Financial planning is an important life skill to master, especially for women. With half of all women age 65 years and older having less than $12,000 in personal income, older women are more than twice as likely to be poor than men. Care giving responsibilities cause women to spend approximately nine years out of the job market, meaning that they are less likely to be eligible for employee pension benefits and, combined with lower pay, means smaller Social Security benefits and fewer savings. Statistics show that ninety percent of women will have sole charge of their assets at some time in their lives, while at the same time most women are uninformed about ways to secure their financial futures.

The Florida Commission on the Status of Women is addressing this important issue by educating women through, "Women and Money 2006," a free conference series focusing on money management, budgets and credit, retirement, investment strategies and insurance planning and is designed for women of all ages, backgrounds and levels of financial knowledge.

The latest conference was held on Saturday, October 28, 2006, 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida. Presenters included experts in financial planning, insurance, and investing, among others. With support of State Farm Insurance and the Florida Commission on the Status of Women Foundation, "Women and Money 2006", offered free to the public, was a great success. Nearly 40 women from across the area were in attendance and enjoyed fabulous speakers, informative handouts and a terrific lunch.

The highlight of the Orlando conference was Keynote Speaker Janet Bodnar, Kiplinger's Personal Finance deputy editor and a nationally recognized expert in the field of children's and family finances. Her latest book, published in fall 2006, is Money Smart Women: Everything You Need to Know to Achieve a Lifetime of Financial Security (Kaplan). She offered a luncheon session on “Becoming a Money Smart Woman” and signed her newest book during the event.

Look for future educational conferences, "Florida Women Mean Business!" coming in February 2007 to West Palm Beach, April 2007 to Gainesville, and October 2007 to Ft. Myers. This conference will focus on helping women start and run their own successful businesses. Check the FCSW website for the latest information.