inclusion

THE SEEDS WE PLANT: Caitie reflects on a historical moment

by Caitie Leibman, CEO

More content from Caitie

Friends, March was Women’s History Month. It was also the end of my first quarter as CEO of Leibman Financial. I spent a lot of it learning new administrative duties—you know, all the ones Mark is allowed to forget now!

Of course, it’s Mark we have to thank for founding and leading LFS for the past 30 years. But I’m reflecting on Women’s History Month and what this moment means. Some of you remember my late mother and Mark’s late wife, Cathy Livingston Leibman. My mother was an entrepreneur, too, leading businesses out of our home when my siblings and I were little. She bought me my first business card holder, a reminder of her many gifts and her example.

Today this little case holds a brand-new card, with my new title. It’s got me thinking: I’ve felt so fortunate to get to know the wide variety of women we serve, from among our business partners, colleagues at other firms, and especially our clients.

Who are they? They’re women who work or run their own businesses, and those who don’t happen to earn a paycheck. We’ve worked with women who are teachers and drivers and hairdressers and architects—and everything in between. We’ve served straight women, queer women, and trans women. Some have gone to college. Some are retired from the trades. Some are widowed, some are partnered up, some are single.

The wondrous variety of these women makes one thing clear: there’s enough room for everyone. I’m thinking about all the different women who might find our firm and wonder if we’re here for them, whether a certain path could be theirs too.

In 2026, we’re committed to making our work more accessible and more easily available.

I enjoy the shade and sustenance of so much that was planted before my time—on Earth and at this firm! We have confidence that what we plant today at LFS will bear fruit for many seasons ahead. And whether the plans ripen during Women’s History Month or not, I’m sure they will still be history-making.

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Play the audio version of this post below:

The Seeds We Plant – 228Main.com Presents: The Best of Leibman Financial Services

This text is available at https://www.228Main.com/.

ESG & You: Investing in Worthy Ways
photo shows sun shining through tree branches

We’re all about the long term at 228 Main. And we’re interested in companies that are oriented to the long term… like the ones trying to take care of the environment, operating in ways that are sustainable for employees and clients and suppliers, removing barriers to entry—these are all long-term processes.

And in our opinion, we believe companies like this happen to do better, too.

Maybe you’ve heard about ESG investing—the practice of putting money into those investments that address environmental, social, and governance issues.

We’re not interested in fads, but this style is all about the long term.

Any human endeavor will have its flaws, but we’re figuring out how to bring the best qualities of ESG into our work with you.

First, we can keep certain kinds of companies off our buy list. Those businesses that deal in tobacco, alcohol, and gambling, for example, don’t align with many people’s beliefs about individual wellbeing.

Second, we can add certain companies that meet sustainability criteria, like environmental benchmarks or diversity among corporate leadership.

Trying to grow your bucket is always at the heart of our work. But we shouldn’t have to choose between performance and other worthy results. Let us know if ESG goals are a priority for you.

Environmental Social Governance (ESG) investing has certain risks based on the fact that the criteria excludes securities of certain issuers for non-financial reasons and, therefore, investors may forgo some market opportunities and the universe of investments available will be smaller.

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Play the audio version of this post below:

ESG & You: Investing in Worthy Ways – 228Main.com Presents: The Best of Leibman Financial Services

This text is available at https://www.228Main.com/.