Today, women are playing an ever-increasing role in making important financial decisions – whether for themselves or for their families.  While many of the basic rules of investing hold true for all investors, some life events will affect women differently than they will men, and these can also have an impact on investment decisions.  Following are a few areas of special consideration for women investors:

Longer life expectancy.  People in general are living longer these days, and conventional wisdom will tell you that women tend to outlive men.  Studies have, in fact, confirmed that this is the case.  According to CDC statistics from 2003, women outlive men by an average of more than five years.*  So women in particular often end up facing more years in retirement.  To be prepared for such a situation, women need to take special care to implement select strategies catered to their possible long-term needs.

Being on your own.  Statistics also show that women have a very high probability of being on their own at some point in their financial lives, not only as a result of a spouse’s death, but also because of divorce or simply remaining single.  Dropping from two incomes down to one would obviously require making some adjustments, so it’s important to think about alternatives and options in the event you should be faced with a similar situation.

Time spent out of the work force.  When caring for children — or even an elderly parent — women tend to spend more time away from work than men.  Some surveys have shown that, on average, women spend more than a decade out of the work force.  The implications for women with regards to investments are clear: they will have less time than their male counterparts to contribute to their retirement nest eggs.

While these are just some of the many important considerations for women investors, there are also several simple steps women can take to come up with an effective financial strategy.
For starters, you should look for ways to educate yourself about investments.  The financial press and financial web sites are loaded with information about investments and alternatives.  It’s important to remember that not every source is the most reliable, but the bottom line is that there is plenty of information out there.

You may also want to seek advice from a professional.  The act of enlisting a financial advisor to help with your investments does not take away from your ability to make the final decisions.  It does, however, provide you with someone you can turn to for guidance as you make those important decisions.

One of the most important things you can do is make a list of your financial goals and then develop strategies to meet those goals.  Taking the time to assess your current financial situation will help you get a clear picture of where you are, and then you can envision where you want to go.  Keeping in mind the special circumstances we mentioned earlier, you can chart a course of action that will enable you to meet any challenges that may arise in the future. 

*Information cited: CDC, NCHS,  Table 27.
 

Brokerage services provided by Arvest Asset Management, member FINRA/SIPC and a subsidiary of Arvest Bank. Securities, mutual funds, and insurance products are:

On February 26th, Arvest associates and their family and friends from across North Central Arkansas took the plunge into the icy waters of Lake Norfork during the 6th Annual Polar Bear Plunge to benefit the Special of Olympics of Arkansas.

Twenty-one brave souls represented Arvest and took the plunge and raised over $1,400! They also took the award for the Largest Group to Plunge and Best Dressed!

This year’s Polar Bear Plunge was the most successful to date with a total of over 51 plungers and $7,200 raised for Special Olympics. To learn more about the Special Olympics and how you can get involved, click here. 

Lynn Dame, Arvest associate and winner of the Best Dressed category, shows off her tropical-themed outfit. 

Arvest associates "take the plunge" into the frigid Lake Norfork water. 

Do the long hours you put in as a small business owner make you happy?  Does worrying about your business’ sales and profits bring you peace of mind?  Or are you ready to throw in the towel and call it quits?  A recent Gallup Poll just might change your mind. 

Between January 2 – August 19, 2009, Gallup interviewed 100,826 adults in various occupations to measure their well-being.  Gallup uses the data to create the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index as a way of determining

People’s well-being at the close of every day based on the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of health as not only the absence of infirmity and disease but also a state of physical, mental and social well-being.

Interestingly, the results of Gallup’s Poll showed self-employed Americans have the highest overall well-being and the highest satisfaction with their work environment.  Their well-being scores beat out the next highest groups of professionals and managers/executives. 

On its own these results are not too shocking.  However, combine this finding with another recent Gallup Poll showing that this same group works the most number of hours in a typical work week.  Almost half of self-employed Americans (49%) report that they work over 44 hours in a typical work week.  Only 38% of those employed by a private business report working over 44 hours per week.  Longer working hours = increased well-being? 

Is there a correlation between longer working hours and higher well-being?  Probably not.  A better explanation of these two polls is that there are other factors present in owning your own business (e.g. being your own boss) that significantly offset the detriment derived from working longer hours.  Working longer hours does not significantly reduce the emotional well-being gained from owning your own business. 

The emotional well-being results are even more shocking when you realize that the study was conducted during the heart of one of the deepest recessions America has ever seen.  And business owners are among the hardest hit.  Other surveys show small business owners’ optimism to be at all-time lows due to falling sales and profits.  It appears that worries about falling sales, profits and weathering the recession also do not substantially offset the emotional benefits of owning your own business.  Or do they? 

What do you think?  

Visit the Arvest Small Business Resource Center for other helpful articles, online tools and calculators.  To learn more about Arvest business services, please contact a local business banker today. 

The cold weather and multiple snow storms can’t keep a good thing down. Progress is coming along quite nicely for the newest Arvest branch being built in Springfield at Chestnut and National. The first branch in Missouri to be built to LEED certification standards is starting to really take shape as the walls have gone up, the window holes have been cut out and the entire steel structure is up. There is still plenty to do but it is still on track to open summer of this year!

Students at Hollister Elementary School are learning the value of a dollar through real-world business situations as part of Arvest’s Dollars and Sense program. The idea behind the Arvest Dollars and Sense program is simple: Bank representatives visit with students once a month as part of an effort to teach students lessons about the various aspects of money and savings. As part of this program, students in Hollister created and sold products such as bookmarks, bracelets and decorative pins , operating as if they were a small business. The students were then able to present their products to a loan officer from Arvest and ask for a loan to start their “business”.

The money made through this project will go toward the cost of a charter bus for a student trip to Jefferson City in April.  Elementary teacher Shawn Merriman said the week of sales should account for about a quarter of the $2,200 needed for the bus. Merriman said donations and funds raised from a recent recycling project will also help pay for the cost of the bus trip.

The project isn’t just about raising money, though. It teaches a very valuable lesson about economics and money management. Says Merriman of the teaching methods of Arvest Dollars and Sense, “It is a hands on way, rather than just out of the book.”

For more information about this project, take a look at an article from the Branson Tri-Lakes News by clicking here.

Then, click here to visit Arvest Money Skills for educational games, articles and budgeting tools for all ages.

Arvest is proud to be a sponsor of the Air & Rocket Racing Show, hosted by the Tulsa Air & Space Museum and Planetarium. Currently, all Arvest Tulsa Metro banking locations, are serving as ticket outlets for the show.  Adult tickets (15 years and up) are $11, child tickets (4-15 years old) are $7 and children under 4 are free! All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the museum’s educational and inspirational initiatives throughout the year.

The Tulsa Air & Space Museum and Planetarium is located at 3624 North 74th East Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. To learn more about the Air & Rocket Racing Show, click here.
 

Who's the best? Oklahoma Magazine once again seeks to answer that question with their annual "The Best of the Best" awards. Voting is now open for Tulsa and Oklahoma City. From burgers to banks, (including Arvest Bank), bike shops to brunch, Oklahoma Magazine readers are encouraged to to tell us who they feel is doing a good job, and who's doing the best.

Click here to cast your votes now and tell Oklahoma Magazine who you think is the best!

Phyllis Turrentine, a loan operations manager at the Fayetteville, Arkansas, downtown location, is celebrating her 41st year with the bank!  Phyllis has served our Arvest team and customers faithfully for many years. Arvest would like to extend our deep gratitude to Phyllis for her loyalty and dedication to her customers.  Congratulations on 41 years!