Tomgirl's Newest Journey: the Path to Financial Empowerment

Personal finance has always been a passion for me. Understanding what, how, and when I need to manage my money in order to have a secure, healthy and comfortable lifestyle makes me feel good about myself, my family and my life situation. It's a great feeling to get to a point where you aren't worrying about credit card debt and your ability to the pay the mortgage on time but rather to focus on the things we need to do to proactively create wealth - small or large wealth; either way, it doesn't matter... what matters is thinking and planning. I've educated myself in many ways, and one of my favorite sources of information is Suze Orman, but I--like many women--could have used more proactive help over the years.

Enter Tomgirl Tours' newest tour feature: financial planning workshops on our Vermont tours next year. You might be asking yourself: “Financial planning and adventure travel?” Well, this workshop will be less like a “typical” financial planning seminar than like an adventure in itself.

My partners in this are Ameriprise advisors Chris Hager and Chris Di Fronzo, who are going about this with a unique approach - we are going to start with your dreams and desires and set about creating your wealth vision. Huh? What is that? Your wealth vision gives you the chance to "dream" about what you really want (I mean, what do you really, really want? A farm house in the woods; a cupcake truck business in the summer? More time with family?) In this area we'll help you to create your dream board. From there, Chris and Chris will go through the steps of planning and executing each aspect necessary to meet your vision. We will talk about things like passive and passionate income; tax avoidance strategies; wealth protection and the usual stuff like stocks, bonds and insurance... After all, a goal starts with an end result in mind (and on paper) and the clarity of purpose and actions to make it come true.

I’m excited about these sessions and helping other women dream, plan and execute their futures - ones that hold security, comfort and the wonderful feeling of empowerment that planning and taking action gives to us.

Money grows exponentially and so can we!

Tomgirl Empowers Women (Physically and Financially)

em·pow·er

\im-ˈpau(-ə)r\

(transitive verb)

to promote the self-actualization or influence of...

We're always talking about the fun, the laughter and the breath-taking scenery and adventure of Tomgirl Tours. One thing we (and travelers) don't often verbalize, but which has been on my mind lately, is how these experiences empower women. And I don't use that word lightly. Take, for example, just a few of our recent Tomgirl guests who have commented on this blog:

"What they offer... should be considered a public service... I encourage all cancer survivors to take off your wig, put on a helmet, and change your perception of yourself." --Carol

"Thank you so much, Lori, for putting together a wonderful package of fun and adventure that helped get me out of my way-too-restrictive comfort zone!!" --Lisa

So, to complement the physical and mental empowerment our brand of adventure offers to travelers, I'm very excited about a special feature of our November Red Rock Rendezvous in Sedona, Ariz. (click here for additional 2010 dates). I've teamed up with Edward Jones financial planner Kira Golden to offer Tomgirl guests an optional financially empowering element on these Sedona tours. Golden will guide guests who choose to participate (no extra cost) through financial visioning, planning and execution strategies; including risk exposure, investment policies, legacy planning, tax minimization tools, and passive or passion income streams. (Meanwhile, Tomgirl is in talks with a couple of our favorite New England financial planners to possibly do something similar on our tours in this region).

What better time to clearly visualize our dreams and goals than while feeling our adrenaline pump on an outdoor adventure--perhaps as you step off a zip line platform and realize that you really can accomplish anything... physically or financially... if you are willing to take that leap of faith in yourself.