"Don't Worry About A Thing, Dear" by Helga Hayse is a softcover book geared towards women contemplating marriage or those who are already married. The cover image is an appropriate illustration by Edward Sorel, courtesy of The New Yorker Magazine, that shows Pan reading The Wall Street Journal while his wife sits at his side completely oblivious.

It's a fact that many married women allow their husbands to handle the family finances while they sit idly by and sign anything that their husband places in front of them. The consequences of this behavior is made clear by the author Helga Hayse. Hayse says in the book "Our willingness to let our husband handle the finances in the marriage impacts our own financial safety and our ability to cope in the event of widowhood or divorce." No statement has been more true.

This fascinating and immensely helpful book is a wakeup call to women everywhere. After meeting a financially strapped widow the author began to wonder how she would cope if her husband died. She interviewed hundreds of people on the topic of marital finances and each story was more heartbreaking than the last.

Hayse had her wakeup call and began the slow process of learning everything she needed to know about her marital finances. She and her husband began financial planning and shortly after all the documents were signed her husband died in freak accident at home. Hayse takes her experience from both sides of the fence to empower women to take control of their finances.

The table of contents include:

Part One: It's Personal

Chapter One - Why I Wrote This Book

Chapter Two - My Wake-Up Call

Part Two: It's Not Personal

Chapter Three - Redefining Intimacy

Chapter Four - The Big Picture

Chapter Five - Why People Don't Plan

Chapter Six - The Six Myths of Marriage

Chapter Seven - The Five Truths of Marriage

Chapter Eight - Even Handsome Princes Die

Chapter Nine - Romance vs. Reality

Chapter Ten - Five Financial Mistakes Wives Make

Chapter Eleven - Mistakes Widows and Divorcees Make

Part Three: Getting Intimate

Chapter Twelve - A Short Personal Quiz

Chapter Thirteen - Talking About Money

Money Talk Before Marriage

Money Talk After Marriage

Chapter Fourteen - Give Him the Flowers Now

Chapter Fifteen - For Husbands Only

Part Four: Practicing Safe Marriage

Chapter Sixteen - Achieving Financial Intimacy

Suggested Reading

Additional Resources

I found this book to be empowering and filled with information that most women never consider. Topics covered include premarital and postmarital agreements, death of a spouse, divorce and even remarriage. In addition to the generous advice shared there are questionnaires, checklists, worksheets, recommended reading and additional resources.

The author even includes a separate chapter for "For Husbands Only" that gently guides men to realize that they can show their love for their wife by beginning and completing the process of financial planning.

"Don't Worry About A Thing, Dear" Why Women Need Financial Intimacy should be required reading for young women in high school or college. No one wants to think about the possibility of divorce or the certainty of death but preparing women for either circumstance is critical and this book is an important tool for all women.

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