Please join the programming committee of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law for an educational program on how to take charge of your financial future, drinks and snacks will be provided!

It’s no secret that women experience money differently than men. Exacerbated by hard-to-break social norms, women are more likely to earn lower incomes, accrue less lifelong wealth, perform much of the unpaid labor that makes society function, give up careers due to family building, be targeted by beauty/
self-care industries that manufacture insecurity, and more. 

Money with Katie host and personal finance guru Katie Gatti Tassin is challenging women to take control of their finances in, "RICH GIRL NATION: Taking Charge of Our Financial Futures". Through relatable storytelling and cultural context, and backed by ironclad statistics, Katie provides an actionable step-by-step roadmap for women to actively participate in building their wealth. Gatti argues that there are six unique obstacles that keep women from enjoying the prosperity they deserve: 

• Industries that target women by creating insecurities
• The stubborn persistence of the wage gap
• Financial knowledge disparities
• Financial inequity in marriage and family building
• Sky high childcare costs
• Deferring financial planning decisions to husbands and boyfriends

Taking a deep dive into the reasons behind our patriarchal financial system, Katie provides a historical and political overview of each roadblock (did you know that women couldn’t open their own bank accounts until 1974?) before delving into how women can smash through these barriers to accrue longterm wealth. As she writes, “Half the battle is looking around and behind us to become aware of these dynamics—only then can we begin to chart a viable path forward.” From how to approach a volatile 
stock market to discussing a prenup with your fiancé and negotiating a much-deserved raise, Katie leaves no coin unturned. 

Key talking points: 
• Why women experience money differently to men (and how to fight back): Women face financial obstacles and pressures that are absent from a man’s experience – we exist in a cultural context that demeans women’s ability to manage their money responsibly, products marketed to women cost more, women are statistically less likely to earn the high incomes with which it’s easiest to accrue wealth, and women perform most of the unpaid labor that makes society function
• How much money do you need to be financially free? Katie breaks down the 4% rule, why it works, and how it can be personalized and optimized for each person’s retirement needs
• The hidden costs of motherhood and marriage: Planning for the tangible ways in which a woman’s lifetime income is affected by motherhood, how marriage impacts debt, and why the prenup (and postnup!) need to lose the controversy
• The glittering minefield: The beauty and personal care industries overwhelmingly target women — how to let go of manufactured insecurities and wisely navigate purchasing decisions to stay out of beauty debt
• Policy might fail us, but our financial decisions won’t: While women wait for US policy reform for subsidized childcare, universal pre-K, Social Security credits for caregivers, and free healthcare, it’s imperative that women teach themselves not only how to stay afloat financially, but how to thrive — 
that’s where Katie comes in!