WomenCo.

News+Columns >> Browse Articles >> Feminism and Women's Issues

Women Millionaires Tell How They Did It

Women millionaires: A cultural unlikelihood?

Once upon a time there was a journeyman butcher who became a millionaire. That journeyman is a woman named Theresa Krueg.

Krueg, 48, now a vice president and financial adviser at WealthTrust-Arizona in Chandler, Ariz., explains that her path to financial freedom wasn’t always a smooth one.

With three kids and a husband out of work, Krueg was the “only source of income my children had” for six of the seven years of her first marriage. Krueg worked in the meat industry and launched a family daycare center, later divorcing her first husband. She eventually met the man she’s now married to, and in 1997 joined Charles Schwab as a client service representative, working with customer service requests and answering phones. She later became an investment specialist at Charles Schwab, and left in 2002 to join WealthTrust-Arizona, which was DeGreen Financial at the time.

Krueg said she’s been a millionaire for about four years.

Theresa Krueg, millionaire

The road to financial success was different for all the women interviewed for this story, but each abides by a strong work ethic, perseverance, and a belief that if women put their minds to it, they can achieve almost anything-including millionaire status.

Smart Investments and ‘Balance’

Krueg attributes her success to hard work, as well as smart moves with money, including real estate investments and saving.

Krueg’s average client at WealthTrust-Arizona has between $1-$3 million; her top client has over $20 million. She encourages women clients to get involved in their finances. “Women often let their husbands run the show. ... I tell my clients to have their own savings, credit cards, open a retirement account, plan for the worst. Hope for the best.”

Krueg said she has sought balance between her job and the rest of her life.

“I love my job. I leave home at 6:30 a.m. [every day]; I live 2 miles away, and I make myself go home at the end of day. But if my clients need me I will work on Saturday,” she said. “I strive for balance. I integrate eating, exercise, I spend time with family. Balance has only made my job easier.”