ST PETE GIRL BOSSES HELPING BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN WOMEN AND WEALTH

ST PETE GIRL BOSSES HELPING BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN WOMEN AND WEALTH

St. Petersburg’s largest female networking group, the St. Pete Girl Bosses, is excited to host the Fueling Female Prosperity Wealth Symposium, a one-day event that will take place on April 22 at Shorecrest Preparatory School.

The symposium event is designed to help women overcome financial challenges that prevent them from achieving their goals and living the life they truly want. Sixteen financial experts will share their wisdom on earning more, creating a financial house, growing wealth through saving and passive income, and investing wisely.

Why this topic, and why now? For every $1 in wealth held by a man, women hold only .82, and women of color hold only nine cents. Women also hold nearly ⅔ of the nation’s student loan debt, therefore both earning less with bigger debts and bearing the weight of caring for children or elderly parents. It’s a lot to navigate.

According to the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, “Less than 70% of women are saving for retirement, and only fourteen percent of women “frequently discuss saving, investing, and planning for retirement with family and close friends.” Women have less than half of what men have available in their IRA accounts. Far more women retire in poverty. A recent Fidelity survey indicated that although “stress” is their prevalent emotion surrounding money.”

This inequality is a pervasive issue that the St Pete Girl Bosses are trying to address with the symposium. More than half of women surveyed say discussing financial topics with other women helps them feel more confident with their finances, and women are likely to help others with their finances if they receive guidance.

“St Pete Girl Boss is built around the tenet that women are each other’s greatest resource. We work with so many great entrepreneurs, but most women are not building their wealth. That has to change. We have access to some of the top experts, and this is our way to give them a platform for change,” says Girl Boss founder Sandy Bean. “Education and discussion as well as community can provide a good ground floor for the larger issue at hand.”

Overall, women have less knowledge regarding investing and finances in general, and the Girl Bosses have the brain trust to combat that situation for women in the area. “Our community is uniquely supportive, and finance is a touchy subject for many women. We know that entrepreneurship can create generational wealth, and our Bosses are in that position.”

“We want to empower them with basic and advanced knowledge as well as mindset work. We are excited to bring this to life,” adds co-founder Jennifer Schultz, who owns three downtown St Pete businesses.
The Symposium will cover topics ranging from budgeting and debt management to investing, passive income streams, and millionaire mindset.

“Everyone has to do some work when they uplevel their wealth, and we are here to help them begin that process,” adds Kimberly Clark, Girl Boss digital marketing director, featured symposium speaker, and panelist. “We selected the presenters so there would be a wide variety of value for those who spend their day investing in their growth.” Clark herself is an expert on passive income, one of the most sought-after earning methods for those looking to create wealth.

Attendees will select from 20 sessions and three panel discussions on financial and accounting basics, wealth mindset, and diverse streams of income. Speakers and panelists have all been working in their respective fields for some time, and bring a depth and breadth of knowledge and experience rarely seen in events geared toward women.

“Tickets are limited so that we can offer a premium experience to our attendees,” says Taylor Adams, the Girl Boss communications coordinator. “The connection is as essential as the knowledge, and that’s the cornerstone of what we try to do– connect and learn from one another.”

The event is open to the public, so any woman wishing to advance her financial literacy and her portfolio can attend. Speaker information, session details, and sponsorship opportunities are available at www.stpetegirlboss.com/fuelingfemaleprosperity.