Photo of Janet Hansen from 85 Broads

A rant from Janet Hansen, founder of 85 Broads and one of Goldman Sachs’ first top female executives.

I’ve actually had women say to me, “Shopping is fun. Investing is boring.”

It’s staggering to me that women pride themselves on being savvy consumers—but can’t fathom being good investors. But if you can differentiate brands by quality and value, then you can do the same for your investment portfolio.

We've all heard Peter Lynch's investing mantra: Buy what you love.

Some folks might say, “Isn’t that a dartboard theory?” Maybe. But chances are, if a company makes great products, it will succeed.

And it doesn’t have to be fashion you invest in. Consider a biotech company, electronics, or even food. Come up with a portfolio of stocks that you have a passion for—or mutual funds that contain equities you respect.

Read about companies’ performance in Businessweek, MSN Money or Yahoo Finance, then buy a share or two or 100 through your broker, investment company or 401k provider.

Your portfolio might not earn 22% every year. But here’s something to chew on: If you don’t start investing in your future now, in 10 or 20 years you definitely won’t have the cash to buy quality anything.

Shop around: Have you ever invested in what you love?