{budget}fab*

a look at ‘on my own two feet’

Posted on 02. Mar, 2009 by janelle in penny pinchin'

If you like to read or you’re looking for a resource to help you with your personal finances, you may want to check out On My Own Two Feet: A Modern Girl’s Guide to Personal Finance.  Authors Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar say their book “will teach you how to balance your desire to live well today with the need to save and invest for tomorrow” - and we’re all about living a fabulous life and being financially responsible.  Thakor and Kedar have some great insight as to why women need to get more invloved with their money.

Compared to men, women…

• Live longer
• Earn $0.79 for every $1 men earn - so we have be able to stretch our money
• Spend, on average, 11 fewer years earning income - so being smart with the money we make while part of the workforce is essential

Here’s some semi-startling numbers that make it clear just how important it is for all of us to try and get a handle on our money…

• The average woman between the age of 20 and 30, has less than $500 saved.  The average unexpected expenditures in a given year are $2,000.
• 7 out of 10 Americans are essentially living paycheck-to-paycheck.  Much of this can be attributed to people living beyond their means and/or a fear of admitting a lack of financial knowledge.
• 80% of men die married, while 80% of women die single.  This means many women will find themselves as the sole provider in their household at some point during their life - meaning the earlier in our lives we understand how to make our money work for us the better.

Click here to learn more about the book…

Is there a book you’ve read about personal finances?  Was it helpful?

(Source: Information adapted from article in Charles Schwab magazine On Investing)

Tags: books, budget, personal finances, reading