Book Launch! "The Financially Empowered Woman" by Tracy Theemes

Remember Money Matters, the phenomenal financial workshop that Tracy Theemes, Co-Founder of Sophia Financial Group, led for YWiB? Well, she happens to have written a book, The Financially Empowered Woman, that overviews the same five crucial steps of financial planning, investing, asset allocation, and how you can grow your money. Being as lovely as she is, Tracy is inviting all friends of YWiB to her book launch and signing to mingle, enjoy a bite to eat and drink, pick up a copy and have it personally signed.

Who: Tracy Theemes' Book Launch What: The Financially Empowered Woman: Everything You Really Want to Know About Your Money Where: Sophia Financial Group, 3762 West 10th Avenue When: Wednesday, June 19 (6-7:30 pm) How: RSVP here How much: Free!

Can't make the book launch? You can order a copy of her book via email — tracy.theemes@raymondjames.ca

Don't forget Tracy holds regular FREE financial planning sessions at her office as well. Due to space constraints, they usually require RSVP, so if you'd like to be in the loop for upcoming sessions, register for the event notifications on the Online RSVP Form, under the News & Events tab.

Save the Date: July 10th is YWiB's Birthday!

YWiB'sSummer Solstice Birthday Party!

Lost + Found Café - 33 W Hastings St. Wednesday, July 10th 6:30 - 8:30 pm $10/person, includes appies and a birthday cupcake!

Wow, what an amazing 5 years...

Thank you to all of our members, whether you've been with us from the beginning in 2008 or just joined us in 2013. YWiB may have matured and evolved, but one thing hasn't changed: you are the foundation, inspiration and heart of this organization.

Starting out as a few ladies with a big idea - Beyond Pink - we’re so proud to have expanded into our four distinct bodies: YWiB Vancouver, YWiB UBC, YWiB SFU and YWiB UVic. We promise that as our membership demographic continues to evolve, we will keep focused on providing the best professional network, support and learning opportunities to meet your needs.

Come celebrate with us:

Save the Date: Wednesday, July 10^th Who: You, your girlfriends, and their friends too How: With food & drinks, cupcakes (heck yes!), and a photo booth (say cheese!) Where: Lost + Found Café, 33 W Hastings St.

Tickets are available here!

We can't wait to see you!

xoxox The YWiB Team

Money Matters: Part Two! A Powerful Illusion

Like it or not, people still perceive differences between men and women that often have no basis in reality. At Money Matters, we discussed how this is a symptom of the different messages and values that society sends men and women, as well as the stereotypically “male” traits that are valued in the workplace.

While the effects are difficult to detect, they’re even harder to combat because they are often subconscious (as has been repeatedly demonstrated in social/psychological studies like the Heidi/Howard study.)

How do you fight the subconscious? We can influence our impressions by emulating some of the traits associated with power and mimicking certain behaviours:

1. Pausing is power. Nodding is not. Refrain from nodding throughout a conversation, as it can be misinterpreted as being in agreement or subservience.
2. Slow your voice cadence. Lower your pitch. Women have higher pitches by nature, but a high-pitched, rushed voice from a man suggests nervousness and is generally viewed that way.
3. Old girls’ clubs. You may not have experienced it yourself, but women can feel unwelcome at certain gatherings organized by “the boys”. Women have taken matters into their own hands and are hosting similar events with an objective to network and hash out business. Join one or start your own!
4. Power poses. A little bit of "fake it til you make it" can go a long way. Amy Cuddy's TED Talk demonstrates some proven poses that produce real physiological and psychological effects.

As more women lead in powerful positions, the associations between “feminine” traits and power will strengthen, and we will no longer need to accentuate or adopt more “male” attributes to get ahead.

Tracy, thank you so much for all the great advice and stimulating conversation. These two posts cover only a portion of everything we learned.

Tracy holds pro bono finance sessions at Sophia Financial Group (see their event schedule under the News & Events tab). Bring your goals, questions, or just pop in to introduce yourself. It’s something you won’t regret!

Calling all Toronto Social Media & Online Marketers!

By Amanda Ainsworth To effectively employ social media and search marketing, a fast-paced and ever-changing realm, you can’t afford to be outdated or out-of-touch with new developments in the industry. There are new pins, likes, pages, and other features emerging everyday that you can use, but it is a double-edged sword: on the one hand, these new tools can improve the impact of your social media/online strategy, and on the other hand, this means constantly learning how to use them and understanding how they fit and might be leveraged for your company! It can take a lot of effort to be on top of these things.

Our friends at YWCA Toronto are offering an incredible event TOMORROW, where you can find out how to use the latest tools and most effective practices in social media, SEO, and search engine marketing from the ones who invented and revolutionized it.

A minimum donation of $20 to the YWCA Girls’ Center will give you access to hear from experts representing three of the industry’s leading players: Google Canada, Green Lotus, and ABC News.

Donate & Learn – Search & Social Marketing Tuesday, May 28, 2013 6pm – 9pm YWCA Toronto Headquarters (87 Elm Street, Toronto)

This workshop will provide you with invaluable tips for:

• Creating more successful online marketing strategy,
• Leveraging Google AdWords’ social/mobile/local tools and Google+ to boost your social media strategy,
• Enhancing online visibility and brand awareness with better SEO, and
• Everything in between!

If you’re a social media/marketing professional, a small or medium business, non-profit or charity organization, PR/Communications specialist or website designer, don’t pass up the opportunity to strengthen your marketing efforts, improve your bottom line and schmooze with these high-caliber marketing gurus. I recommend reserving a spot now. You can do this by making a quick (tax-deductible) donation to the YWCA Girls’ Center, at http://greenlotus.ca/workshop! Don’t forget to pass this info along to any of your Toronto friends who might be interested – they’ll thank you. 

*This workshop is being generously sponsored by Go Daddy, Toronto Star’s NewInHomes.com, Epic Cruises, and Big3 Video Agency.

What are you saving for?

By Amanda Ainsworth If you couldn’t make it to our most recent event, Money Matters, I hate to tell you but you truly missed out! An evening with Tracy Theemes was all I needed to get my money-saving, ladder-climbing butt in gear!

For me, the most valuable takeaways came in two parts: Tracy’s methodical approach to identifying your goals and achieving financial freedom and her behavioural tips to help every women work their way to the top of their careers.

Below you’ll find Part I: Tracy’s 5-Question Technique for Financial Decision Making. I hope you find these as valuable as I did; stay tuned for Part II: Tracy’s Behavioural Tips next week!

Tracy’s 5-Question Technique for Financial Decision Making

Q1. Where am I now?

How do you know what financial position you’re in once all the smoke and dust clears? Here are two things to calculate and track:

1. Net Worth— Calculate it every six months: Net worth = your Assets – your Liabilities
2. Cash Flow — Track your spending pattern over a 90-day or six month period. Use your online debit and credit statements or the plethora of online apps/websites (such as Mint.com) that will do it all for you.

Q2. Do I have reserve?

Reserve is simply a liquid “backup”, preferably kept in a high rate savings account, meaning you can take it out as cash in under 24 hours. Keep cash (or cash equivalents) in your reserve.

The amount of reserve money you should have will depend on things like occupation, for example someone in the film industry might need more than someone with a predictable and dependable income, and your other spending patterns.

When should you start building this reserve? Umm, right now! A good base is to calculate how much money you need to cover your costs of living for three months.

Being your own bank is not only cheaper, it creates financial freedom, confidence and happiness.

Q3. Where am I headed/What do I want?

Pick the 2-3 most important things to you right now (hint: one of these should be your reserve from Q2, if you haven’t already reached your margin)

Then ask yourself, how much does it cost?

And, when do you want it by?

Q4. How am I going to get there?

 These are the years to learn (and practice) positive new behaviours. So skip that latte, pick up an extra job if you need to and attend one of Tracy’s investment classes – they’re free! Contact us if you want to hear about upcoming sessions.

Q5. How am I going to monitor my progress?

Fluent with Excel? Even if you aren’t, it’s a great tool for tracking your budget and financial goals, Use it!

Define what would be “success” for your financial goals and remember to track your progress!

So, what are you saving for? Share with us in the comments below and stay tuned for Part II next week!

Empowering Reads - "Lean in: Women, Work & the Will to Lead"

After last week's amazing Money Matters session with Tracy Theemes, we rushed to buy "Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead" by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Any "YWiB-er" would benefit from reading Sheryl's take on setbacks women face in the workplace, strategies to overcome them and her keys to a successful career. The book has been called thought provoking AND controversial, we love it!

Check out what others had to say and after you read it please share your thoughts with us! http://bit.ly/15LMPs7

Money Matters is Soon!

Money Matters is just around the corner!  This coming Wednesday, Tracy Theemes will be at our disposal to answer all your burning questions about anything and everything finance.  It’s a casual and conversational evening, and because of that, feel free to send us topics or questions that you have an interest in hearing about (or bring them to the event!) on Wednesday. Make sure to sign upsoon before registration ends! E-mail us at info@ywib.ca , tweet at us @YWiB, or post on our facebook page to make sure Tracy will cover what you’re most interested in!

Tracy Theemes is down-to-earth and great at boiling down the complexities of money matters into easy-to-grasp concepts.

Some topics she has on her list:

• How to save money effectively and general good money habits to adopt
• What is “asset allocation” and why should we know about it?
• What are registered versus non-registered accounts?
• Investing – The various investment vehicles out there and which ones are “the best”
• Fees & Commissions – how much of your money is actually being invested?
• How do you assess your acceptable investment “risk” level?
• Mutual funds – What are they!?
• RRSPs – When is the right time to start?
• Filing your tax returns – Best practices for separating your taxes owed and making sure you don’t spend that money that isn’t yours!
• What do landlord/property management companies take advantage of renters?
• What to look out for the first time renter/buyer
• Fixed versus variable rate mortgage
• Staying out of the “red” with your credit

If, at the end of the evening, you feel you want further explanation or guidance, you’re welcome to have a quick chat with her.  But, while she can’t come home with you, you can definitely pick up her book,The Financially Empowered Woman: Everything You Really Want to Know About Your Money.

We hope to see you there!