How to Navigate Financial Planning Challenges Common to Professional Women.
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Monday, 10 May 2021
After many years in financial services – a business still highly dominated by men – it’s become clear to me that many financial advisors do a disservice to women. They make assumptions, for instance, that women are uninterested in finance – or worse, that they are uneducated about money matters. In my own experience, my female clients are serious about understanding how to make their money work best for them and how it can bring them success in reaching both financial and life goals.
While there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all financial plan for women, I have found that successful female executives can benefit from using the tips below – and from avoiding common traps, too.
Divorce. No one plans for it, no one marches down the aisle with it in the back of their head, but it happens.
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Tuesday, 30 July 2019
If you are in the process of getting a divorce, you aren’t alone. In fact, while the rate of divorce has dropped, 39% of marriages still end in a divorce based on data from 2019.[i] The chances of divorce have doubled since 1990 for those over 50, in what is often called “gray divorce”.[ii] No matter your age, divorce is hard and considered one of the 7 most stressful life changes a person experiences.[iii] But that doesn’t mean that it has to be some knockdown, drag-out battle. It is possible, believe it or not, to have an amicable divorce.
You may think an amicable divorce is a fictional thing, sort of like staying friends with exes or Santa Claus. However, the truth is that two people can divorce amicably and civilly if they are willing to put in a little work and genuinely commit to ending the relationship on good terms. In this article, we will go over some steps on how to do that.
After many years in the financial industry, I have met countless women (and men) who have come to me in crisis. Whether it is divorce, loss of a spouse or loss of a career, these transitions can rattle you to your core.
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Wednesday, 17 July 2019
In a marriage, you have spent most of your adult life dedicating your time to your family – your spouse. When that is pulled out from under you it can be hard to navigate your own emotions, let alone the practical administration of what you should be doing for your financial security.
There comes a time in our lives when things have maintained a status quo of sorts for so long that it can be hard to picture a life without what you once had. You have a new life that doesn’t look at all like what you thought it would and sometimes it can be hard to recognize – your life and yourself in it.
According to AARP, almost two-thirds of women in middle and older age have experienced some type of major financial transition.[1] While the transitions can vary from marriage to divorce to retirement or even losing a job later in life, the outcome can often be the same—you end up in a place where you may not know what to do about your finances or how to take the first steps.
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Wednesday, 20 June 2018
The recent and sudden passing of Kate Spade due to suicide has raised awareness about mental illness and the challenges women face in middle age. Based on my experience working with women of all ages, I know that the stress of life can lead to mental illness and long-term health problems if not addressed proactively. Although I’m not a mental health professional, I felt compelled to write an article about those challenges with an emphasis on ways in which we can help one another to find a greater peace, a space where we are heard and understood, and a place where we are empowered to take control of our financial and personal lives.
Tuesday, 12 June 2018
How a Female Financial Pioneer is Reshaping Women’s Experiences in Wealth
By: Roya Rodieck
When 18-year-old Kathleen Longo got to Purdue in 1988, her academic ambition was guided by a fierce love of numbers. She majored in economics at the outset of her collegiate career. The field offered the interplay of numbers and ‘real world impact’ that she sought, making it the best fit for her aptitudes and interests—or so she thought.
In a serendipitous moment, a classmate at Purdue suggested she take a financial planning course, meant to introduce students to the financial planning and counseling major at large. She found herself besotted with the curriculum, and a realization swiftly materialized.
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