Is Your Paycheck Protected?
To All the Friends, Members, and Partners who Make F&F Happen - You're So Appreciated!

Is Your Paycheck Protected?

Females and Finance Community Females and Finance Community

Females and Finance Community

We believe Women Will Change Financial Services?! If you're a woman or Male Ally in #FinServ #FinTech - JOIN US!

发布日期: 2024年5月14日
+ 关注

May 14, 2024 | 8:00am CT

Hello Friends -

In 1995 I had a baby. Baby Jenna was a whopping 9lb 9oz bundle of love and I was so excited to welcome another girl into the family. I had planned so many things correctly, until plans get really messed up by things out of your control.

On the fifth day of being Jenna's mom, I had returned home the day prior and only remember feeling very flush that afternoon. I walked into our bathroom, turned the cold water on, and then had a crushing pain in my chest. I still remember looking in the mirror as I held my hand to my chest and thinking, "I'm about to die."

For almost 30 seconds, I couldn't breathe. And then a miracle seemed to happen. A big breath of air came back to my lungs... and that was it. All I could do was take very tiny sips of air because my chest would hurt so bad. I couldn't realize in that moment of trying to stay alive that it would be 6 months until I could breathe without that pain.

Unbeknownst to me that morning when I woke up, I would be rushed to the emergency room, pumped with contrast and put through a CT scan showing the right lobe of my lung was operating at 50% capacity and my left lobe was around 25% capacity. I didn't even know what all that meant.

The doctor said I had a pulmonary embolism that passed through my heart (causing the the crushing pain I experienced just a few hours prior and that was the "good part" of the problem apparently) and the pieces of that clot would then be passed into my lungs, cutting off the necessary circulation so I could breathe normally. My pulse oximetry was around 82% and I just didn't have enough oxygen reaching my body. Later the doctors said if I had laid down and gone to sleep, I would've never woken up again. Heparin shots were ordered and put directly into my belly to be absorbed as quickly as possible and a warfarin drip was started to thin my blood as much as possible.

Remember, I have a 5-day old baby, right? Well, my baby would not be allowed to stay with me and I was placed in the telemetry unit of Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, California where I had just given birth a few days prior. I would then work with a group of amazing pulmonologists to find out why this happened to me, how to teach me to breathe again, and what could be done to prevent this from happening again, assuming I lived through this.

Did I tell you I was 28 years old?

And here's is why I'm telling you this.

I worked at an insurance company at the time and when I was filling out my benefits, my supervisor at the time encouraged me to add additional disability insurance to my benefits. I already had 2 children and they thought it would be a good idea in case something happened.

That insurance policy saved our family financially. Every other week a check would come as if I was at work and it allowed me to concentrate on getting well, learning how to breathe again, and helping me get the energy I needed to walk to the subway, walk to my job, and work 8 hours and then come back and do all of that, plus raise my kids.

Paycheck protection is vitally important to women. With so many of us as breadwinners, major financial contributors to the household, and/or are vulnerable to financial dependence on someone else, disability income policies are far more than some insurance ploy to increase someone's commission. They are real insurance policies that help families who are already dealing with a condition do so without extra worry.

May is Disability Income Insurance Awareness Month. Please have this discussion with your clients because nobody got up today and said, "I can't wait to have a pulmonary embolism and almost die." I know I didn't. But it did happen, and that policy helped our family as much as the doctors who saved my life.

Stay well, everyone!

Sheryl Hickerson | Founder & CEO

A quick reminder that we are still in need of contributions toward our Bold.org scholarship for Black and Brown women students of finance. If you would like to contribute, go here: https://bold.org/funds/females-and-finance-scholarship-fund/ and if you know someone who should apply for this, have them go here: https://bold.org/scholarships/fearless-females-and-finance-scholarship/
Look At All These Amazing People Doing Cool Things! (It's Like We Are Proud Parents!)


Join Us This Month for An Event - We Have Something For Everyone!

  • (May 13 at 3pm CT) Monday Marketing Workshop: Every Monday from 3-4pm CT (barring a major holiday or business travel), our Plus Member and Partner Members will have access to the Monday Marketing Workshops. This workshop is on AI Tools for Marketing with Q&A Session. Register on the F&F Community App: https://www.skool.com/females-and-finance/calendar
  • (May 14 at 12pm CT) Affinity Roundtable Meeting: UNITY Programship with Peggy Haslach of Planning for Good. Our Tuesday weekly programships at Females and Finance (held at 12pm CT) are designed to help all financial professionals learn more about not only themselves and their work and supporting other colleagues, but how this work also helps them reach more business in their respective communities and areas of expertise. This event is free for anyone in #FinServ #FinTech to join: https://UNITYprogramship
  • (May 7 at 3pm CT) Open House with Sheryl Hickerson . The first Tuesday of every month at 3pm CT is an industry-wide networking event sponsored by Females and Finance! This power hour will be dedicated to: - Learning more about YOU - Discussing an industry-related topic in an open format - Networking with new and old colleagues in the profession This event is free and anyone in financial services (or those who serve financial services) are welcome to join the call. This session's Topic will be on Mental Health and Finance. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwoc-CprzspHNbW5ozDuJq96bGrAlVI8f0x
  • (May 15 at 10am CT) Sip & Savor Networking. Every Wednesday at 10am CT for 55 minutes, Females and Finance paid members come together and chat about a trending topic of interest. Each week is a different discussion and vibe! The topic for this session is Mental Health and Y.O.U. Register on the F&F Community App: https://www.skool.com/females-and-finance/calendar
  • (May 16 at 3pm CT) Discover F&F. Every Thursday from 3-4pm CT (barring a major holiday or business travel), we host a 45-Minute Discover Females and Finance call with Founder and CEO, Sheryl Hickerson. You can pick a date that works for you. There can be up to 9 people on the call at a time so be camera-ready, we want you to be live on the call. When we say we are a 'community,' we take it very seriously. This event is free for anyone in #FinServ #FinTech to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsdu-hpzsrGtz02b5YH4ZCiKv2OLnxAFE

Job Postings - Open To Work | Please Consider Hiring Women and DEI Candidates When Looking!


Continuing Education Through Articles, Apps, and More!

There is Still So Much Work To Do for Women and Financial Services

Business Resources to Keep You Thinking of Ways to Innovate Your Practice

  • Organize and share all your interests with Palette! Curate lists of books, movies, games, webpages, blogs, TV shows, and more. Follow friends, collaborate, get recommendations, and discover new content. Join the community where your passions come to life. https://www.palette.build/
  • Mentionlytics - Stop guessing and start listening. Use AI power to track online conversations about your brand, products, or competitors, understand your audience, and grow your business. All in one platform. https://www.mentionlytics.com/
  • BetterHelp Tap into the world's largest network of licensed, accredited, and experienced therapists who can help you with a range of issues including depression, anxiety, relationships, trauma, grief, and more. With our therapists, you get the same professionalism and quality you would expect from an in-office therapist, but with the ability to communicate when and how you want. https://www.betterhelp.com/
  • Moodset - Introducing your companion for mental well-being! Gain a deeper understanding of your mood with a two-dimensional model of emotional state assessment. Plus, automatically track your music listening habits for additional insights into your emotional well-being. https://moodset.life/
  • EmpowerYou by Hay House, Inc. - Heal, Grow, and Thrive with Empower You’s Unrivaled Personal Development Library https://www.discover.hayhouse.com/unlimitedaudioapp/
  • Tiempo helps you stay focused on your goals while browsing the web. Set a goal at the start of your session and Tiempo will assess the relevance of each page you visit. Non-relevant pages trigger a reminder to keep you on track. https://www.tiempo.life/
  • Send cute, creative, and completely anonymous emails! Whether it's a secret note to your crush, a heartfelt message to a friend, or a loving gesture to a parent - Letters ensures your identity remains a mystery. https://letter.sh/

We Have The Best Partners in Finance!

Many thanks to our partners who make our F&F Community possible. (And if you'd like to learn more about our Partnership Program, feel free to learn more here: https://femalesandfinance.com/partnership

? GOLD PARTNERS

? Silver Partners

?? Bronze Partners

??Standard Partners

Join Our Vibrant Community Today! ??https://femalesandfinance.com/membership-options


F&F Community News F&F Community News

F&F Community News

1,627 位关注者

订阅
Judy Hoberman

Executive Coaching and Masterminds for Women TRAILBLAZERS to Excel in Leadership and Achieve Work-Life Harmony-CHPC-Sales-Leadership-Speaker

6 个月

So very important Sheryl Hickerson and Females and Finance Community. Your story is powerful and something we should all read, understand and take action. Thank you for sharing ??

赞
回复
1 次回应
Diane Boyle

Senior Vice President, Government Relations at NAIFA

6 个月

Thank you for sharing!

赞
回复
1 次回应
Erin Botsford, CFP?

Founder & CEO at The Advisor Authority | Barron's Top 100 Advisor | Author of Seven Figure Firm | Speaker

6 个月

Thank you for the tag Sheryl. I am looking forward to co-hosting an important discussion about referrals with Bill.

赞
回复
1 次回应
查看更多评论

要查看或添加评论，请登录

Females and Finance Community的更多文章