A course at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign designed to empower women both financially and in the workforce is now being offered to the public. Register online  for “Women, Money & Power” before the eight-week, online course kicks off on Wednesday, March 20. 

Offered by the financial planning program in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACE), part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES),the course will involve both a live lecture from 5 - 6:50 p.m. every Wednesday and 40 minutes of asynchronous content every week in the form of pre-recorded videos and podcasts. 

Open to all individuals, this course provides powerful and honest perspectives on success, struggles, and career advice. Specifically, the course will cover various topics related to women and financial issues, such as money scripts and money stories, women and investing, women in the workplace, career development, negotiation strategies, entrepreneurship, and the significance of retirement planning for women. 

“I am excited about this course because it is designed to address some of the challenges women encounter, provide tangible solutions to overcome these obstacles, and empower women to achieve financial freedom,” said Tapiwa Sigauke, a teaching assistant professor in the ACE financial planning program.

First offered to students in 2022 after the program received a generous gift from Charles Schwab, the decision to open the course to the public has been eagerly anticipated. The faculty hope that, like the college students who have taken the course, participants will gain both an understanding of the challenges women face related to money and a portfolio of practical solutions they can apply in their personal lives. 

“Traditionally, the responsibility of financial decision making has been assigned to men. Our intent is to help bridge the gap and meet the needs of women who find themselves in situations where they may feel unprepared to take on such a role,” said Presley Fee, digital financial planning program coordinator. “There was a great response across campus, so we are thrilled to open it up to the public.”

The course will not only feature content from the faculty in the financial planning program; students will learn from female financial planning professionals and entrepreneurs about their journeys as well.

“Women, Money & Power provides students the opportunity to have open and candid discussions with professionals about a variety of experiences they will have over the course of their careers,” Fee said. “From negotiating for a first job to unique challenges in retirement, Women, Money & Power is valuable to everyone at any stage of their career.”