Carrie McDonnell

Growing Up & Today

Rural life has always been my pace. I grew up on a farm in Ohio, went to college in western Massachusetts and spent several years skiing in Idaho and Wyoming. My family and I then landed in Rochester, a little town located in the Green Mountains of Vermont. I truly love where I live, surrounded by mountain bike trails, backcountry skiing and beautiful country roads I get to explore with my husband and three kids.

One of the things I love about living in rural Vermont is there is so much opportunity to play a part in shaping the local culture and community. In recent years I’ve served as a committee member for Ridgeline Outdoor Collective, Central Vermont Football Club and the local youth recreation sports program. There is enormous satisfaction in being able to take an idea from its early development stages to reality. I am constantly impressed by how Vermont rural communities, despite limited resources, offer such a rich living experience to their residents, and I enjoy playing a small role in that success.

College & Career

In 2002, I graduated from Amherst College, where I studied English. Writing has always been a passion, so shortly thereafter, I pursued a Master's degree in creative writing at Dartmouth College. While finishing up my thesis, I began working in the local school system, which became the beginning of a 16 year career as a school administrator. In this role, I worked with thousands of families and educators in a dozen central Vermont towns. I learned about the power of effective communication, the necessity of building trust and the importance of integrity in decision making. Now as a financial advisor, these lessons inform my approach to clients every day.

In conversations with prospective clients, I have learned it is not uncommon for investors to be unsatisfied with the performance of their investments and/or advisor for years before coming to One Day In July. Among other factors, the delay to change is often driven by the belief that better options don’t exist in the investment industry. One of the best aspects of my job is educating prospective clients in the ways in which they can and should expect more from their investment experience. As a fiduciary firm dedicated to providing excellent service at a low cost, One Day In July has a refreshing approach to financial advising that cannot be found at most firms.

Investing Thoughts

1. Commissions and fees associated with high levels of trading can undermine long term returns in staggering ways. As John Bogle writes, “Costs make the difference between investment success and investment failure.” Clients will benefit greatly from low fees over time. When investing in low fee index funds, the individual investor maximizes their share of market returns and minimizes the returns to Wall Street.

2. You do not need to have years of experience in the field of finance to make informed and effective investment decisions. When equipped with accurate information and an openness to learn new things, anyone can be a smart investor.

3. Experienced investors should be conscious of anchoring, a common tendency to make decisions based on information or assumptions that are not accurate or relevant to the investment decision at hand. Unlearning is sometimes the first step to improving your investment returns.

Rochester, Vermont