Back in Idaho! In February 2024, the Smart Women Smart Money annual event came to Boise as the reconstituted Savvy Women & Money conference. Current Idaho State Treasurer, Julie Ellsworth, welcomed people to the one-day free event. Registration counted 700 participants at the Boise Centre (on the Grove) as they engaged with presenters and exhibitors who shared knowledge and resources about understanding personal finances and preparing for the present and the future.
High energy under the emcee leadership of Carolyn Holly and conference coach Nicole Sherman generated hope and optimism. Nicole proclaimed, “This is Your Now!” Participants were encouraged to understand their relationship with money and to recognize how that relationship might stand in their way of receiving abundantly. Are you letting money flow in and out of your life easily? Or is your relationship with money a holding-on and jagged inflow and outgo? Be alive, awake, alert! Find yourself uplifted and engage in your life like never before! These messages rang throughout the day.
The closing conference panel was comprised of Cindy Suffa, Publisher of the Idaho Business Review; Mari Ramos, Executive Director of the Idaho Hispanic Foundation; and Cara Oppenheimer, Creator of the online app goodbuy. Takeaways included: plan; make an impact; ask “What can I do next with the skills I have” and “What do I bring to a culture?”; Go to where things are better for you; have a growth mindset; trust your intuition; identify what fills your cup; describe what a successful day looks like for you; and manifest your dreams by visualizing yourself there!
The day’s crescendo brought Cecilia Violetta Lopez to the stage to share her life story and pathway to becoming a world-class opera singer who has performed at Carnegie Hall. Laughter, tears, joy, and surprise accompanied her story. “Find what fuels you and refuel your courage and tenacity, persist!” Cecilia’s message included that despite hardships, we can learn and persevere to accomplish great things while maintaining gratitude and humility. After performing two operatic pieces, Cecilia said: “Keep changing the world for the better! You are important.”
Conference sponsors numbered more than 30 to cover the more than $50,000 in costs associated with providing the Savvy Women & Money free event that included box lunches. From banks and governmental entities to media and financial groups, and on to places women might volunteer or spend their money, the sponsors and exhibitors provided resources, information, and giveaways that went home in hands, purses, and conference bags.
A bit of history: Former Idaho State Treasurer Ron Crane founded the Smart Women Smart Money conference in 1999. It was free to attendees from various backgrounds who were ready to increase their financial knowledge and gather resources for securing their futures. The conference expanded to other states and created positive impacts for more than 40,000 attendees over the years. During COVID, the conference was virtual in 2021 and canceled in 2022.
Future Savvy Women & Money Conference information for Boise, North Idaho, and Eastern Idaho is found at: https://www.savvywomenid.com/
Panel Presentations
Tips from the breakout sessions
- Understand the four laws of financial prosperity: 1. Track your spending. 2. Target the problems, leaks, or overspending in your budget and fix them. 3. Trim your spending – live within your means. 4. Training means to create sustainable change in your spending and saving behaviors. Rachel Cossel of the Idaho Credit Union presented this fast-paced, informative session.
- Conquer your credit and build a positive credit score.
- If you have a business or are thinking about a business, get acquainted with the offices of the Small Business Administration and the Small Business Development Center – both of which offer free business planning services.
- Turn Fear into Fire was the session from CBH’s Genny Heikka. Personal stories and actionable ideas for reframing fear were the highlights of Genny’s breakout. There are 5 Keys for Reframing Fear. First, fear can open the door to opportunities – remember that sometimes there needs to be an ending before there can be a new beginning. Second, fear can point you towards your calling which means that if something is tugging at your heart, maybe that is calling for you to take action. Third, having a community of support can help lessen fear. Identify what your community needs to include, to help you lessen your fear. Fourth, “You are braver than you think.” Build on your values, strengths, skills, passions, and experiences. The fifth key is that “fear can be hacked” by things like standing tall, taking up space; remembering that love wins; asking “How can I serve” and remembering that fear can be lessened.
- Caregiving can take a toll on you and your financial situation. Whether caring for a child, a sibling, a parent, family member or friend, lean to protect your financial wellbeing while caring for others.
- Have a will. Plan for your future and document what you want to happen after your death. “Don’t make your ex-son-in-law rich” was the title of conference favorite Alex Kincaid’s breakout session.
- “Build a team to help you manage your money,” said Jodi Sandborn of Wells Fargo.
- “Understand Investment terminology; ask questions; read the fine print,” said Nancy Ax of the Idaho Department of Finance. The Department gave away three books at their booth and has more resources available online. Welcome to Department of Finance (idaho.gov)