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Money Issues Ladies? There’s A Seminar In Charlotte That May Help

Author Melany Myers
Photo by Joe Raedle/Newsmakers

I must tell you upfront that I haven’t taken this seminar yet, and I’m not being endorsed by the company here in Charlotte. But when I saw the name of these series of events, it got my attention! Oddly enough, Jack Daniel and I were chatting about money just last week.

There is a series of events here in Charlotte for women called ‘Your Money Will Last Longer Than Your Husband’. I love this! It launched in October and Sarah Charles is the financial advisor hosting it. Charles has a story that’s so similar to lots of us who have married and divorced. Reading her story, I immediately related to what she went through. I won’t tell her story, but you can read it here. I will tell you a bit of mine though!

Jack and I were talking about my upcoming cruise last week as I was trying to decide if I should take advantage of the drink package that was discounted. I mentioned how I really didn’t have the money upfront, and Jack said, ‘just put it on your credit card.’ When I told him I didn’t have one, he tripped out! He says I may be the only person he knows that doesn’t have a credit card.

Now, I used to have a credit card. But after my now ex-husband put about $10,000 on it, I got rid of it. Going through bankruptcy also made me get rid of it. In addition to being a lying, cheating bum, my ex also left me holding $300,000 in debt. Yup. You read that right. I had amazing credit despite the fact that my income wasn’t that high.

To make a long story short, the house, both cars, and everything we owned was on my credit. NOT smart! I am not totally blaming him though. I take responsibility for not being smarter. That’s on me.

How To Avoid My Mistakes

Seeing and reading about Sarah Charles’ story, and having gone through a mess of my own, I thought I’d share. In many marriages, husbands are the ones controlling the finances. In other situations, the wives are busy taking care of the family and work solely at home. When divorce happens, many women are left in financial distress. One of my friends didn’t work for 14 years outside of the house. She was busy raising two children. When she and her husband divorced, she was at a loss. And she’s not alone.

‘Your Money Will Last Longer Than Your Husband’ isn’t just for those ladies going through a divorce. It’s for all women! Teaching women how to be smart with their money is what Charles does. Even if you are in a wonderful, loving marriage, it’s still good to have y0ur own bank account and finances. The joint account my ex-husband and I had was cleaned out by him once I filled for divorce. I didn’t even think of safeguarding that money.

Charles now works with women of all ages, stages and wages – teaching them how to eliminate money shame and develop confidence so they can prepare for their financial future with conviction. Her next seminar is January 17 and I’m considering taking it. Although I’ve managed to boost my credit score up a bit over the last year, it’s still only ‘fair’ and my savings is almost non-existent.

The seminars are in-person but starting in March she’ll be offering virtual events. If you’re interested in finding out more, Charles owns Sanctuary Financial Planning here in Charlotte, and you can find out more info here. The seminars are for free so that’s a score! As women, it’s important to be self-sufficient, and it’s important to help each other.

North Carolina City Tops The List Of Best Cities for Working Women

We are still celebrating Women’s History Month all of March. As part of that celebration, Apartment List and Fishbowl, a social network for professionals, conducted a study to uncover the best cities for working women. And one North Carolina city topped the working women list!

Fishbowl first polled women to understand what factors are important to them. Their conversations discovered that income equity, employment opportunities, and being surrounded by a fulfilling and diverse community are priorities when choosing a new place to live. Therefore, their rankings are based on economic equity, business representation, affordability, and community satisfaction for women. We find the best cities for working women are:

Fishbowl Defined each of these metrics as:

  • The Economic Opportunity score identifies places where women succeed in the workplace. This score considers the female employment rate, female college graduation rate, median female earnings, and the earnings gap between women and men.

  • The Community Satisfaction score identifies places where women (and their families) thrive within their broader community. This score considers violent crime rates, primary and secondary school enrollment rates, racial and ethnic diversity, and female satisfaction with social and dating opportunities.

  • The Business Representation score identifies places where women are properly represented in key societal functions. This score considers the share of local businesses that are owned by women, the share of local physicians who are women, and the share of public administration jobs (e.g., local government) that are held by women.

  • The Housing & Affordability score identifies places where women are least burdened by increasing cost-of-living expenses. This score considers the homeownership rate among women who live alone, the median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment, and the share of women who say they are satisfied with local affordability.

Read the full study here

The Top Cities For Working Women According To Fishbowl

  • 10. San Fransisco, CA

    San Francisco, CA

  • 9. Albuquerque, NM

    Albuquerque, NM

  • 8. Columbia, SC

    Columbia, SC

    Columbia, South Carolina, USA skyline and highway.

  • 7. Denver, CO

    Denver

    Panorama of Denver skyline long exposure at twilight.

  • 6. Richmond, VA

    Richmond, VA Skyline Shot

  • 5. Minneapolis, MN

    Minneapolis, MN

    Minneapolis. Image of Minneapolis downtown skyline at sunset.

  • 4. Washington, DC

    Washington, DC

    The United States Capitol building in Washington DC

  • 3. Austin, TX

    Austin, TX

    Austin Skyline in the evening and bluehour

  • 2. Atlanta, GA

    Atlanta, GA

  • 1. Raleigh, NC

    • Raleigh, North Carolina topped the list as the overall best city for working women. The North Carolina capital city received high scores in all categories. But what put it on top is the city’s relative affordability compared to other large cities across the country.

 

Melany Myers is a Gastonia native and has spent most of her life here in North Carolina. Mel has worked in radio for over 20 years, many of which she spent co-hosting morning shows in Charlotte, NC, and Columbia, SC. Mel loves 80’s music, going to concerts, cooking, and eating! She is always writing about random news stories that really make you wonder, “what in the world?!” She also writes about rock music and human-interest content.

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