I had the privilege of attending a conference this week in Austin that focused on women and investing. The title was as expected, Women Investing in Women, and it was put on by the FUND Conference. It was not really about investing in stocks, but it definitely tied in to our focus on emerging trends and our changing world, so I wanted to talk this week about what I learned and how it could ultimately affect our investing. The conference focused on women putting money into privately owned companies led by other women. My biggest takeaway from the conference was that women-led companies are definitely the hot trend in startups.

One mega-trend that investors simply can’t afford to ignore is the millennials. It literally doesn’t get more “next generation” than that! You’ve probably heard plenty about this group, and it might not all have been good. Millennials tend to get a bad rap for being entitled, dependent on their parents and tech-obsessed. But this group is also resourceful, creative and entrepreneurial-minded. After all, these are the people who made blogging into a more lucrative career than banking! Any investor who dismisses the importance of millennials to the economy and the stock market is crazy.