Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland Discusses Education in Africa

For Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland, it's difficult to overstate the importance of education for women in developing countries. Women who do not have the opportunity to learn and grow are often forced to take menial jobs in their communities, and they're also subjected to a wide array of indignities, including a restriction on voting rights and personal liberties. In her philanthropic work, Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland has seen the impact of education on the lives of women in India. Now, she'd like to do the same for women in Africa.

Many of the philanthropic organizations Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland supports have been working in India for many years, partnering with business and legislative groups to improve access to education for women of all income levels.  Her work has led to a business model that's so effective,she and her colleagues felt it could be applied in other countries, and they focused on Africa based on the dire need for education in that country. Very few African women are provided with the opportunity to go to school, and the literacy rates in that country are incredibly low as a result. Health care outcomes in Africa are also poor, and it's quite possible that poor education levels are also to blame for those statistics as well.

Joelle O’Reilly Hyland points over interested citizens to the http://www.halftheskymovement.org/ which was inspired by the book of the same title written by Nicholas Kristof Sheryl WuDunn which catalogues both the oppression of and opportunity for women in places such as Africa. 

By working hard to educate the next generation of women in Africa, Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland hopes to spark a sea change when it comes to women's rights on the continent. Women have a valuable contribution to make to the future health of Africa, and Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland wants to help those women make their voices heard.

Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland: Expert Help Needed for Safe Hedge Fund Investing

Investments allow people to grow a small amount of money into a large amount of money, in a shorter period of time than it would take for the investor to earn that money through actual work. While investments can be an excellent method anyone can use in order to help wealth to grow, some types of investments can be complicated, and people might need help in order to ensure that they're making the best decision possible. According to Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland, an expert who has worked in the investment field for many years, hedge funds are one type of investment that might deserve a bit of extra scrutiny.

While Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland could speak at length about what hedge funds are, and she's happy to do just that for anyone who asks her to do so, most people are content with a short description that they can build upon in appointments they make with their own financial planners. Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland tells investors like this that hedge funds are, in essence, investment partnerships set up by money managers. These partnerships have long and complicated rules that specify how the investments will be run, who will get paid, and how the money will be distributed. Some hedge funds even provide information about how well the fund has performed in the past, allowing investors to get a glimpse of how well they might do in the future.

Hedge funds can be quite different from one another in some very crucial ways, Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland says. Some funds base their performance on gains in the stock market, so investors only make money when the stock market gains in value. Other funds base their performance on losses in the market, betting that high prices now will translate into lower prices in the future. While investors might not need to know these details right off the bat, they can be a key indicator of performance, Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland says, and they shouldn't be ignored as a result.

Working with an expert is the best way to ensure that good decisions are made about investments, Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland says, but hired help will never substitute for individual investor education. When it comes to money, knowledge will always be power.

Working in Finance with Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland

Students are often asked to determine what jobs they'd like to hold later in life. With this information, experts hope to pair students with the types of classes they will both enjoy and complete, as they work toward a fulfilling career. Students who are adept with math sometimes envision careers in finance, thinking they'll spend their lives surrounded by numbers, numbers and more numbers. But as financial expert Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland knows all too well, careers in finance involve more than just numbers. In fact, students who ignore the softer side of financial careers might do so at their peril, she says.

In order to be a finance professional, Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland says, an emphasis on customer service is an absolute must. Before people will entrust others with their hard-earned cash, they need to feel as though their concerns are listened to and their preferences are met in some way. They need to feel as though they're working with a real person who understands them and wants them to succeed, Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland says, and students who focus exclusively on numbers and statistics might not have the people skills to meet the needs of these clients. For students who wish to work in finance, courses in communications are an absolute must.

Additionally, Joelle O'Reilly-Hyland says, investors also need to stay abreast of the law, and remain up-to-date on any changes that might impact the work they do on a regular basis. While no one expects finance professionals to have law degrees, most clients expect their financial professionals to understand the law, and have the ability to explain their legal choices when it comes to investments. For this reason, students should be sure to take courses in reading and writing. These courses will help students prepare for the communication aspect of the jobs they'll hold later in life.