Biography

Cedar Investors, a women's investment club, held its first meeting in Helen M. Fawcett's living room in Tipton, Iowa, in April 1983. The previous year, Fawcett had attended a session on investing at an American Association of University Women (AAUW) workshop in Des Moines, Iowa. During the early 1980s, the AAUW encouraged members to become better educated about financial issues. Eighteen women signed the first partnership agreement for Cedar Investors, resolved to "invest the assets of the partnership solely in stocks, bonds, and securities, for the education and benefit of the partners." Most members resided in West Branch or Tipton, Iowa. Many were also members of the AAUW. The primary purpose of the club was to help members become familiar with investing. Typically, the club had between twelve and twenty members; membership was capped at twenty. Members presented detailed reports about companies at monthly meetings and each member was required to invest at least twenty dollars per month in the club's portfolio. In 2004, Judy Cottingham reflected upon the investment strategy of the club, explaining that the club purchased shares in companies that were located in Iowa or employed Iowans, companies that had a recognized presence in Iowa, and companies that "had a peaceful healthy impact in our world." Cedar Investors dissolved in 2003.

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