Women Leading The Finance Industry: The Container Store’s Maria Thereza On The 5 Things You Should Do To Increase Your Financial Literacy
An Interview With Jason Hartman
Build a nest egg — save!
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket — So, diversify your investments
Be patient to see your investments grow — markets have ups & downs
Don’t expect or attempt to become rich overnight — be aware of the risks and trade-off’s
Stay informed about what is happening in the market
As a part of our series about “Women Leading The Finance Industry”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Maria Thereza.
Maria Thereza is the SVP of Finance and Treasurer at The Container Store. She has a B.S. in Civil Engineering she obtained in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, where she was born and raised and received an MBA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She joined The Container Store in October 2022.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the finance field?
I actually began my career in Civil Engineering and was often performing financial analyses to support construction plans, while bringing an end-to-end assessment of the projects I was involved in. It was my love of math, combined with the passion to work with people from various teams, that led me into finance. From roles in Strategy and Credit Risk to Finance Operations and Financial Planning & Analysis, I’ve had a broad set of experiences in the Finance field across various industries, which have given me a different and rounded perspective.
Can you share with our readers the most interesting or amusing story that occurred to you in your career so far? Can you share the lesson or take away you took out of that story?
I like to think more of a collection of stories that make up my journey so far. I was in a Finance leadership role with a large multinational company with whom I had the opportunity to travel and present globally, from Mexico and England to Singapore and Malaysia. Those business trips were fascinating, as I got the chance to work across amazing cultures, appreciate the creativity with which other countries tackle challenges, witness new leadership styles and play a role in bridging cultures.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We are working on a lot of exciting projects on the Finance team at The Container Store — all geared towards supporting our growth! One thing that I am very energized about right now is focused on enhanced analytics in partnership with the Merchandising team. The project will unlock additional insights that will support our strategy, expand the ways we excite our customers, and continue to transform lives through the power of organization!
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
I think a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion makes The Container Store stand out. The Container Store is committed to doing everything we can, as individuals and as a company, to ensure that all of us, regardless of ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, ability, or religious affiliation have equal opportunity to grow, develop and achieve our dreams. As a Latin-American female executive, it has been refreshing to be part of an organization that has a diverse management team, as this representation models what is possible for the rest of the organization. This diverse mindset extends into how we train our employees. For example, within the first couple of weeks with the company, I had the opportunity to tour our stores, where I learned further about our products, visual strategies, operational store management and the daily culture geared at serving our customer base. The access to learning is a key differentiator and welcomes diverse ideas that grow from that shared knowledge.
Ok. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. Wall Street and Finance used to be an “all white boys club”. This has changed a lot recently. In your opinion, what caused this change?
Fortunately, organizations have a greater awareness of the biases and inequities in the industry, and many organizations are making changes to address these important issues. Additionally, studies continue to show how companies with a diverse employee and management base outperform their less diverse peers.
Of course, despite the progress, we still have a lot more work to do to achieve parity. According to this report in CNBC, less than 17 percent of senior positions in investment banks are held by women. In your opinion or experience, what 3 things can be done by a)individuals b)companies and/or c) society to support this movement going forward?
Generally speaking, women now have a seat at the table, but there’s still so much progress that needs to be made. Reflecting on my own career and experiences as a Latin-American female in finance, I’ve felt like the odd one out at times. For example, I am passionate about my work but used to be a bit timid to voice my opinion. One of my female mentors taught me to let go of that and to raise my hand. I have absorbed guidance given to me by female mentors and focused on honing my skills as a leader and finance expert, which went a long way to support my growth. Companies must work to assure continued efforts to have balanced slates of candidates when recruiting, as representation matters. And from a society point of view, this support can come in the form of intentional amplification of female achievements, which can continue to normalize female leadership styles and paint a picture for young girls that follow us.
Let’s now turn to a slightly new topic. According to this report in Fortune, nearly two-thirds of Americans can’t pass a basic test of financial literacy. In your opinion or experience, what is the cause of these unfortunate numbers? If you had the power to make a change, what 3 things would you recommend to improve these numbers?
The lack of financial literacy can be attributed to the fact that most people are not taught about finances growing up. Having knowledge about finance early on could help guide us to make decisions that set us up for success in the future, but schools do not include this in their cirriculum. Three things that can improve this picture are:
Added curriculum in schools to teach personal finances, it all starts with the individual.
Make basic financial education accessible to the population via podcasts.
Add video tutorials from banks and credit card companies with easy access to customers.
You are a “finance insider”. If you had to advise your adult child about 5 non-intuitive things one should do to become more financially literate, what would you say? Can you please give a story or example for each?
Build a nest egg — save!
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket — So, diversify your investments
Be patient to see your investments grow — markets have ups & downs
Don’t expect or attempt to become rich overnight — be aware of the risks and trade-off’s
Stay informed about what is happening in the market
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
A former boss of mine, for whom I worked for about three years, always demanded excellence from me — but also taught me a lot. He set the example and expectation to review documents and analyses that were not adjacent to my area of responsibility, but that broadened my understanding of the business, the function and my scope, helping me elevate my contributions by connecting more dots. He would dedicate time out of his busy days to discuss matters of leadership, managing business partners by establishing respect and keeping a healthy skepticism on business cases. It helped me see that when developing a team, we need to give team members room to fail and grow.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Bloom where you are planted” is a favorite quote from one of my earlier mentors. If you do good work and build relationships that matter to you, things will fall into place. Set that anxiety of life aside because things will play out okay. Also, start raising your hand earlier — not because of acceleration but to be heard and seen. Being seen will impact how you develop and grow, and I wish I had started doing that sooner.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 😊
A movement to provide financial education to all! This type of movement would ensure that people of all ages and backgrounds have access to resources that lead to educated financial decisions and set them up for success.
Thank you for the time you spent on this interview. We wish you only continued success.
About The Interviewer: Jason Hartman is the Founder and CEO of Empowered Investor. Jason has been involved in several thousand real estate transactions and has owned income properties in 11 states and 17 cities. Empowered Investor helps people achieve The American Dream of financial freedom by purchasing income property in prudent markets nationwide. Jason’s Complete Solution for Real Estate Investors™ is a comprehensive system providing real estate investors with education, research, resources and technology to deal with all areas of their income property investment needs. Through Jason’s podcasts, educational events, referrals, mentoring and software to track your investments, investors can easily locate, finance and purchase properties in these exceptional markets with confidence and peace of mind.
Starting with very little, Jason, while still in college at the age of 19, embarked on a career in real estate. While brokering properties for clients, he was investing in his own portfolio along the way. Through creativity, persistence and hard work, he earned a number of prestigious industry awards and became a young multi-millionaire. Jason purchased a California real estate brokerage firm that was later acquired by Coldwell Banker. He combined his dedication and business talents to become a successful entrepreneur, public speaker, author, and media personality. Over the years he developed his Complete Solution for Real Estate Investors™ where his innovative firm educates and assists investors in acquiring prudent investments nationwide for their portfolio. Jason’s sought after educational events, speaking engagements, and his popular “Creating Wealth Podcast” inspire and empower hundreds of thousands of people in 189 countries worldwide.
While running his successful real estate and media businesses, Jason also believes that giving back to the community plays an important role in building strong personal relationships. He established The Jason Hartman Foundation in 2005 to provide financial literacy education to young adults providing the all-important real world skills not taught in school which are the key to the financial stability and success of future generations. We’re in a global monetary crisis caused by decades of misguided policies and the cycle of financial dependence has to be broken, literacy and self-reliance are a good start. Visit JasonHartman.com for free materials and resources.
