A 2013 Merrill Lynch study found that 72% of women say they know less than the average investor about investing in general and women responding to a Prudential survey reported feeling no more prepared to make wise financial decisions today than they did a decade ago. They also report no improvement in their understanding of financial and insurance products. This is particularly disconcerting since 44% of women are the primary breadwinners in their families and women head 83% of single parent households.

In view of the importance of being well prepared to make informed financial decisions and the passion one of our regular roundtable participants has for helping people learn what they need to know to reach their financial goals, the Women’s Leadership Roundtable on August 15th will be a bit of a departure from how we normally work. Rather than a facilitated discussion, this will be an opportunity to learn critical concepts of personal finance from Toni Francis. Those who have been regularly attending the roundtables will already know our presenter. Toni has been in Financial Services 6 years. Prior to starting her career in Financial Services, she was a Certified Psychiatric Nurse specializing with children, as well as a Certified Master Hypnotist and Practitioner of NeuroLinguistic Programming. She spent over 30 years in that profession and 12 years being a full time mother and homemaker. She has provided this brief overview of the ideas she will cover on August 15th:

Contrary to what we see in the popular media, “get rich quick” is an aberration. Did you know that the vast majority of millionaires in this country are people of modest means who were serious savers, who live(d) frugally, and avoid(ed) debt? They did not inherit their wealth or win the lottery but they understood the fundamentals of how money works. For example, has anyone ever explained to you how to determine your net worth? Has anyone ever showed you how to grow your net worth to achieve a secure retirement? Or to determine how much you will need to maintain your standard of living in retirement? Do you understand how compound interest works or how to predict the number of years it will take your money to grow? Have you ever seen an illustration of dollar cost averaging? The Rule of 72? In a perfect world these concepts would be taught routinely in school but, of course, they aren’t. Still, you don’t need a degree in finance. You just need to know some fundamental financial concepts and strategies, and the discipline to follow through.

The information you will learn at the August 15th roundtable is rarely provided by financial professionals like investment brokers, insurance agents, or bankers, which is one of the primary reasons it is so hard to come by. Even when they do respond to your questions, the answers are too often laced with jargon. There won’t be time to get to everything in 1 ½ hours, but you will learn how to take control of your financial life. We hope to see you at the August 15th roundtable, “What Are the Critical Concepts of Personal Finance Women Should Know?” Be sure to bring a pen and paper to take notes!

Please join us on August 15th; this will be an opportunity to learn critical concepts of personal finance.

Please note: The roundtable is a “brown bag” event and it is recommended that participants bring their lunch to eat during the roundtable. We’ll also have beverages and popcorn to share.
About the Roundtable: The Women’s Leadership Roundtable is an open forum for women, as leaders of themselves and others, to discuss relevant leadership issues, build community and network, collaborate with, learn from, and support one another. It provides an opportunity for women to share their experiences, engage in thought-provoking discussion, and to generate ideas and growth together. The roundtable is an ongoing event, open to the public, held on the 3rd Friday of the month from January through October in a Denver area location. You are encouraged to attend as frequently as possible and bring your ideas, issues, and interests to the discussion. There is a $10 charge for the roundtable, paid in advance when registering online, and a $12 charge.