THE EXPERT
Elissa Dowler
With over 18 years experience, Elissa is DPN’s Enterprise Strategy Leader and a passionate advocate for helping people to build financial independence.
Recognising the financial challenges faced by women, DPN recently partnered with ShireWomen to sponsor the Empower event series. The first event highlighted emotional issues that may hold women back from building wealth.
Worry about finances can be utterly debilitating and all that ‘wondering’ actually leads nowhere. To feel empowered, women need to take action and reach out for help, which is why we planned the second event in a highly practical format.
Getting actively involved
This next event, ‘Getting Ready to Invest’, brought women from a variety of professions and backgrounds together, to discover how property investment works and how to take control of their finances.
A supportive environment is crucial on the journey to creating a better financial future. There were no powerpoint presentations or dry speeches, but rather a fun event filled with inspirational speakers, music and even a champagne or two.
So this is what we covered...
Our first guest speaker was Jade Khao, Women in Wealth Ambassador for the Australian Financial Planners Association. Jade offered valuable insight towards getting finances sorted, from goal setting to monitoring spending habits and sticking to budgets.
As with most things in life, the only way to progress is by taking direct action.
Jade Khao
The first step in taking action is structured goal setting Khao explains. It’s structured, because there’s no point in having a goal to get into the property market, without having steps in place to get there.
Jade challenged the group to ask themselves which financial issue is most urgent and set that as the first step towards your goal. For example:
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- Reduce personal debt
- Find other income streams
- Build savings
- Review existing loans
Let’s say you need to reduce debt in order to move forward. Jade explained how to focus solely on that and start taking immediate action. “Uncover your spending habits and see what are you prepared to change. Could you make small changes that add up, such as foregoing eating out a lot and planning meals to save on groceries? Set a budget and stick to it.”
“What seems like an insurmountable problem at first, is always best dealt with in small chuncks. That way, you’ll make noticeable progress and feel inspired to keep going towards your main goal.”
The opening speaker, Antonella Sanderson from Family Law Matters, discussed the financial implications of coming out of divorce and separation, important topics that are not often raised a group forum.
Lloyd Thomas and Tamara Sciuriaga from DPN spoke about property investment. They delved into the barriers to getting started, the importance of research in finding the right property and various strategies available to break into the market.
The main take-home point, however, was that knowledge is power. Once you reach out for professional help, increase your knowledge base and start taking direct action, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your goals and a fulfilling sense of financial empowerment.
The Empower event series offering support, inspiration and knowledge.
About DPN
DPN is an Australian owned business established over 20 years ago and employs around 60 people. It is our mission to help everyday people live the life they want by achieving greater financial independence. We do this by providing innovative finance, property investment and property management solutions, mentoring and education.
CREDITS:
This event was part of the ShireWomen Empower Series – sponsored by DPN
Images – Daniel Feodoroff
Gifts – Sodashi
Music – Charmaine Ford
Guest speakers - Antonella Sanderson, Jade Khao, Lloyd Thomas and Tamara Sciuriaga.