As studies continue to be updated, the facts are disappointing when looking at retirement for women. According to a report published by Business & Professional Women WSA (an advisory group) 2/3 of women are in jobs that do not provide any type of retirement plan. Complicating the financial needs of women is the issue of their longevity.

While many women recognize the need to save for retirement, their answer is to save in later years and stay in the workforce longer. The reality is that ¾ of the women surveyed in the age group of 51 – 61 experienced job loss, health problems, the onset of frailty among parents or in-laws, which removed them from the workforce earlier than they had planned. With their retirement plans incomplete, the financial impact could become insurmountable.

Is it ever too late to take charge of your situation? I hope not. Take a look at your savings and spending habits. Are you “maxing out” your retirement plan at work? If you don’t have a plan, start an IRA. It’s ok to go slow. You can begin with putting as little as $25 a week in. Don’t underestimate the value of compounding over time. Let’s take that $25 x 52 weeks = $1,300, and let’s assume you are earning 10% on your investment. Now let’s say you do this for 25 years. At the end of that 25 years you will have saved $128,000. This is clearly not enough money to retire on, but it’s a start. The hope is that once $25 a week becomes easy, then maybe the next year you can save $50 a week, and so on. You understand the point. You need to start somewhere, so pick your personal comfort point and begin.

For those of you that ask why you should read those darn prospectuses, I finally have a really good, non- technical answer: Do it for the Gecko! While reviewing the Berkshire Hathaway annual report, it came to my attention that those of my clients that own this stock can receive an 8% shareholders discount at GEICO. Of course, there was the disclaimer in small print (not available in all states). If you are currently a Berkshire shareholder and would like to know if you are eligible for this discount, please call them at 1-800-947-AUTO, and refer to the shareholders discount.

And you think it’s easy reading all this stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fed Chairman Bernanke said that inflation remains the predominate concern. His statements seem to have impacted the markets over the first quarter along with new home sales in February down 3.9%. Both the housing and manufacturing sectors remained a drag on the first quarter market numbers. Adding to inflation woes was the fact that oil rose to $66 a barrel. The Iran situation was a factor, even though it did play out well. The market could have sold off more in response to this situation.

The first quarter ended with the S&P nearly flat for the year, although it was up and down for the quarter. As for the markets ending March 30, the chart above shows where the indexes stand.

As for my own personal investing, very little new money went into the market during the first quarter. Again, I am waiting on sidelines to see where the market settles. What did work for my clients during the first quarter were Jennison Natural Resources and Eaton Vance Utilities, both up 6% year to date. If you compare this to any of the indices, they turned in an above-average performance; however: 2 sectors do not create a complete portfolio. I do plan on expanding on these funds, where it makes sense to offset any downside risk. I do also expect the market to stabilize in the months ahead.

On Friday, June 1, Bryant University in conjunction with the Financial Planning Association of Rhode Island will be sponsoring a half-day interactive investment seminar from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The topics covered include:

• Savings & Investing: focusing in on attaining financial goals and investments tools consumers can use to implement those goals.
• Retirement Challenges: how to start planning & things you may forget to plan for.
• Elder Care issues: both for yourself and your parents.

Private mentoring sessions will follow. To register contact Jennifer Chasse at Bryant, 401.232- 6501 or send an email to jchasse@bryant.edu. More detailed information can be found on the Financial Planning Association's website or by visiting Bryant’s Executive Development Center (EDC) website.

I will be presenting the first session, and will be joined by two other CFP® professionals. This event is open to the public and I hope you will share this information with anyone who would benefit from these informational sessions. The course is limited to 25 attendees and registration is mandatory. The registration deadline is May 29, 2007.

This month if you visit www.rezoom.com - a website for the ageless retiree, you will find a short article on their site in the financial section entitled “Double Retirement” by financial editor Jim Clancy. This article takes a look at changes in retirement funding: moving from one income to two and the effects of both individuals leaving the workforce. We discussed retirement issues such as health care, social security, and evaluating information on both spouses’ company retirement plans.

I would recommend you take a look at this innovative site. It covers wellness, lifestyles, travel, people, entertainment as well as many other areas, and it is definitely not your grandmothers’ destination place. Well worth the visit.