Smart Women Smart Money conference coming to Little Rock in February

The Smart Women Smart Money conference will be held Feb. 28, 2020, at the Embassy Suites in Little Rock.

Treasurer of State Dennis Milligan announced he is teaming up with the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) to host the 2nd annual Smart Women Smart Money conference next month.

The event is free, but attendees must register to attend. Women interested in registering for the event can visit www.swsmARKANSAS.com.

Local ABC affiliate KATV is serving as the Title Sponsor of the conference and CNN political commentator Mary Katharine Ham will be the keynote speaker.

Ham, who has written for USA Today, The Weekly Standard, and appears periodically on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” became a speaker on resilience after her 34-year old husband was suddenly killed in a bike accident in 2015. She was seven months pregnant at the time and had a 2-year-old. Now a single mother, Ham talks about her strong faith, optimism and fortitude as tools to get through – and return to living with gratitude and joy – even in the most tragic circumstances.

“Mary Katharine Ham’s story is powerful and we hope that by her sharing it, other women will be inspired, encouraged, and empowered,” said SFOF President Derek Kreifels. “Treasurer Milligan has been a national leader on financial literacy and I’m honored to be working with him to bring this important endeavor to Arkansas.”

“Statistically, women live longer than men and are more likely to leave a job to become a full-time caregiver for a loved one, so it makes sense to empower them with financial tools that they can use at any point in their life,” Milligan said. “From women in their twenties to women in their sixties, this conference can provide valuable learning on financial topics, from creating a family budget, to obtaining life insurance, to starting a business, to preparing for the death of a loved one.”