Introducing:
A new and intimate financial teleseminar designed and facilitated by a woman, for women only.

90% of all women will be forced to manage their own finances at some point in their lives….

Do you feel ready?

When:  Thursday nights October 25, November 1,8,15

Time:  7:00-8:30 MST/6:00 PST/9:00 EST/8:00 CST

Cost:   $159 US dollars (includes 4-90 min calls, a 110 page manual, and recordings of all the calls.)

I recognize it is impossible these days to get everyone's schedules to work together so all calls will be recorded and uploaded to a website where you will have ongoing access to listen to and/or download the audio at any time.

Greetings,

My name is Megan Gelhar. For the past 4 years I've been working very intimately with women like you on the scariest, least talked about issue of their lives: money.

I believe in my bones that women like you need to be empowered financially so you can be a more effective force of peace and healing in the world and, so that you are financially prepared for whatever Life asks of you.

But, before I go any further, I'd like to ask you some very important questions:

• Do you feel confused about why you feel an unexplainable aversion to dealing with your finances?
  

• Do you dream of being financially independent but feel scared that this will never actually happen?
  

• Do you feel afraid that later in life, this fear of money could cripple you?
  

• Do you secretly wish that someone else would just take care of it for you?
  

• Are there other women in your life whose financial future you're concerned for?
  

• Do you have so much debt that you're scared you'll never be able to pay it off?
  

• Do you ever find yourself saying:

• "I can't understand that money stuff."

• "Investing is too complicated for me to ever understand."

• "I just want someone to do it for me."

• "Money is a man's job."

• "I'm not good at math."

• "I don't have enough time to manage my money."

• "This doesn't pertain to me."

• "That's years off, I don't need to think about it now."

• It's too late for me."

Any of these sound familiar?  If they do, then I think you'll find the contents of this letter to be not only relevant and informative but also extremely useful.

I have several intentions with this letter:

1. To educate you about the current realities around women and money - and what this could mean for your future (sadly, it is worse than you might think).

2. To help expose nine of the hidden causes of these tragic realities (and what you can do about them).

3. To help you understand the little known (but widely spread) dynamic of Cultural Imprinting (and how you can free yourself from it).

4. To let you know that many factors have influenced your current relationship to money (and help you understand which ones). 

5. To assure you that YOU ARE NOT ALONE in this.

6. To show you that the issues with women and money go way beyond the personal.

7. To show you where you may be headed if you don't take action, if you don't start learning how to deal with money.

8. To show you that you do NOT have to be alone in order to be financially independent.

9. To show you some possible (and proven) ways to financial competence, confidence and peace of mind.

10. To tell you a bit about who I am and why I may be able to help you navigate these waters.

And I have some sad news that will either shock you or ring with truth:

The vast majority of North American women feel unable to stand solidly on their own two feet when it comes to their finances.  Even successful businesswomen, even millionaires, tell me that if their husbands died or left, they wouldn’t know what to do about their finances.   

I'll tell you a bit more about some of the shocking statistics around women and money below but for now read on..........

My sincere hope is that the "Bustin' Out of Those Bag Lady Blues" workshop can put you on your way to feeling financially confident and competent. 

Here are two true stories to illustrate just how vulnerable most women are. I've had to change the women's names to protect their privacy (I think you'll understand - we're talking money here!) but you have my word of honor that these stories are completely true. 

As you read them - see if you don't connect with them....

Janet's Story

Janet had managed her own and then her family’s finances her whole life.  She was very astute with money.  When her first husband died suddenly, she continued to successfully manage the family finances on her own. 

After many years she remarried. Her new husband said he would like to handle the money so she handed everything over to him.  She never asked him if he knew what he was doing, or how he did things.  She didn’t want to bruise his ego and she assumed he probably knew more than she did anyway. As it turned out, he didn’t know what he was doing but Janet had fallen into a common disempowered trance thinking, "He knows better, he’ll take care of me."   

Today, ten years later, they have no money, they both have expensive health challenges and they have to turn to friends for financial support.  

Margaret's Story

Margaret's husband has a great job and provides a very comfortable lifestyle.  Her children are now out of the home so she has time to do a lot of volunteer work in the arts and she has a business she dabbles in.   Since she doesn’t believe she has to really make money, she views her business as a hobby and she charges ridiculously low fees for her work. To the casual observer her life looks like a fairy tale. 

But Margaret lives in fear of what would happen to her if her husband died. The knot in her gut is a steady companion.  Even though she can expect to be left with lots of money, she knows that money alone will not ease her anxiety because she still is in the grip of believing "I can't take care of myself."

She recognizes that her aversion to dealing with money will cripple her when she's left on her own.  She is beginning to take steps to address these issues but the pull of “I want to be taken care of" and "I don’t want deal with money” is very strong. 

Just what are the realities on women and money?

These numbers aren't meant to scare or depress you, they are meant to  make you aware of the realities for women and money. 

• 50% of marriages end early either through divorce or death, leaving women alone

• 70% of Baby Boomer women will outlive their husbands 

• women lose about 15% of their work years in order to take care of children or elderly parents 

• women earn $0.76 for every $1 earned by men - a lifetime loss of over $300,000

• women tend to save less of their annual income than men

• women's pension benefits are 50% of men's

• only 30% of women receive a pension compared to 47% of men.

• the average age of widows is 56 years old

• women live approximately 7 years longer than men

• over 75 % of all people in nursing homes are women

• your spouse’s pension may not continue to pay after he dies (really!)

Sobering, isn't it?

But now, I want you to think about something.  When you are 65, what do you want YOUR financial picture to look like?  I ask this to a lot of the women I work with.  Most tell me, "Well, I'd really like to be financially independent."  But then they confide in me that they are terrified this won't happen.  They feel trapped.  After all, consider that....

 The is what women face at age 65:

• 45% are dependant upon relatives

• 30% must live on charity

• 23% are still working

• 2% are totally self-sustaining  

As I became aware of these realities from both my research and holding the hands of so many women while they cried on my shoulders I had to ask myself, "what is going on here?"  So many of these women were dynamic, powerful and strong and yet, their finances lay in ruin and their future in doubt.  I began to see that there were ....

9 hidden causes of this tragic financial picture:

1. Income disparity between men and women

2. Shorter job tenure

3. Fewer opportunities to save for retirement

4. The cost of health care

5. Financial impact of caregiving

6. Tendency to be financial enablers

7. Math anxiety

8. Financial Illiteracy  

9. Cultural imprinting and stereotyping

This last one is the most subtle.  It may also be the most devastating.  

How does cultural imprinting and stereotyping 
affect women?

In February, 2000, the National Endowment for Financial Education and AARP cosponsored a conference to explore critical financial issues facing women in America today. Below - summarized in six devastatingly clear paragraphs - are their most important findings taken from their report, "Frozen in The Headlights: The Dynamics of Women and Money."

Why am I telling you all of this?   

You're not alone.  These patterns are widespread.  We are swimming against the current here - but that also means that - if we keep swimming, we will get to the source.  And, we need to keep swimming.  I've seen too many women let the current take them - and it almost always takes them to the edge of the falls or right over.  This does not have to happen to you!

So why should you listen to me?

Personal experience: I have been through the mill myself when it comes to money.  I lived in financial denial for years.  I did many foolish things with my money. Six years ago, I shifted significantly when I got clear on a new dream and lined my spending up with my values. Using new financial practices it took only 14 months to pay off an $11,000 debt and to save $19,000 to finance my dream. As they say, if I can do it, any one can.  

Public experience: I have been coaching individuals, speaking and leading workshops in the public and private sectors for 25 years. I am an independent financial  educator of women, thus I have no one to answer to but you.  Your success is my success.

Holistic approach: My work with women is holistic. The mental (beliefs), emotional (feelings), spiritual (consciousness) and practical (skills and knowledge) aspects of money must all be addressed in order for you to experience lasting change, the proof of which will show up in your bank account.  You probably already know this is true.

Soul-deep commitment: In meditation four years ago I received a vision and a calling: women need to be empowered financially so they can be a more effective force of peace and healing in the world. I am devoting the rest of my life to this vision of helping women be financially prepared for whatever Life asks of them. 

Proven success: As an independent financial educator of women, I have already helped many women turn their lives around. I could list a lot but let me give you just two true success stories: by working with me, Sandra and Jean changed their financial situation from one of debt, bills and stress to freedom, security and financial power. Again, these stories are completely true, just with names changed.

SUCCESS STORY #1: Sandra's Story

Sandra was always so busy taking care of her son, her clients, her friends and her family that she didn't have time to think about herself, much less her financial situation.  She was a 52-year-old single parent with no savings, a fair amount of credit card debt and she was renting her home.  She was also very burnt out. 

When we began our work together Sandra made a deep commitment to herself and to me to consistently apply time, focus and energy to learning about finances.

For a year, in regular phone coaching calls, I provided financial education, spiritual, mental and emotional coaching, and encouragement. She also leaned on me for support when life situations tempted her to go back to her old spending and care-taking habits.

Today she is the proud owner of her own home, she has no debt, she works fewer hours but makes more money, she has a second home in the mountains and she has over $200,000 in investments.  Most importantly she has a freedom and security she never felt before because now her financial future is in the best possible hands …. her own.  

SUCCESS STORY #2: Jean's Story

Jean was 56 when we began working together.  She was $30,000 in debt with a self-employed income of about $14,000 per year. In the process of breaking up with a difficult partner, she lost $100,000 of home equity. She had no savings or investments.  She had no clue where her money was going or what to do about any of it.  

Jean and I worked over the phone for about 3 years. We looked at how the old limiting beliefs she got from her family of origin were still influencing her decisions. She also began to track her income and expenses so she could see where her money was going.  When she had a clear picture of her overall financial situation, then I guided her in getting clear on what she wanted to experience in the future.  

We then laid out a plan for her to get from where she was to where she wanted to be. In doing that analysis, she realized it would be highly beneficial to get her masters degree so she could retire at the highest possible salary.  

Today, she has her masters, she is back in a job she loves, she will get full health benefits and a full pension when she retires next year. She has $143,000 from the sale of a rental home and she invested it all with someone she trusts. I taught her how to interview financial advisors to make sure she is hiring someone truly knowledgeable, someone who actually has her interests in mind. So often women unwittingly end up giving their money to an "advisor" who is actually just a mutual fund salesperson whose loyalty is to the fund, not the customer. Jean knows which questions to ask (something we'll cover in the workshop) and she makes sure she always understands his strategy. It is, after all, HER money!   

She is living the life of her dreams:  Her spending is in alignment with her values and she is looking for further ways to contribute from her overflowing bucket. She consistently tithes 10% of her income and puts another 10% of her income into savings.  She  spends money in a conscious way and is contributing to the low income community where she works in ways that go beyond her duties as a teacher. She has learned to trust her inner guidance as well as her newly developed practical skills when she makes financial decisions.  She is confident that she can care of herself financially. 

I don't need to read any further,
 I already know I/we want to attend!

It really isn’t that hard to become financially confident and competent! 

The hardest part is to stop believing the disempowering excuses that keep you from acting on your own behalf, to stop listening to the voices in your head that say you can't do it.

Remember Jean and Sandra from the stories above?  I can assure you if they can do it so can you!  What made the difference between financial success and continued financial fear and denial was that Sandra and Jean were:

Totally committed to changing things even though they started out clueless about how to change it.  

And, their commitment came from a new vision or a new idea they had about how they wanted their financial lives to be.

I make finances approachable, safe and even.....dare I say it - fun!  Here's what you can expect when you learn about finances with me:

• You will not be alone.  You will learn with other women who also want to achieve financial security no matter what their current economic status is.  

• You will take one step at a time.

• You will be supported the whole way.

• Because you will not be overwhelmed you will start to feel more confident.

• You will learn to believe it is possible. 

• You will find yourself doing it! 

By attending this workshop you will join a group of women in the same boat and together you will: 

• Identify and heal your disempowering beliefs and emotional baggage around money.

• Learn how to overcome the top 3 Myths that keep you and most women disempowered financially. 

• Identify the specific steps you need to take to become financially secure. (These steps will be unique to you - this is not a generic, cookie cutter program.)

• Learn how to use a proven seven-step system for gaining financial competence, confidence and peace of mind.

• Identify the specific skills you already have as well as those you will need to manage your finances successfully.
  

How My Work is Different

My work with women is holistic. The mental (beliefs), emotional (feelings), spiritual (consciousness) and practical (skills and knowledge) aspects of money must all be addressed in order for you to experience lasting change. 

My experiential workshop will increase your mental, emotional and spiritual confidence, and once that’s in place, learning the practical skills will be much easier.   

What is an experiential workshop?  I will be teaching some of the time, you will be doing many different exercises and there will be much interaction.  

Most learning or education is about reading, remembering and repeating something.  This is alright for passing history tests but it is not producing change in real life.

This workshop is built on a new model of learning.  It is a model I have always intuitively used because it is a a model that gets results.  

In this new model of learning, you will identify what you want in your life overall and specifically regarding money.  Those thoughts will cause feelings and it is the emotional involvement in something that will move you toward action that will produce the results you want.  (Like what Jean and Sandra did)

Most people are caught up in focusing on their current results.  That often produces feelings of contentment, denial, fear or overwhelm....all of which will block you from doing anything!

I am not interested in teaching you some new and fascinating things about money and then hoping things may change for you some day.   

I am interested in your transformation.  If any area of your financial life is not where you want it to be I want to provide an experience that will ensure that you are on your way to changing it.  

Here is another true story illustrating how powerful this work can be.

How a Simple Sentence Helped Me 
Overcome My Fears of Money!
by Heidi, Physician

“I am a woman with a broken relationship to money.  And by using a step-by-step process ** that I learned from Megan, I am fixing it!!

The first step is to “Clarify an Intention”.  I wrote “MY THOUGHTS OF MONEY ARE PEACEFUL” and posted it all over my house and at work. My hope was to prevent palpitations and sweating every time I THOUGHT of money.  I look at them at least 25 times a day and I am happy to say I have been successful.  It is a funny psychological trick.  Take a baby step.  My main problem is my fear so I wanted to start at the core.  This also takes NO TIME! 

I now find myself thinking of money more freely.  I hear someone next to me discuss the housing bubble and I don’t even bat an eye, despite the fact that I will be selling my house within the year.  A man came to our house to discuss fixing our air conditioner and I talked to him with my husband.  Previously I would disappear because discussing/negotiating an expenditure caused catatonia. 

And success of all successes…spontaneously and without warning….I opened up the Sunday paper and out fell an entire 6-page section entitled MONEY.  I have no idea what possessed me but I thought, "Well…why not read it?  It won’t bite.  I’m sure there will be many things I won’t understand but…go ahead read it."  So I did.  I read the entire section, every word.   I did break out in a few hives every time I read the word, dividend, but I read it. 

And that is my success story.  A baby step.  A first chapter.”

** You will learn this same process in the workshop.  

I have listened to hundreds of women telling me how you want to learn about "this stuff."  It will be comprehensible, you will be learning with your friends in a non-threatening environment (and we'll have a bit of fun because I can't help it).

  
Bustin' Out of those Bag Lady Blues Workshop

When:  Saturday November 4, 2006   9:00-5:30

Where: Blackfoot Inn, 5940 Blackfoot Trail SE, Calgary

Your Investment:  $245 for one or take advantage of the "Bring A Friend" special rate of $390 for two of you.  That works out to just $195 each or a 20% savings off the individual price. (The "Bring A Friend" special ends at midnight October 29th.) 

I want this to be completely risk free for you.  I know it takes courage and commitment to sign up for this workshop so here is my guarantee:  

If this workshop doesn't work for you - one of three things will happen:
1. I will invite you to come - with a friend - for FREE to my next workshop in the area.
2.  I will offer you 2 hours of one on one coaching.
3.  I will refund every cent you paid PLUS 10% out of my own pocket - so that you can know you made money on our first transaction.

This way there's no risk to you! 

But I can't do everything for you.  You are the one who must take the action necessary for change to happen.  And I am setting the stage so even your part has a greater chance of success!