KFPL hosting five-week Financial Literacy for Women series

Financial Literacy for Women, a five-week series being hosted by Kingston Frontenac Public Library (KFPL), aims to educate and empower women to create a secure financial future.

Financial literacy — the ability to understand and effectively use financial skills — is key to not just having money, but optimizing one’s financial situation and keeping it sustainable, KFPL said in a media release.

The Ipsos 2021 Financial Confidence Index shows that women feel more concerned and anxious about money and finances, feel less prepared for an economic emergency, and have been disproportionately impacted financially by COVID-19, according to the release. These concerns are on top of issues like wage gaps, lifetime wealth gaps, and the challenges women face in retirement, the library stated.

KFPL said that women can develop financial literacy through education, which the library is offering through a series of five Zoom talks by Laura Southall, Senior Wealth Advisor with Assante Financial Management Ltd.

“Trying to understand what to do with your money can seem like a mystery, but if you educate yourself it becomes far less daunting,” Southall explained.

The series starts with Financial Literacy for Women: Part I, 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 11. Register online at https://calendar.kfpl.ca/event/5993963 or by phone at (613) 549-8888. A KFPL card is required to register for these programs and the talks will not be recorded. Those who need a KFPL card can register online at https://register.kfpl.ca.

Registrants will be emailed a Zoom link immediately upon registration and will need to download Zoom in advance.

The next session, Financial Literacy for Women: Part II, will be at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 15. Subsequent sessions will be on Mar. 22, Apr. 19, and May 17, always at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Each session requires registration and the library said participants may attend as many or as few sessions as they would like.