Women’s Empowerment Workshop Maps Out Path to Financial Independence

CINCINNATI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The American Legion’s Women’s Outreach Program hosted a Women’s
Empowerment Workshop Aug. 30, during the 98th National Convention in
Cincinnati.

Financial education specialist Robert A. Smith with ClearPoint Financial
Solutions shared his expertise in financial literacy in an effort to
empower veterans to properly manage their finances and spending habits.
“The critical part of having money is learning how to control and
understand it,” he said.

The tools Smith shared are critical for servicemembers who retire or
transition out of the military – primarily because they might not
understand the civilian pay structure and how their new benefits and
entitlements may appear on their pay statements.

“When you go into the military they teach you to exercise like the
military, eat in a military way, sleep military, your friends are all in
the military and you live in military housing,” said Legionnaire Rose
Hodgeboom. “After you are in for x amount of years, they tell you to
start thinking like a civilian. It is a totally different culture shock.”

The experience was eye-opening for Hodgeboom, a Vietnam-era veteran who
said she came to the event to find ways to prioritize her spending and
adjust patterns that could potentially allow her to save more of her
income.

The American Legion introduced the workshop at its convention after
receiving feedback from its women veterans survey. “One of the survey
questions asks women veterans what they would like to see in their
communities. Out of the more than 3,000 responses we received thus far,
there was an overwhelming need for access to information on financial
literacy,” said Rhonda Powell, director of the Legion’s National
Security Division, who also leads the Women’s Outreach Program.

All information from the survey is kept private and submitted
anonymously. Women veterans can access the survey at surveymonkey.com/r/ALwomenvets
until Sept. 18.

The American Legion is the largest wartime veterans service organization
with 2.2 million members in nearly 14,000 posts in communities across in
America. The Legion, established by an act of Congress in 1919, was
instrumental in getting the original GI Bill through Congress and the
creation of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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Contacts

The American Legion
Crystal Jackson, Media Relations Manager,
202-263-5758
cjackson@legion.org