" Be an Island and then be a Peninsula..." Gail Vaz-Oxlade

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Ms Gail Vaz-Oxlade!!!

On March 24, 2012 my friends and I hopped in the car for a road trip and headed to Cobourg, ON to see Gail Vaz-Oxlade speak at the Cobourg Lions Club. The event was put on by Northhumberland Services for Women (who has recently changed their name to Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre).

Their Mission statement  says "Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention is breaking the cycle of family violence by providing immediate shelter, counselling and prevention services throughout Northumberland County" and it was evident that it was an organization that was close to Gail's heart.  The room was packed with approximately 325 people who were excited and to see the money expert. The event was well organized as we were all given the opportunity to find seating and purchase Gail's books or mix and mingle with other guests and grab some lunch which was buffet style.

I was so impressed by Gail's candidness and her straight forward advice about all things money!  Many areas around money and how you spend, save and invest it can be confusing and stressful but Gail had a few must have's that definitely stuck with me...

She said that every woman over 30 should have a Will, a Power of Attorney, Life Insurance, an Emergency Fund, a Networth Statement, Disability Insurance, and look into RESP's (Registered Education Savings Plan - for those with children) or TFSA's (Tax Free Savings Account).  She was very clear in her explanations for all of those items and why it was specifically important for women to have them and maintain some independence even when in a marriage. The quote as the title was something that was said by Gail and you could see as Oprah would say women around the room having their "A-ha" moment. "Be an island and then be a Peninsula" -  Gail stressed that although you may be in a  happy marriage to the love of your life it is still very important to ensure that if things did go sour you could stand on your own two feet.  Surprisingly she spoke from her own life experience with being in an abusive relationship and having a bit of an emergency fund to pick herself back up when things were less than desirable in her life. 

After Gail spoke, there was a period of time for questions and then the best part outside of hearing her advice was getting the opportunity to meet her personally.  The event also had a section for book signing so I picked up her book 'Easy Money' and got into line!

Overall I am so glad I was in attendance  (Thank you Kerry!) and would definitely be interested in attending next year and inviting some others along to learn and enjoy!

For more information on Gail Vaz-Oxlade, check out her website at http://www.gailvazoxlade.com/