Women brush up on financial basics

By Angie Welling
Deseret Morning News
Published: Friday, Sept. 28, 2007 12:31 a.m. MDT
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Government, corporate and high yield bonds. Common stocks, preferred stocks. Bull markets and bear markets. Mutual funds.

Utah women — at least 900 of them — now know about them all.

That's how many women attended Thursday's "Smart Women Smart Money" conference hosted by Zions Bank's Women's Financial Group.

The organizers' goal was to help attendees become conversant with investing and feel comfortable taking charge of their financial futures.

"The world of finance had not traditionally catered to the unique needs and philosophies of women," said Diana Kirk, Zions Bank executive vice president.

With its creation 10 years ago, the Women's Financial Group became the first full-service program of its kind in the nation. For the past four years, it has hosted the conference to offer personal finance advice geared specifically toward women.

"Today is an investment in your confidence and your happiness," Kirk said as she welcomed women gathered at the Salt Palace Exhibit Hall. "This group assembled here today is a group of significant influence on our state's economy."

In Utah, women run half of all privately owned businesses, accounting for $23 billion in annual sales and employing more than 220,000 employees, she said.

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Nationally, women contribute $3.7 trillion to the consumer marketplace, consuming 83 percent of all goods and services. Additionally, six in 10 women in the United States earn half of their family's income, she said.

Even so, 90 percent of women report feeling financially insecure, and only 46 percent of women consider themselves very or somewhat knowledgeable about investing, she said.

With breakout sessions geared toward women at different stages in their lives, the goal was to help women overcome the four main impediments to investing: lack of education, lack of experience, fear and a disconnect with investment advisers.

"Through education and experience, the fear of money will become less and less as you progress," said Lori Chillingworth, Zions Bank senior vice president.

A woman who retires at age 55 can expect to live another 27.5 years, according to data distributed at the conference. Therefore, through either death or divorce, 80 to 90 percent of all women will be solely responsible, at some point in their lives, for making financial decisions for themselves and their families.

E-mail: awelling@desnews.com

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