Four enterprising UUCUC women met on May 15, 1997 to discuss forming an investment club. Claudia Gross, Priscilla Krol, Olive Clark, and Barbara Smalley watched the video “Beardstown Ladies: Cookin’ Up Profits” and decided to invite other women to join them in pooling some money and investing in the market. During this organizational meeting, they set the monthly financial contribution, elected officers, decided how many members the group could have, picked dates for the next four meetings, and set a future agenda that included choosing a name for the club, finding a bank and a broker, and having a lawyer draw up a formal agreement among the members.

By June 26, the club – known as The Eternal Optimizers – had fifteen members.  The women formed committees to investigate brokers, banks, and lawyers. The members also organized themselves to study certain industries, including pharmaceuticals, technology, alternative medicine, automotive services, and furniture. 

The formal Partnership Agreement was signed by sixteen members on September 25, 1997. The purpose of the partnership was “to invest the assets of the partnership solely in stocks, bonds, and other securities for the education and benefit of the partners.”

Most meetings included an opening reading and chalice lighting; an educational presentation (a speaker, book review, lesson in investing); the business discussion, which could include a treasurer’s report, status of current investments, update on possible future purchases; and a closing reading.

The members invested in four companies: Home Depot, Watson Pharmaceuticals, Herman Miller, and Neutraceuticals. It appears that Neutraceuticals fell to the level of the club’s stop-loss trigger and was sold. The Eternal Optimizers held the other three stocks until they dissolved the club on November 19, 1998, at which time they sold them for an overall profit.

 

These are the founding members of The Eternal Optimizers: Millie Davis, Betty Heggemeier, Karen Folk, Sally Babbitt, Claudia Gross, Laura Wetzel, Gerri Griffin, Barbara Smalley, Priscilla Krol, Jodie Steggerda, Olive Clark, Dorothy Neumann, Gail Hueting, Debbie Gardner, Kathy Porterfield, and Jane Flaxington.