Women In The Money Conference

At the annual Women in the Money Conference, women of all ages, cultures, and financial situations are invited to grow their financial capability together.

2021 Program

8:30 a.m. – 8:55 a.m. – Conference Opening

9:00 a.m – 9:50 a.m. – Burning Financial Issues Facing Women Today Panel

Moderator: Susan Speirs, Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants
Ann Marie Wallace, Women’s Business Center of Utah
Gabriella Archuleta, YWCA
Lynn Evans, Wealth Management Senior Fiduciary Advisor Wells Fargo
Jenie Connors, Utah Financial Planning Association President

9:50 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. – Break

10:10 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – Workshop 1

Investing 101: Fundamentals of Investing
Traditional savings accounts often do not provide sufficient growth potential to help consumers attain their financial goals and objectives, such as a comfortable retirement, a vacation home, a trip around the world, or a child’s post-secondary education. Yet, many people are intimidated by the idea of investing because they are concerned about market volatility or don’t know where to begin. This session will provide you with the essential knowledge and skills you need to make the investment decisions to secure your financial future.
Presenter: Sandra Hill, Vice President Fidelity Investments

DIY Your Own Business: Getting Your Side Hustle Started
In this session, you will learn the essentials about how to turn your idea into a successful business. The next steps in your entrepreneurial journey are within reach, as you gain access to resources and support, expand your network, and learn from good examples.
Presenter: Women’s Business Center of Utah

Social Security: What Is It and How Do I Prepare?
Are you ready for the economic challenges in your future? Social Security plays an especially important role in providing economic security for women. Women face greater economic challenges in retirement because they tend to live longer than men, have lower lifetime earnings than men, and may reach retirement with smaller pensions and other assets. Women face additional challenges if they become disabled and in providing survivor benefits for their families. Learn what kind of benefits are available, how you qualify, how much you qualify for, and how Social Security plays an important role in your financial future.
Presenter: David Baier, Social Security Administration

Risk Management: Insurance to Protect Those Who Matter Most
Proper Insurance Planning is essential ingredient in a well-designed, comprehensive, financial plan. Learn about the distinct types of insurance plans and policies that are the most important to you, your family and your business’s. Over time, your needs change and as you move from working years to retirement years your polices need to be reviewed and updated. Understanding the cost and benefits of Insurance at various times in your life is vital to having an optimal risk management plan.
Presenter: Derek Bohne, Financial Strategies Institute

Housing Options: There is No Place like Home
Explore Utah’s housing options in this interactive rent vs. own workshop. Participants will learn about the advantages and disadvantages of renting versus owning a home. At the end of this course, attendees will be able to weigh the options that work best for their current situation. Discussion will include: the obstacles that can get in the way of purchasing a home, how to put together an action plan and a housing budget, what is required when ready to purchase a home, how to connect with educators, how to find professional, trustworthy people to help along the way, and how to begin preparing for a home today. Homeownership is homemade, find joy in the path you take by making a plan now.
Presenter: Deon Spilker, Utah Housing Corporation

11:00 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. – Break

11:20 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. – Workshop 2

Investing 201: Going Beyond the Basics
Are you interested in taking a deeper dive into investing? Then this workshop is for you.
Presenter: Sandra Hill, Vice President Fidelity Investments

There is No Failure, Just Learning, In Money Matters
Growth mindset believes that with the right strategy and enough effort, you can get better at anything, including money management. Using this mindset, you can replace the shame and blame of financial mistakes with confidence that each failure teaches you how to do better. This presentation will describe how to use a growth mindset and apply it to your spending and saving.
Presenter: Dr. Terri Flint, Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Is This the Real Deal? Spotting and Preventing Scams on the Homefront
An educated consumer is a fraudster’s worst nightmare. In this session, you will learn about the top fraud trends in the state of Utah as well as basic tips on investing and how to protect yourself from being a victim of investment fraud.
Presenter: Michael Pickett, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Finance Technology and Digital Apps in a Post-COVID World
Technology and digital services are increasingly ingraining themselves into our lives, including technology designed to help manage our finances. This panel will provide a discussion of the types of finance technology and digital apps on the market, the risks and benefits of using these types of apps, and how to select the right app for your financial needs in a post-COVID world.
Presenters: Susan Speirs, Utah  Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants;  Jane Barratt,  MX; Jackie Porter, Intuit; Jessica Endlich, Next Gen Personal Finance

Back to Work: Everything you need to know to re-enter the workforce after a break
Any woman who has taken a career break (or sought to enter the workforce for the first time as an adult) knows that the challenges to launching a career are significant. Insufficient networks, outdated skills, and a lack of confidence combine to make many women feel unequal to the task of career re-entry. What women may not know is that there are TONS of resources out there for anyone looking to get back to work. In this workshop we will explore how to choose the right career pathway, get the training you need, build a professional network, and find your next job.
Presenter: Robbyn Scribner, Tech-Moms

12:10 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Lunch Break

12:30 p.m. – 1:10 p.m. – Lunch Keynotes – Tami Steggell, Founder of RubySnap Bakery  and Ginette Bott, President and CEO of the Utah Food Bank

1:10 p.m. – 1:20 p.m. – Break

1:20 p.m. – 2:10 p.m. – Workshop 3

Recovering from the Pandemic: The Impact of COVID-19 on Utah Women and Work
The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020–2021 has impacted all Utahns in profound ways, and women’s employment and careers have been disproportionately impacted. The Utah Women & Leadership Project conducted an extensive statewide study to understand these impacts on changes in employment status and women-owned businesses, basic necessities, money concerns, emotional and physical wellbeing, career advancement challenges, organizational support, childcare and homeschooling, caregiving responsibilities, and more. This presentation will provide a summary of these results, while also discussing how it has changed the way we think about work, integrate work-life, and share home responsibilities. It will conclude with some ideas on how Utahn can move forward to use these experiences toward positive changes for women and families.
Presenter: Dr. Susan Madsen, Utah Women & Leadership Project

What You Need to Have in Place Before the Unspeakable
Nobody wants to think about or plan for your or your loved ones’ death. However, educating yourself up front and ensuring that you and your loved ones have the essential information to move forward from tragedy can reduce additional heartache. Learn what legal documents you should have in place, information you need to know, and things you need to do before you or your spouse dies.
Presenter: Rylee McDermott, WM Senior Fiduciary Advisor Wells Fargo

Hacks to Empower Your Budget
Ever feel restricted or unmotivated when it comes to budgeting? Us too! We’ll share our favorite hacks that can help you have a healthy relationship with your budget, protect your financial future, and empower financial wellness whether you’ve got lots of money to manage or little.
Presenters:
Amanda Christensen, Utah Money Moms & USU Extension
KristiLyn Wilkinson, USU Extension

Navigating Credit Speedbumps
Even if you have great credit, you can run into issues or “speedbumps”, you may need to resolve on your credit report.  Join us as we explore the factors that drive credit scores and discuss things you may be doing that affect your credit for better or worse.  We will  provide some strategies and solutions that may change the course of your credit for life.
Presenters:
Wendy Buckner, Cyprus Credit Union
McKenzie Walsh, AAA Fair Credit Foundation

It Takes a Village: How to Find Quality Child Care and Access Available Resources
An overview of child care in Utah. Finding child care that meets your family’s needs can be overwhelming! This workshop will include information on what child care options are available, what to look for when choosing a program, and the resources available to help pay for the cost of care. The information can be applied to a wide variety of situations – if you are a parent that currently has child care needs, or if you’re considering returning to the workforce (or furthering your education) in the future, come find out what your options are.
Presenter: Charlotte Tanner, Utah Office of Childcare Program Specialist

2:10 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. – Break

2:20 p.m. – 3:10 p.m. – Workshop 4

An Ounce of Prevention: How to Recognize and Avoid Financial and Consumer Scams
How can you spot and avoid scams? What homework should you do when you are evaluating investment opportunities? What basic practices can you follow to keep track of your accounts and get help when you need it? In this session, Executive Director of the Department of Commerce Margaret Woolley Busse will be joined by the directors of the Division of Securities and the Division of Consumer Protection to discuss these topics and more.
Presenters:
Margaret Busse, Utah Department of Commerce
Daniel O’Bannon, Utah Division of Consumer Protection
Jason Sterzer, Utah Division of Securities

Higher Education: Whenever, Wherever, Forever
From boosting employability to generating financial security, higher education plays an important role in helping women feel more empowered. Whether you’re pursuing higher education for yourself or planning for your child’s future, this session will help you understand the value of postsecondary education and help you identify strategies for affording school.
Katie Mazzie, Utah System of Higher Education
Bryn Ramjoue, my529

Navigating the Benefit and Financial Maze for individuals with Disabilities
Life is a maze when you or a family member have a disability and are trying to manage finances. If you want to get a job, where do you go? How much money can you make? How much money can you have? Can you save any money? If you have ever had any of these questions, this presentation is for you. Experts from Utah Work Incentive Planning Services will share information on resources for individuals with disabilities.
Jolene Wyler, Utah Department of Workforce Services

Financial Basics for Small Business
Learn how to build and grow a financially healthy small business. This session will cover tips, tricks, tools, and services to help you more effectively and efficiently manage your small business’ finances.
Presenters:
Corina Lake, U.S. Bank
Annie Lund, U.S. Bank

Money Management: How A Financial Institution Can Help
This workshop will cover the basics of banking: where to start, how to get an account, and an overview of the different accounts. We will also give a sneak peek at an exciting new community initiative to increase access to safe and affordable accounts, Bank On Salt Lake.
Presenters:
Ellen Billie, AAA Fair Credit Foundation
Carla Nguye, U.S. Bank

3:10 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Break

3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Door Prizes and Conference End