Why is this subject, “Super Woman Wealth,” important in the world?
This is an important topic because women are expected to increasingly control more of the wealth in the United States. According to research by McKinsey, women could inherit much of the wealth that baby boomers are passing down. As a result, they are going to need to take a bigger role in their financial decisions.
Women have also surpassed men in graduating from college. This could indicate that there may be more professional women going forward, and those women could have more earning power than their predecessors.
What is the pressing issue right now, and how are you addressing it?
I believe the pressing issue is financial education for all, but especially women. Many of us are not taught even the basics of finance and handling money, yet we are expected to successfully navigate budgeting, saving, investing, and planning. It feels like an uphill battle. Many times, women tend to assume that the men in our lives know more than we do about this topic, and they hand over complete control without a second thought. Unless they went to school for finance, there is a high probability that our male counterparts were not taught the financial basics either. The sad part is most women don’t realize this until it is too late. They find out after the mistakes have been made.
I believe that educating women is key to us taking a bigger part in this conversation. I am speaking at various groups and organizations to help teach women the key things they need to move forward. I hope the audience leaves with the confidence to take control of their financial future. I want them to play a more active role in managing their money.
Regina McCann Hess Biography
What is your background in this subject?
I have worked with women and their finances for the past 25 years. Over that span of time, I have found that women tend to be strong, resourceful, resilient, and organized. Despite these and many other strengths, women don’t take the time to appropriately plan for their financial future.
Sometimes, that is because they are taking care of their spouses, children, and older parents, leaving little time for themselves. Other times, they lack the confidence to do so, often leaving money matters to others. It can be overwhelming.
I have had hundreds of conversations with women on this topic and am on a mission to guide them to care for their financial health. To put themselves first.
What is something that most people don’t know about you?
Most people don’t know that I graduated college with a nursing degree. After college, I worked in critical care units, taking care of the most fragile patients. I learned how to react in life-and-death situations. I also discovered how to keep a cool head in emergencies. When I tell my clients about my first career, I tell them that I used to take care of people’s physical health, and now I take care of their financial health.
What are your passions outside of your career?
My family is my passion. I enjoy visiting my sons at college and cheering on their football and hockey teams. My daughter is a junior in high school, so we are now doing college visits. I like to make these trips an adventure. I hope that taking this approach helps decrease the stress associated with making such a big decision. My mom lives with us, so we try to include her in many of our activities. We have nicknamed our house Hotel Hess since we have many family visitors who stay with us for short- and long-term stays.
My other passion is reading. I read a lot. I use it as my de-stressor. Once I start a book, I can tune almost anything out in the room or house, for that matter. I enjoy fiction. I tend to read a lot of historical fiction, especially revolving around World War II. It gives me an appreciation for what our country has fought hard for, and it gives me the ultimate respect for our armed forces and veterans.
Are there any social causes that you believe in and support?
There are multiple social causes that I believe in. Most of my efforts and time are spent on homelessness. For many years, I have been a board member and committee member with a local homeless shelter – St. Mary’s Franciscan Shelter for Homeless Families. This shelter provides temporary housing for families while they work towards stable living. Our definition of family doesn’t just mean two parents and children. It also includes single parents or grandparents with children. During their stay, residents are provided with case management, education, and life skills training. These services aim to help guide the residents towards self-sufficiency. In addition to the Board of Directors and committees, the Shelter has volunteers as well as trained staff that help with its many needs.
What is next for you?
I plan to use my book to help obtain speaking engagements. I want to educate people, especially women, about financial literacy and how they can be their own financial heroes. I believe education is key to bringing more women into the financial conversation. By boosting their confidence and knowledge level, women may be more likely to take the next steps in handling their own money matters.
Super Woman Wealth
Tell me about your book.
After 25 years in wealth management and after seeing countless women navigate choppy financial situations, I wrote “Super Woman Wealth: How To Become Your Own Financial Hero to teach women how to nurture their money, preserve their wealth, and take control of their financial future. My hope is to build confidence in the reader so that she can become her own financial hero.
I use stories throughout the book to share how other women have been in similar situations and have worked through them.
Money tends to be a taboo topic for many women, but it shouldn’t be. In the book, we discuss our financial mindset and gain an understanding of our relationship with money so that we can learn from that and plan for our future. We also look at patterns and habits that may not suit us going forward.
We learn about the power of a financial plan and how a plan can help you avoid many potential headaches.
We address the unique challenges women face and how to conquer them as you work toward financial confidence. We also talk about major life transitions such as children, divorce, re-marriage, and death. None of us think it will happen to us, but when it happens, you can never be too prepared.
We discuss retirement strategies, philanthropy, and, most importantly, normalizing conversations around money matters.
The Wellness Wheel with Regina Fridkin(Opens in a new browser tab)
Where can people buy your book?
My book, “Super Woman Wealth: How To Become Your Own Financial Hero, is expected to be sold at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Hudson stores, and maybe even Costco. I have been working on this book for almost 4 years. I can’t wait to walk into a store and see it on the shelf! I have already viewed the link for my book on Amazon. It is a surreal experience to see my hard work pay off and see it listed on Amazon.