Fairlawn Financial Advisor is a Woman of Achievement

How do you save for college? How much and when should you start saving for retirement? How do you invest or divide investments after a death or divorce?

Stacey Zahoranski wants women and girls to know the answers to these financial questions.

Zahoranski, a financial advisor with  in Fairlawn, has been working to educate women about their finances for most of her professional life -- "and men too, I don't discriminate," she said with a laugh recently.

Her work with women has won her the 2011 Founders award from the Women's Network of Northeast Ohio. 

According to its Web site, the mission of the regional networking association is "to support the progress of women toward full participation in economic, community, and family life."

Zahoranski grew up in Coventry, earned her bachelor's at Baldwin Wallace and got her MBA at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management. Her first job as a loan officer for National City Bank in Cleveland working to provide loans for women-owned small businesses and her volunteer work in financial literacy have been transformative experiences, she said.

High Schools don't generally teach financial literacy to anyone, let alone young girls, so Zahoranski is now working on a plan to volunteer at a local school. 

Women live longer and are widowed on average some time in their mid- to late 50s, Zahoranski said. They are the focus of her work as a financial advisor for Wells Fargo. "I am particularly interested in helping women who have investments and have no idea what to do with them," she said.

"What I have found is that women always take care of themselves last." 

The Women's Network will honor eight women and a corporation at its 13th annual awards luncheon Friday, June 24 at Portage Country Club.

"I was so surprised when I was nominated and truly honored," Zahoranski said. "My main emphasis is empowering women to take control of their financial lives. I began doing this in the banking world and loved it so much that I always felt like I wanted to do more."

Women's Network Vice President of Communications, Tracy Soulsby said every woman to be honored this year is "truly outstanding -- personally and professionally. They have demonstrated a history of encouraging success among women, broken down barriers, mentored others, have overcome obstacles, and supported the progress of women.  They have gone beyond their own personal or career accomplishments to give back to their communities."

The Women's Network 2011 roster of honorees includes:

Women of Achievement:                                                                                             

Judit E Puskas, Ph.D,  Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Akron; Wendy Bolas, senior vice president, FirstMerit Bank; Capt. Sylvia D. Trundle, Akron Police, Carolyn B. Hofmann, employee involvement coordinator, Akron Children's Hospital

Founders award: Stacey Zahoranski, financial advisor, Wells Fargo Advisors;  Suzanne Hobson, director of community health, Akron General Medical Center

Dorothy O. Jackson Award: Access Inc.

Judith A. Resnik Scholarship: Kelly McCary, Medina High School

The deadline for registration for the lunch is Friday (June 17). For more information contact the Women's Network on the web.