Women's Financial Wellness

Happy International Women’s Day!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of doing what I love, which is presenting to an amazing group of women about financial concepts and bringing light to financial issues that are unique to our gender.

In particular, I’ve included two slides in these pics which I think are important. The first has 3 percentages and a date on it. In order, these represent:

1. The National Gender Pay Gap. On average, women earn $238 per week less than men.

2. Equal pay day in Australia. The represents the average date women have to work to after 30 June to earn the same as men did in the previous financial year.

3. The Motherhood penalty. New mothers earn on average 55% less than their pre-baby income, which hardly changes in the first 5 years of the child’s life.

4. The difference in the average retirement super balance of women vs. men.

There are a number of complex reasons why these numbers exist and I personally feel optimistic that many men care about these numbers, as women do, and that this will continue to improve over time.

In my experience as a Financial Advisor, I’ve observed that men tend to be more assertive when negotiating their incomes, which can impact the gender pay gap. Earning a higher income has a natural positive flow on effect to all of the points that come below it, so the next slide is how to have the confidence to get one.

If you want to learn more about how to improve on your wage discussions, hit me up. 🤗

Also check out the last pic if you want to see what a stoked goober presenting looks like 😅🙈

Yesterday was a significant day, and is one of the major reasons I care so much about women’s financial literacy.

Equal Pay Day represents the additional 60 days after the end of the financial year (30 June) that Australian women on average need to work to earn the equivalent to our male counterparts.

That’s a gap of 14.1% in income, which has sadly increased over the last 6 months. This means that on average, men earn an extra $263.90 per week, or $13,722 a year, doing exactly the same job, with the same duties, across all industries. 🤯

This gap creates huge wealth disparities across our lives, not just across one year. 😔

If you’re currently thinking a few words which start with ‘W T F’, I feel you.

Women are already coming from behind when it comes to finances for reasons like these, which are not always in our control. I’m passionate about doing what I can to bridge this gap, by sharing my knowledge and increasing financial literacy for those who need it most.

Wednesday was a special day. I was the guest speaker at Nelson Alexander’s womens wellness event, where I had the opportunity to present to a room full of amazing women about financial wellness.

To say this was a career highlight would be an understatement. It was such a pleasure and a privilege to be able to do something I’m truly passionate about, which is help to increase financial literacy for women in Australia. 🤩 🥰

To any WINA women who are reading this - thank you for being so kind and awesome, it was lovely meeting so many of you.

If you’re a woman reading this who’d like to learn more about your finances and increase your financial literacy in a safe and inclusive environment, I have just the place for you. Women’s Financial Wellness is focused on delivering content to likeminded and supportive women who want to share their experiences, ask questions and become more financially empowered.

If you'd like to join our community and grow with us, click this link Women’s Financial Wellness. 🧡🤗

When I was 14 I was working in my first job as a kitchen hand and started on $10 an hour. I was promised $12 when I reached 6 months, yet 6 months turned into 7, 8 and 9 and nobody approached me. I took matters into my own hands and approached my manager, had a chat, and they immediately moved me to $12.

I learned a valuable lesson then - it's rare that a manager will proactively reach out to you to offer you more money, so if you think you deserve more, you've gotta ask for it.

Last year I did the same thing, and my annual base package was immediately increased by 18%. All it took was a conversation.

I recorded the vid below to share my tips on how you can also achieve a higher income, just click the link. 🤗

Siobhan Ashby on TikTok The tips everyone needs on how to increase your income 💰 🤗

Does anyone find themselves wondering what super actually is, or what's the point of it?

Click the link below if you want to find out. 🙂

https://siobhanashby1.medium.com/part-1-superannuation-what-is-it-and-why-should-i-care-63f5482b9c2e

*Since publishing the article, mandated employer contributions have increased to 10.5%

Part 1: Superannuation — what is it and why should I care? Superannuation. It’s a hot topic often shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding because nobody ever really educates us on what it is…

Hello to all of the beautiful women who are reading this.

My name is Siobhan Ashby, and I'm a Financial Advisor based in Melbourne.

I love my job, but one of the things that I struggle with a lot is that too often, it's the people who most need advice that can't afford it. This is a big problem to me, because financial literacy isn't taught in schools, and talking about our finances can be a taboo topic among our peers. This creates a lack of understanding of how to manage our finances, which can lead to poor financial decisions and financial mismanagement, and causes enormous amounts of stress.

I've created this community because I'm passionate about educating women and sharing my knowledge. My vision for this community is to be a safe and inclusive space for women to turn to, where there is no such thing as a stupid question, and everyone is free to share their money stories (the good, the bad and the ugly), and learn off one another.

If there's a particular topic someone wants to know about, shout it out, and I'll create the content for all of you.

Let's support and empower each other to learn from one another's experiences, to learn how to become more financially indepent, and grow together.

I'm very excited for this journey, thank you all for being a part of it. 🧡