The Department of Continuing Education at Sandhills Commu-nity College is offering a class uniquely designed for women who are retired or soon to be retired entitled "Financial Decision Making for Women."

The class begins Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 3 p.m. in room 208 Van Dusen Hall. It will meet on Tuesday afternoons from 3 to 5 p.m. for five sessions, ending March 20.

The instructor is Noelle Granville, a certified senior adviser with Granville Financial Planning in Pinehurst.

"Women in today's society must take on an array of different tasks, including being the financial decision maker," Granville said. "A class solely designed for women will allow a greater freedom to ask questions about the investment world to develop a clearer understanding on how to invest, minimize taxes, and learn proper estate planning techniques.

"Women typically live longer than men and not only do their investment goals and needs vary from men, but so do the ways they interact with the necessary financial professionals. This class will help to expose different concerns that a retiree woman should have and the correct questions to ask."

In addition to learning investment jargon and exploring techniques of financial planning and selecting investments, Granville will emphasize several areas that are especially critical to those during retirement years: preservation of capital, maintaining adequate liquidity, income generation, estate planning techniques, reducing income taxes, long-term care planning, burial planning, and how to deal with financial professionals.

Participants will be introduced to special features of North Carolina income tax laws and North Carolina estate and probate laws. Guest speakers will include an estate attorney and a certified public accountant.

The registration fee for this class is $25 but is free for those 65 and over.

Interested persons are asked to pre-register by calling Sandhills at 695-3980.

Registration will continue through the first class.