Accountant learns the family side of financial planning

Dr. Amy D’Aprix leads the “Women and Money” workshops. Photo courtesy Dr. Amy D’Aprix.

When Kelly Pilon takes her daughters shopping, she encourages them to choose items on sale so the girls can save their money for activities such as skiing and travelling.

“These are the sorts of things I think everyone should look at,” she said.

Recently, Pilon, 49, attended workshop in B.C. It was called “Women and Money” and was inspired by Dr. Amy D’Aprix, a gerontologist who leads sessions on investment, retirement and money management strategies for women.

Pilon is a chartered accountant in Kelowna, B.C. She has two young daughters and her husband is a stay-at-home father.

“It was really interesting how (the workshop) brought up your attitudes towards money right from when you were a kid,” Pilon said.

Pilon found the workshop helpful because it inspired her to start thinking about her own financial planning for retirement and her daughters’ education.

Chartered accountant Kelly Pilon talks about her past and present financial habits.

[audio:http://torontoobserver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ah_KellyPilon.mp3]

“We have consolidated our banking and investments to simplify them and we are now making regular monthly contributions to our RRSP and our daughters’ RESP,” she said.

At home, Pilon educates her daughters to keep track of their bank accounts and whether or not their savings are growing.

“It was a really fun, comfortable way of getting myself inspired again to do my own planning and not just my clients’ planning to get myself back on track,” she said.

Dr. Amy D’Aprix, 49, has led the “Women and Money” workshops since 2010. The interactive workshops include advisors who offer presentations and discussion. The Bank of Montreal sponsors the workshops at its branches across Canada free of charge. D’Aprix helps women address various financial issues.

“Where did you get your beliefs about money? What did your parents say about money? How did they manage money?” she said.

D’Aprix helps those in her workshops create a personal action plan for day-to-day finances, such as bills and budgeting, as well as long-term savings such as retirement and estate planning.

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By: Ani Hajderaj
Posted: Feb 1 2012 4:25 pm
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Ani Hajderaj
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