On the 2nd August the Institute hosted it’ inaugural event as a Professional Body. This was a breakfast for lady members in honour of Woman’s Day. Many members made the effort to attend, braving the early morning traffic and the chill of late winter.
After an ample breakfast the ladies were addressed by Melissa Dyer, Head of Advisory at Harbour Advisory, a specialist investment company. She is a key individual and shareholder in the business Melissa has over 12 years industry experience, most recently at STANLIB where she held the position Head: Retail Channel and Product Marketing. Melissa was also part of the Investment advisory team, who managed the STANLIB Risk Profile Fund of Fund range. She has a thorough understanding and knowledge about the economy and financial markets, using these to identify investment themes and messages for our clients.
Her address that morning focussed on Investment for Women and the importance for women to ensure they are financially independent. Some of the facts that emerged from her talk were:
- 90% of women have sole responsibility for their finances BUT 79% have not planned for their future
- 1 in 4 women are on their own by age 64 whether through divorce, separation or widowhood
- Women have fewer working years than men due to family commitments
- Women live on average 5-7 years longer than men
What is the outstanding take-away from the message: Women need to invest more than men and most importantly the sooner you start the better and the less burdensome the monthly outlay will be.
The breakfast concluded with a few lucky draws
This will be the first of what is intended to be an annual event for our lady members. Attendees were asked to take the message of the IOB and its role back to their colleagues and to encourage others to join. Jalda Hodges (CEO) invited the attendees to contact her with ideas for future events which the IOB could host. The intention is that similar events will be held in other urban centres.
