Tag: personal finance

Got a Money Goal? Try a Financial Support Group

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January 16, 2017    Magnifymoney.com Interview

THESE WOMEN PAID OFF $262,000 WORTH OF DEBT USING ACCOUNTABILITY GROUPS

Know someone who wants to get out of debt? Accountability groups are a great support. They can help you stick to a plan and offer lots of ways to get there. Read about me and and three other women puppetleaningondollarwho got out of substantial debt on the Magnify Money site! It was a pleasure to be interviewed and share my story.

Read my whole story–of finding myself in a tough financial situation and emerging with compassion and love — in Bankruptcy: A Love Story, coming spring 2017.

Is There a Retirement Crisis for Women?

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Sallie Krawcheck, one of the most senior women on Wall Street and now owner and chair of Ellevate, a global professional women’s network, thinks so.                      sisters sharing

In her rather brilliant article, “How the Gender Wage Gap Makes the Retirement Savings Crisis Worse,” Krawcheck talks about the gender wage and “gender investing” gaps as being at the heart of the crisis. Bottom line: women not having enough money to live comfortably towards the end of their lives. Ever worry about this? I have and bet you do too.

I encourage you to read the whole article but here’s my takeaway:

It’s not about financial and investment education for women, marketing, or leaving investment decisions up to men, says Krawcheck. It requires what she terms a “research-driven rethink” about women and investment. In other words, real evidence showing us what women need and the changes required. Let’s back away from the assumptions and lobby for change based on what’s real.

We’re not getting any younger, right? Like most money matters, let’s open our eyes even if we’re afraid and learn. The gap in retirement savings affects all of us as a society and the sooner we address it the sooner we can sleep nights.

Do you worry about living comfortably in retirement, my friends?

 

 

 

Why a Personal Finance Blog?

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“Why write about money?” friends have asked.

CarRomance6_14Since rebounding from a major financial knockout, I find the how’s and why’s of personal finance fascinating. Other people must agree as this photo of a bumper sticker, “You Can’t Have Any Finance w/o Romance,” was snapped by my son on a California highway.

Plus, I wish I had had Romance Your Finances when I was in the thick of my money crisis. I wish I had had the trusted friend who could’ve taken me by the hand and shown me how to get my life back. If you’ve read My Story, you know my money life crashed and burned spectacularly. It makes for a fascinating read so stay tuned for my memoir, Bankruptcy: A Love Story.

Well before we were in crisis, my husband and I went to a debt consolidation company.  I walked through that office crying out for help, like a suicide victim. I wanted those folks to show me how to manage day-to-day. Not investment advice, for which financial planners a-plenty will welcome you. But someone willing to show me how to live within my means and make a spending plan work.

At the end of our meeting, the nice debt consolidation folks said we were in good shape because we were making our payments. They claimed we didn’t any help. After that, things nose-dived. My husband continued to debt and ended up further in the hole.

So Romance Your Finances is my attempt to bring readers back to personal money basics—to give back. So many people helped me.

Being healthy around money, which includes having a spiritual, nurturing attitude towards our dollars and ourselves can be achieved by anyone. But you need to be willing to look at your numbers and make courageous changes in your habits. You don’t have to be a math genius to have a sane money life. You just need to know how to add and subtract.  And if you’re struggling with debt, I urge you to try Debtor’s Anonymous.

So let’s get back to basics. Let’s breach the personal finance taboo and start talking about our money lives. And abundance and prosperity will find you.