EP21 | Make Your Money Work for You: Simple Investing for Long-Term Wealth | Kristen Wonch

What if building wealth had less to do with chasing the next hot investment, and more to do with creating a simple system you can understand and maintain? In this episode of THE Capital CEO, Jen Conkey sits down with Kristen Wonch, Founder of Compounding Queens and a wealth coach, to talk about investing, diversification, financial education, risk, and the value of understanding how a long-term portfolio works. Kristen shares how her background in commodities trading and finance did not automatically translate into personal wealth. Despite working in the industry and earning well, she found herself overspending, carrying debt, and not investing consistently. That experience eventually led her to rethink the way she approached money and build a business focused on helping women understand investing for themselves. Jen and Kristen discuss diversified portfolios, ETFs, growth versus dividend-paying stocks, long-term investing, financial-advisor fees, and why understanding risk matters before putting money into any asset. Kristen also shares one of her early investing mistakes, using leveraged options and watching a large gain disappear quickly, and explains why her approach today emphasizes simplicity, diversification, and long-term consistency over high-risk trading. KEY TOPICS • Why earning a high income does not automatically create wealth • Building financial confidence through education • Diversification across investments and asset classes • ETFs versus picking individual stocks • Growth stocks versus dividend-paying stocks • Matching portfolio structure to goals, timeline, and risk tolerance • Understanding the risks behind different investments • The long-term impact of fees and advisor costs • Why a complex portfolio is not always a better portfolio • Lessons from high-risk trading and leveraged options • Moving from “making money” to thinking like an investor • Creating a simple, long-term investing process ABOUT KRISTEN WONCH Kristen Wonch is the Founder of Compounding Queens and a wealth coach who teaches women how to understand investing and build diversified, long-term portfolios. With a background in commodities trading and an MBA in finance, she combines financial education with practical portfolio concepts around stocks, bonds, ETFs, risk, fees, and long-term wealth creation. CONNECT WITH KRISTEN WONCH Website: https://kristenwonch.com/ Facebook:   / kristenwonch   Instagram:   / kristenwonch.xox   LinkedIn:   / kristenwonch   Note: This episode is an educational discussion about investing and personal finance. Investment decisions involve risk and depend on individual circumstances, goals, and time horizon. #TheCapitalCEO #Investing #WomenAndWealth #FinancialEducation #WealthBuilding