img_5317%20copy-550?v=1

Money, Law, and Health

Woman's Compass Forum Teaches Pretty Much Everything You Need to Know

Independent Financial Manager Galia Gichon, Attorney Margie Jacobson, and Clinical Nutritionist MS and Registered Yoga Teacher Michelle Didner were vacationing together in Puerto Rico. They are accomplished professionals, all practiced in women’s education, and all divorced.

While lolling on a sun-soaked spot of sand, they discussed how they were navigating a life on their own and realizing how much they didn’t know and how much they could learn from each other.

And if they could learn from one another, weren’t their other women who could learn from them?

Which brings us to a fun-filled riddle: Three women, all friends, all single, vacation on a tropical island. What do you they come home with?

Hangovers? Who knows. Matching tattoos? Doubt it. Ticket stubs from a local cockfight? Definitely no.

Give up?

An idea for Woman’s Compass Forum (WCF)! A course designed to “holistically and structurally help women in the most important facets of their lives,” describes Michelle.

WCF began as a live three-hour class for 40 women in 2018 and 2019. A few short months later, it exploded into a three-month webinar which includes 12 hours of presentations and Q&A. Aided by a gardening theme, the webinars guide women through planning, planting, and harvesting the rewards from finance, law, and health perspectives.

Why female-focused? (Men are welcome to join.)

“Women tend to defer legal issues to a spouse or to an attorney. While they’re great advocates for others, they often neglect or delegate their own legal well-being.” says Margie.

According to Galia, “Women make less money and take time off to care for kids and parents, but they live longer. So they live longer with less money. There’s a sense of ‘Oh, your husband or your parent will take care of you.’”

Michelle adds, “Women’s health issues differ from men’s. They suffer from anxiety and depression more than men.  Women are more likely than men to die after a heart attack and have higher rates of stroke, hormone-driven diseases, and different sleep issues.”

“We don’t know what we don’t know that blindsides us,” stresses Margie. “WCF lets them know.”

There’s so much to know, in fact, many women take the course twice. One woman insisted her son and husband watch the legal presentations. Another used her newfound knowledge of finance to discover $10,000 in a pension. Most are simply grateful to learn about stuff they didn’t know, but should, in a safe, supportive environment.

Finance and legal tend to be intrinsically entwined, one tipping off the point of another. While many woman may be money or law experts, their familial responsibilities tend to supersede their professional ones. “I’m amazed that women can do multimillion dollar deals for clients but put their own needs last,” says Galia.

Which is where Michelle fits in. “One of the biggest questions I get is ‘How do I manage anxiety while discussing and managing finances?’”

I imagine the answer could be “knock back a few margs and buy aspirational jewelry online while enjoying a roaring fire made of absconded Duraflame logs and unpaid bills.” But, heck, I haven’t taken the course yet.

Related Businesses

Related Articles

No Results