JWF ‘Invest like a Woman’ series seeks to spark conversation and financial awareness
'Women need to own their power with money and be comfortable talking about it'
Women traditionally receive lower wages than men, experience greater career interruptions due to childcare responsibilities and are more tasked with caring for aging parents. They also typically have longer lifespans than men.
For these reasons, and others, Jewish Women’s Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh is hosting a series of programs for its trustees dedicated to empowering women by bolstering members’ relationships with finances.
“We want to bring money out into the open,” Judy Cohen, JWF executive director, said.
In 2025, women working full time in the U.S. earned approximately 81 to 83 cents for every dollar earned by men, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Whether conversations concern salaries, spending or investments, money too often remains a taboo topic, Cohen explained.
A three-part series, titled, “Invest Like a Woman,” runs this fall and is led by Fern Schwartz and Debbie Graver.
The aim, Cohen explained, is to broaden awareness.
Schwartz, a managing director and wealth management adviser at the Schwartz Group at Merrill, a Bank of America Company, and Graver, a partner and chief compliance officer at Signature Wealth, are “two amazing leaders in our community,” who will help bring this topic “out in the open,” Cohen said.
JWF hosted a similar program last year, and was a reminder that its members — JWF refers to members as trustees — needed further education.
“I’ve met women through my career that had no idea where their bank accounts were, how their money was managed, and then a spouse passes and they are scrambling to find passwords for accounts or who their investment adviser is, and that’s a terrible situation to be in,” she said.
JWF was founded in 2000 with a goal of creating “lasting social change in the lives of women and girls in the Jewish and general communities.”
Each year, JWF awards programmatic and operating grants up to $10,000, as well as Impact grants, for Jewish community organizations, in an amount greater than $10,000 and up to $25,000. Grants are determined collectively by JWF trustees. And, at least 50% of JWF funds are invested each year into the Jewish community, according to the organization.
While membership in the group, which starts at an annual $1,000 gift, yields an opportunity to determine grants and meet like-minded community members, there’s also the chance to enjoy meaningful programs. The “Invest Like a Woman” series, Cohen said, is one such example of high-quality programming dedicated to the needs of women and girls.
“Women need to own their power with money and be comfortable talking about it,” she continued. JWF cares about this issue and “wants to empower women to be able to do that.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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