Women's Financial Health Week - Personal Financial Specialists - Brief Article

California CPA, Jan-Feb, 2003

Did you know that the percentage of women filing for bankruptcy rose from 17 percent of all filers in 1981 to 40 percent of all filers in 1999? What's more, only 32 percent of women have a retirement plan and save only half of what men save.

In response to these statistics, the AICPA created Women's Financial Health Week, beginning Jan. 13, to encourage women to take charge of their financial future and to position CPA financial planners as the experts who can help women reach their financial goals.

The week-long, Web-based program is designed to arm women with information to make educated decisions about savings, retirement plans, IRAs and more.

In 2002, the campaign reached nearly 18 million women.

The website, www.womensfinancialhealthweek.com, garnered nearly 10,000 hits. Key components of the website, all of which will be offered again this year, include chats with CPAs with the PFS credential, a financial makeover contest and a CPA/PFS referral database.