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Women’s Initiative

Blazing Trails and Giving Back with Jenée Velasquez

Jenée Velasquez is the Executive Director of The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, a prestigious organization dedicated to philanthropy and community development. Velasquez began her professional journey as the Chief Executive Officer of Midland County’s Economic Development Corporation, Midland Tomorrow, where she played a pivotal role in driving economic growth and prosperity. Prior to that, she served as the Manager of Economic Development Services and the first Downtown Development Authority Coordinator in Midland.

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Inheriting Financial Relationships

In this episode of the EmpowHER Podcast, Michelle Hipskind, a certified financial planner, discusses the phenomenon of women inheriting investment portfolios and being dissatisfied with their financial advisors. She notes that 70% of women who inherit responsibilities for an investment portfolio want to switch to someone they are more comfortable with. Michelle provides five important questions to ask a financial advisor to ensure transparency and to guarantee that the advisor is acting as a fiduciary.

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Navigating the Nightmare of Probate with Heidi Adair

Heidi Adair is a partner at Beers Mallers whose legal practice is focused in the areas of Estate Planning and Elder Law. She is certified as an Estate Planning & Administration Specialist by the Indiana State Bar Estate Planning and Administration Specialty Certification Board. Heidi regularly advises clients regarding the protection of assets through the use of advanced Estate Planning and Elder Law planning. She has counseled numerous families regarding wills, Revocable Living Trusts, and

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Community Leadership in Times of Turmoil with Holly Miller

Holly Miller is the CEO of United Way of Midland County in Midland, Michigan. She is an integral part of the community and is in leadership positions for many teams and collaborative groups. Her work with the Rotary Contemporary View Club, Midland Business Alliance, Health and Services Council, and Midland Area Wellbeing Coalition helps improve lives and bring people together. She is a graduate of Lansing Community College at Kendall and Kendall School of Design

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Finding Your Brand with Julie Fasone Holder (podcast)

Julie Fasone Holder is the woman behind JFH Insights, an executive coaching business that supports leaders and influencers in developing advanced leadership strengths and bringing more value to the companies they represent. Before founding JFH Insights, Julie was the former Senior Vice President of Dow Chemical. With Dow, Julie accumulated extensive experience running multi-billion-dollar business portfolios. She also spent a few years running public and government affairs for them. Julie joins me today to describe

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The Rise of the Gen X Female Investor

The Baby Boomers have been holding center stage for many years when it comes to the attention given by mainstream financial products and services. But the light is beginning to shine on financial planning for younger generations like Generation X. With many of the Boomers in formal retirement now, Gen Xers and Millennials are taking the investing spotlight. Gen Xers (those aged between 40–56) are in their peak earning years, and the time to plant

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