Smart Women Plan Ahead

By Cari Jackson LewisI was thrilled to be a panelist on the inaugural Women of Dartmouth Los Angeles event entitled “Smart Women Plan Ahead,” held at the beautiful and welcoming home of Hilary Richards, ’92.I (class of 1988), along with Dr. Meredith Brower ‘01, Stacy D. Phillips ’80, P ’12, Lindsay Wilcox '94, MBA '04 and Robyn Thomas, Esq. advised the group of 35 Dartmouth College alumnae and friends in the areas of estate planning, fertility planning, family law, employment law and wealth planning.The range of expertise on the panel was impressive! The audience was largely composed of young and recent alumnae, and we were peppered with questions, including how to favorably position oneself in preparing for a divorce (answer – don’t get divorced); how to (respectfully!) ask for a raise; how to build wealth (answer, invest in real estate and “set and forget” an automatic savings plan as early in life as you can); what type of diet is best for promoting fertility (answer – a nonsmoking diet); and what to do to help reluctant elderly parents talk about estate planning (answer – talk about your own as well).Jeet Sohal and Samantha Schlumberger did a marvelous job organizing the event and, based upon the rate at which we devoured the scrumptious tacos from the hosted taco bar, sampled Jeet’s famous margaritas and relaxed in Hilary’s gorgeous home, I think my sentiments were echoed by all that attended.