Cindy Winder Wall will tell you that at least one bumper sticker motto holds some truth.

The man is not the plan.

Wall, a senior vice president for BB&T Wealth Management, stressed the mantra Thursday at a WomenSource lunch, centering on trust and estate planning from a woman's perspective.

Wall said women have made great strides, taking control in the workplace and the home. But at the same time, many shy away from taking control of their finances, relying on antiquated perspectives.

"The thing that bothers me, concerns me, worries me is we're not educating ourselves enough," she told about 150 women in attendance. "We're not choosing to take our finances under control and take them in an educated manner."

Too often, she said, women say a man in their lives - be it a husband, father, accountant or attorney - will take care of "those things."

"The fact is, the only person responsible for you is you," she said.

Wall asked the women to take the logic out of the equation and consider their financial goals. The first step is narrowing in on these dreams and then having open and honest conversations about them.

Many people shy away from talking about finances, Wall said. But through personal experience, she knows how devastating it can be when estates and wills aren't planned in advance. Things fell into "total disarray" when two of her grandparents died in close succession and hadn't made arrangements with their estate.

Almost 40 percent of married "boomers" don't have a will, Wall said, and she advised the women in attendance to not contribute to that statistic.

"When you talk about estate planning, it's not a conversation about death," she said. "...It's a conversation about living. Because your dreams are going to outlive you."

Wall stressed will planning particularly for women with small children, saying it shouldn't be left up to bureaucrats to decide who takes care of a child.

After the presentation, Cindy Wilson said many women, herself included, need a push to take charge on financial issues. She's wanted to make a will for a while but hasn't gotten around to it.

"I said today, ‘I know better.' This has prompted me to spring into action," Wilson said. "It's one of my goals for this year to get our will done because it's just ridiculous to not have one."

WomenSource was founded in 2008 and holds monthly lunches, offering support services and networking opportunities for women in Northeast Georgia.