Financial Education Series

The Women at Work Museum’s financial education series classes for 2005 istitled Singled-Minded  because women are spending more of their lives on their own.

Kelly Fox, Treasurer of the Museum and a Certified Financial Planner with American Express Financial Advisors, is coordinating the series, which has been designed to be help women learn about several areas that tend to be of particular concern in a woman’s life. All classes were presented free of charge at the Museum at 35 County St., Attleboro on the 4th Wednesday of the month.

 

March, 2005
How does Smart Money Get So Smart?
The first financial planning class was held on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 and covered these topics:

How to identify your most important goals , then make a plan to reach them
Clear options for managing your financial future
Money management strategies to make financial independence a reality
Presented by:  Kelly Fox, CFP®, Financial Advisor, American Express Financial Advisors Inc

 

April, 2005
Starting and Sustaining a Business
On Wednesday, April 27, 2005, Melinda Ailes, a Senior Management Counselor with the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center was the guest speaker.  Ailes topic, “Starting and Sustaining a Business” was particularly timely given the number of women-owned businesses in the area. 

As a counselor, Ailes provides management consulting to small to mid size businesses ranging from start-up through maturity throughout Southeastern Massachusetts.  She consults with a wide variety of industries including high technology, service, distribution and manufacturing companies.She has extensive experience as a strategic planning and financial consultant, commercial banker and trainer. 

Kelly Fox, Treasurer of the Museum and a Certified Financial Planner with American Express Financial Advisors, is coordinating the series, which has been designed to be help women learn about several areas that tend to be of particular concern in a woman’s life, such as buying or selling a home and buying and maintaining a car.

 

May, 2005
Computer Forensics: What You Need to See Before a Divorce
Judith (Judy) Gosselin established JAG & Company Investigations in January 2000 and is based in Manchester, NH.  She specializes in computer forensics, worldwide database and asset searches. Judy explained what learning what computer forensics is and how evidence is captured from your computer. Other topics included:

What resources are available to help track assets?
Is information ever deleted from a computer?
Is your partner hiding documents or assets you should rightfully know about?
Things you should be aware of if you are contemplating a separation or divorce
There are actions you need to take BEFORE the other is informed
Certified in computer forensics, Judy has been trained and certified with the same software tools and methodologies that Federal and Law Enforcement Agencies use to crack criminal cases.  She is a member of Certified Fraud Examiners and is in the process of completing certification as a Fraud Examiner. 

 

June, 2005
Knowledge is Power. More Power to You
On Wednesday, June 22, 2005, Brian Kelley, Senior Vice President of Putnam Investments was the guest speaker.  Kelley’s topic, “Knowledge is Power.  More Power to You” was specifically tailored to women investors who have a basic understanding of investing and want to refine their understanding of building and maintaining a portfolio and researching options for their objectives.  Understanding asset classes and model portfolios based on time frames and risk tolerance was the focus.

“We can tell you the risks of not planning for retirement,” Kelly Fox, Treasurer of the Museum and a Certified Financial Planner with American Express Financial Advisors explains, “or in ten years, you can see for yourself.  It can’t be stressed enough how important it is for women to be comfortable understanding investing and asking questions about how they are investing when they are working with a professional.”

 

August, 2005
Buying or Selling a House? What Should You Know? and
Understanding Mortgages and Reverse Mortgages
The class focused on homeownership:  buying, selling, obtaining a mortgage or using the equity in your home for a reverse mortgage.  Judy Corbett, a realtor associated with Re/Max, discussed several issues a prospective buyer or seller should know as well as what to avoid.  Cecile Lacey, a reverse mortgage specialist with Wells Fargo explained how the equity in a home can be used as income and Karen Slaughter, also with Wells Fargo, reviewed traditional mortgages and discussed what’s happening in today’s market.  The class helped attendees better understand their options so as to make informed decisions and the important role this decision plays in planning for their financial future.

 

September, 2005
You and the Art of Vehicle Maintenance
The financial education class held on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 focused on maintaining a vehicle.  Sara Achin, General Manager of Achin’s Garage, North Attleboro explained “what’s under the hood,” suggests questions to ask your mechanic and give tips on do-it-yourself maintenance.  Sara is the 4th Generation in this family business which was established in 1918.  The class helped attendees better understand their options so as to make informed decisions and the important role this decision plays in planning for their financial future.

 

October, 2005
Ready, Aim, File...Your Taxes
The Women at Work Museum’s financial education series, titled Singled-Minded, finished this year’s series on Wednesday, October 26, 2005.  The class focused on the tax preparation and filing process.  Robert M. Bibeault, CPA, of Walter & Shuffain, PC of Norwood, MA discussed preparing tax information throughout the year, organizing data for your accountant and meeting with your accountant for the tax return preparation process. General tax savings tips as well as updates on recent changes in the tax laws were discussed.  The class helped attendees better understand their options so as to make informed decisions and the important role this decision plays in planning for their financial future.