Cora and I attended our family reunion this past week. There were three generations present. A few of us figure it will be less than five years before there would be four generations represented in some families. After all the greetings, hugs and ruckus of everyone getting settled in, the conversations became low-toned and on an even keel.

It was very calm, that is, until Cora and I brought up the idea of creating a woman's investment club. Once this subject was broached, I don't know if the silence or the resistance was more deafening.

"I don't have enough to invest."

"The stock market is too crazy for me."

"I agree. I'd rather invest in money market funds."

"My husband would never consider letting me having responsibility for our money."

And the last one, whispered in my ear, "We lost everything we owned in the stock market last year. But don't tell anyone!"

A few of the women were willing to look at the BUYandHOLD site with us - but I believe it was only to see if their names were mentioned in this column. It was a reality bite for me, and a shock for Cora. We weren't hoping for much at first, but this initial reaction was very disappointing.

Of course, I need to consider the element of my stature in the family. I'm the only one who's been divorced. I'm the only one raising my own child as a single-parent-head-of-household. I also earn less then anyone in my family at the moment. In spite of all this, it seems that I'm the only one - besides my brother and father - who's taken an active role in developing my own investment strategies. A cousin remarks, "Divorce probably made you more responsible."

"Don't count on that," someone snickers.

The most amazing thing is that my daughter seems to know more than some of the adults when it comes to these issues. She even stumped them with the Einstein quiz: "What did Albert Einstein call the most powerful force in the universe?" The answer is "compound interest."

"It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out," Cora says. "All you have to do is save early and save often."

At the risk of having my daughter labeled as a "know-it-all," I send her off to play with her cousins (Monopoly, of all things - Cora will beat everyone hands down). I stay behind to deal with the excuses, fears and questions from my aunts and female cousins.

I preface the conversation with the disclaimer that I'm a beginner in investing. That helps a bit, as some of the women admit they know more about mutual funds than individual stocks. Some women know more about the status of Social Security, some know more about the workings of insurance, and some of them know more about IRAs. At least two of us know about bankruptcy.

As we all realize that our life experiences give us some sort of financial expertise, it helps everyone relax a bit. They all feel they now have something to contribute to the conversation.

We have a wide variety of ages involved in this talk. Some of the older women feel very insecure about devoting money to a volitile stock market - and to individual stocks. They also feel they won't be around to benefit from the profits, since we're talking about long-term holdings. When I tell them that $20 per month will begin to build a portfolio, they're astounded. When I ask them to think about applying this dollar cost averaging strategy to a goal like their grandchildren's college tuition, it makes perfect sense to them.

"I can understand saving for my grandchildren," one of my relatives says. "And I can invest twenty dollars a month without blinking an eye."

"Well, why don't you put in $40 per month," her daughter replies. "I would be blinking both eyes and making a wish to be able to have an extra $20 per month to invest."

"Excuse me, young lady, but I happen to know how much you spend on your clothes," another relative responds. "I would think your children would be worth at least one blouse per month."

Just as I was congratulating myself on steering clear of that conversation, I was almost dragged in from another angle. "I don't have to worry about all this, because my husband takes care of it all. You just have to do it because you're all alone."

Another aunt jumps to my rescue, "Let me tell you something, missy. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow." A few other women nod their heads to the affirmative. "It doesn't hurt to know how these things work."

Some of them want to know how much to tell their children about investing. My response is that we only knew as much as our parents told us by the time we left home. Now, our children are being bombarded with financial information from the TV, radio, Internet and even their friends. "I think it's a good idea to provide some guidance here," I suggest. "It's a great education. The more I teach Cora, the more I understand myself." I told them how I match Cora each month on every penny she saves. I also told them that she helps in the decisions about where to invest our savings.

The conversation takes on a constructive tone, and we all begin to understand how we feel about money. We may not get together on an investment club, but at least a few of my female relatives will consider a minimum $20 monthly investment at BUYandHOLD for different goals.

Later that day, Cora tells me that she did her part in convincing her cousins to look into BUYandHOLD. "How did you do that, Cora?"

"I told everyone that this is the best money I've ever made. I also told them that I'll be the richest one in the family if they don't start now to save early and save often. Now all the other kids will bug their parents to give them the same deal I've got."

Uh-oh. I'm glad we're heading home next week. When it comes to large family gatherings, it's sometimes best to leave early and leave often.

Until next week

Linda Goin