Michelle Singletary, personal finance expert and nationally syndicated columnist, will be the speaker at noon Friday during a Women Philanthropists for Kansas University luncheon.

Singletary’s financial commentaries can be heard on National Public Radio’s “Day to Day.” She writes for The Washington Post and her column, “The Color of Money,” is carried in about 120 newspapers across the country, including the Lawrence Journal-World.

“We really wanted to bring in someone who had an expertise in financial planning for women,” said Rosita Elizalde-McCoy, senior vice president for marketing for KU Endowment. “She seemed like someone who is very accessible in the way she explains financial terms.”

Women Philanthropists for KU was formed by KU Endowment in 2004 to encourage women to support the university through philanthropy and leadership.

Singletary is the director of Prosperity Partners, a ministry she founded in which people who handle money well volunteer to mentor others who are having financial difficulties.

Tickets for the event, which are $40, include lunch. It will be in the Adams Alumni Center. Reservations may be made by calling 832-7441, but space is limited. Today is the reservation deadline.

KU Endowment is the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund management organization for KU.