in Monsoon’s Words “My lighthouse would be knowing when I am not happy, finding my purpose. When you are not having fun, something is wrong. My family is my lighthouse. They helped me to realize I was not happy and try something else.” Monsoon Pabrai, is like her name: she prevails with force. She was born into the world of finance. Her father, fund manager Mohnish Pabrai, tried to encourage Monsoon and her sister to be as fascinated with investing as he is. She graduated from the University of California Berkeley in 2017, but don’t let her short career fool you. Monsoon is the current marketing and community lead at Coral Labs, a start-up company. Prior to working at Coral Labs, she was an investment analyst intern at the UCLA Foundation and worked as a research analyst for Dalton Investments. During dinner, if her father was excited about a recent investment, he would break it down for Monsoon and her sister. She became curious and wanted to invest on her o
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Blocking Out the Noise with Denise Strack

Lighthouses in Denise’s Words “In looking back, several women have acted as a lighthouse for me over the years. Starting with a high school math teacher, to a college professor, my first boss, and several other amazing women that have mentored and supported me throughout my career. Each brought their authentic selves to work every day – embracing career, family, and community. I am forever grateful for their leadership and support, and I hope I can do the same for others in the future.” Denise was born into a multigenerational family of farmers in Ohio. Her grandfather traded commodities like corn and soybeans, so, although he did not have a college education, he traded to protect his crop from commodity price changes. Denise’s interests in high school, however, were not agricultural. Her passion was in math and science due to two teachers that pushed her passion: Ms. Chambers, her calculus teacher, and Mr. Merryweather, her biology teacher. Throughout high school, she
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Building Your Own Moat With Heather Brilliant

Below is another excerpt from my book, "Lighthouse: Women Leading the Way in Finance," that comes out in April 2020.  To me, a lighthouse guides boats in the sea. Its light provides warning of potential hazards along with the comfort of not feeling alone in the vast ocean. My new book is a compilation of female lighthouses in finance: their education, career paths, and struggles. The variety of experience and expertise provides each reader with one or more lighthouses to guide their journey and make them not feel so alone. I am grateful to them for sharing their stories.  It highlights many women in finance professions.  Lighthouses in Heather’s Words “For the first five to eight years of my career, I benefited from the mentorship of Bill Andersen, former portfolio manager at Driehaus [Capital Management], where I worked. He is now the founding principal of Ranger International, and we stay in touch to this day. Bill was so helpful thinking through my different career
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Vicki Saunders's Farm Dreams of Empowering Female Entrepreneurs Comes True

Below is an excerpt from my book, "Lighthouse: Women Leading the Way in Finance," that is coming out in April. To me, a lighthouse guides boats in the sea. Its light provides warning of potential hazards along with the comfort of not feeling alone in the vast ocean. My new book is a compilation of female lighthouses in finance: their education, career paths, and struggles. The variety of experience and expertise provides each reader with one or more lighthouses to guide their journey and make them not feel so alone. I am grateful to them for sharing their stories.  Lighthouses in Vicki’s Words “I have many lighthouses. I am struck by wisdom and truth-telling so when I hear someone say something that wakes me up I collect it and add it to my list. I'm a synthesizer. I feel like I've been following the breadcrumbs one by one and someday it will all be clear. There is no one thing. It's a series of books, articles, conversations, relationships, tuning into sub
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