September Founder’s Message

by Pauline Field

Fall is here. I think about the freedoms we as women have in the United States as we watch the fall of the government in Afghanistan and the takeover of the Taliban. Amnesty International reported that under the Taliban, “women can be jailed for the ‘moral crime’ of fleeing your abusive husband.  Growing up you might well have been denied an education, banned from working and moving freely, and seen as inferior to your husband, son or brother.”  While women’s rights improved somewhat during the 20 years the U.S. was there – literacy went from 8% to 43%,  the Taliban is likely to strip women of such hard-won rights.  Women who can are fleeing the country because of it.

So many of us take for granted that we as women in this country can work, can go to school and college, that our vote is equal to a man’s vote, we can speak out without being afraid of being jailed because of it, and so much more.  As we at 50/50 Leadership consider the idea of equity in leadership for women, again and again we realize that financial literacy and financial independence are critical elements that leave us free to achieve that potential.

Our Money 101 program continues to work with women who have been neglected, abused and victimized, providing them basic financial literacy and a year of one-on-one mentoring.  Their stories are at once heartbreaking and also hopeful and inspiring as they strive to have a better life moving forward.

On September 25th, we will be launching our Investing Demystified.  This is a one-session webinar that explains the stock market and how to determine whether, when and how to start investing.  This is open to all and it is free.  Even if you are not new to the stock market, do jump in – I have learned things I didn’t know.  To register, Click Here.  I hope to see you there.