Books

Make Money, Not Excuses

A few years ago – after reporting on money for fifteen years – I finally cracked the code.  If you want to get rich, you need only do four things:

1. Make a decent living
2. Spend less than you make
3. Invest the money you don’t spend
4. Protect the financial world you build so that a disaster doesn’t take it all away from you

Sounds easy, I know.  So why, then, is it so hard, particularly for women?

Because women, more than men, make excuses.  They tell themselves that they’re “just not good with money,” or that their husband “likes taking care of the finances.”  They convince themselves that they deserve that new pair of shoes, or that they’re too disorganized to tackle the tower of financial paperwork on the desk.

These excuses are a pass:  They allow you to believe that it’s okay to stay out of the game when it comes to money, or push off goals like saving for retirement for one more year.  I understand this.  In fact, I’ve said some of these things myself, believe it or not.  But having a hand in your finances means, believe it or not, worrying less.  You don’t have to wonder if you can afford those shoes, or if you need to push off the family vacation, because you know.  You’ve seen the account balances with your very own eyes.

In this book, I take all of the excuses women make about money and turn them on their heads.  I tell you how to decode the financial jargon to read your bank statements, how to save money (and where to put it) and why you – yes, you – are likely already a great investor.