Women interested in taking control of their financial futures attended the first Women’s Financial Bootcamp on Saturday, presented by Invesco in partnership with the C.T. Bauer College of Business.
Janice Cellier, a divisional sales director for Invesco, had the idea to educate women after her mom and sister were widowed early in life, forcing them to become responsible for financial affairs that were once governed by each of their spouses.
Cellier said that at least 80 percent of women become solely responsible for their financial situation at some point in their life.
“Ninety percent of women feel financially insecure,” Cellier said. “It’s not encouraging to me that 20- and 30-somethings continue to abdicate the (financial) responsibility to someone else. It’s really something we should stop doing and take charge of.”
Out of the nine sessions taught by representatives from Wells Fargo, Frost Bank and Invesco, attendees chose three that best suited their financial goals. Among the topics covered were investing, retirement and estate planning.
Kerry Gregory, who learned about the event through a local news broadcast, decided to attend because she wanted to better understand her family’s financial situation.
“I’ve allowed my husband to do it for years,” Gregory said. “I wanted to figure it out for myself.”
Another class offered was geared toward women in transition from stable financial circumstances to more uncertain ones. Whether recently divorced, laid off or widowed, this workshop was geared toward educating women on what to do should they face sudden changes in their lifestyle.
Bauer Dean Latha Ramchand gave attendees information about the global economy and ways to differentiate themselves in an unstable job market.
Ramchand said that even though women make up 66 percent of the global workforce, their presence is less visible in the financial world.
“How can you do a job in such a way that it’s not just a job, but a function?” Ramchand said. “It’s what you create around that function that is the cloak of indispensability. If we can bring that into what we do, that’s the best way to recession-proof ourselves.”
Ramchand also received an official Proclamation of Financial Literacy Day from Cellier on behalf of Mayor Annise Parker.
Cellier emphasized that she will not share any secrets, but wanted to create an outlet to share her business knowledge with women who wanted to make informed decisions through this still struggling economy.
“In challenging financial times, you develop habits,” Cellier said. “Whether going through it now or you’ve been through it, the habits you adopt in those challenging times will serve you well as you go through life.”
