Des Femmes Updates January 2024
New year, new money goals, new mentors
Sterling here again, welcoming you to a new year exploring ways for women to achieve financial and personal sovereignty!
If you’re the kind of person who is into new year’s resolutions, or you’ve simply made the decision to get your finances under control, consider chatting with one of our community money mentors.
During the Des Femmes IRL Meetup in Paris last year, six community members joined the University of Maryland’s Master Money Mentors training program. Coaching people to make financial decisions without expressing bias or opinion takes training and is a huge responsibility. What works for one person’s risk tolerance and fiscal responsibilities will not work for another.
That’s why we also list each money mentor’s area of focus and expertise. If you’re looking for support with budgeting, debt management, or financial planning, take a look on our website! Please note that money mentors do not give legal, investment, or tax advice to mentees.
Over the next few newsletters, we’ll introduce you to our money mentors so that you can learn more about their services and why they are a good fit for you.
Money Mentor Spotlight: Sterling Schuyler
I became a money mentor partly for my own education, but also because I’ve spoken with a number of Americans living abroad who don’t realize that they can open a Roth IRA—a unique retirement investment account available to those with social security numbers.
Americans living abroad have extra sets of financial planning hoops to jump through. We are one of the few global citizens who have to file taxes in both our country of residence and the United States. And yes, that includes anyone who was born outside the U.S., who has never lived a day in the States, but still has citizenship by blood.
And if we’re going to pay taxes anyway, we may as well take advantage of the investment opportunities available to us.
If you’re interested in a 30 minute consultation, let’s talk!
Community Updates
Erin Lyman of Code Sprinkles (and also a money mentor!) is offering a 30 minute web development consultation for small businesses and early stage startups until the end of the month.
Bolo is looking for an open source solution to accept payments.
Interested in planning or attending a Des Femmes event in New York? Let us know!
Until next time, stay curious…