Ladies, are you financially independent? Do you manage your own money? ALL of it?
If so, you're ahead of the game and you're probably pretty good at it. Women who are financially literate are less likely to end up in financial disasters (debt, high interest rates, etc.). While there are some women out there who have mastered personal finance, and the number keeps growing, there are still plenty of women who know nothing about finances and are suffering because of it.
It's time for all women to have control over their money. It's time for all women to understand why financial independence is so important. Here are three reasons women should financial literacy as soon as possible:
Spouses aren't always good spenders.
Women often end up in these kinds of situations because they are expected to rely on others for money. While this stereotype is slowly becoming outdated, there is still a social stigma that thinks women should leave it to men to manage the finances of the family. Obviously, this stigma doesn't take into account lesbian couples, gender non-conforming couples, single women, etc. But what stereotypes actually do?
The issue with this (hopefully) dying stereotype is that men are not always smart with their spending. They are expected to be, but not all men live up to this expectation.
It's true. No matter how much hubby promises he's saving money, you could be broke and not even know it. Believe it or not, it has happened to countless women whose spouses had unhealthy spending habits and it could happen to you, too. For some women, they don't realize this issue until it's too late; some couples go broke before one of them even checks the bank statement.
In order to avoid this situation, you have to take control of your own money/spending. You earn the money you have so why should anyone else make decisions about where it goes?
Know your money and avoid debt and other financial crises.
Now that you understand how important it is to "think single" when it comes to your money, it's also important you know how to manage it correctly. You might have control over your finances, but have no clue how to balance a checkbook or pay bills. Fortunately for you, there are plenty of online and physical resources you can look into to learn about the proper ways of managing money.
You might be thinking to yourself, managing money is just keeping track of what's in my bank account, right? Wrong. It's actually so much more than that. Managing money is learning tips and tricks to keep you out of financial trouble and to help you stay on top of your financial life. It's called financial literacy and it's basically a new language to learn. In order to be successful, no matter the size of your salary, you have to manage your money the right away.
This is especially important for women because it is often assumed that we know nothing about money. Women are more likely to get tricked into expensive problems (high interest rates, expensive loans, etc.) because of this. You can avoid these crippling situations if you know how to properly spend/save/invest your money.
For more information on financial literacy education, go to http://www.pbs.org/your-life-your-money/
Financial independence is empowering!
When it comes down to it, knowing exactly how to manage your money the right way can be awesome. It's a good feeling and it's empowering. It can feel really good to get out of debt or avoid financial issues altogether. You'll find that managing your money is incredibly rewarding in the long-term, you just have to get there.
Overall, financial literacy is an empowering language to know. This is especially true for women because no one expects us to be financially savvy.
So, let's prove them wrong.
