Did you realize women earn 76 cents for every dollar men earn in the workplace? Women generally spend seven years out of the work force to have and raise children. Because of this they are disadvantaged unlike men. We generally end up with lower pensions and social security pensions not to mention superannuations. Although we earn less money than men we generally need a larger nest egg and retirement plan as we live an average of seven years longer than men and therefore must finance more years in retirement. As 50% of marriages end in divorce and the average age of widowhood is 56 years we are solely responsible for our own finances. What can we do to overcome these financial challenges?
Take control of your own life Most married women actively take the leading role in managing family finances but still leave the financial decision making to their husband and end up ill equipped to handle their finances if they divorce or outlive their husbands. We need to invest more for our own future, but need to know our risk tolerance. Low-risk ventures are usually far better in the long term. Get out of debt. Understand your spending and reduce it so you don't continue to add to your debt. Attack your existing debt by paying off the highest rate debt first and if possible transferring high-rate debt to lower rate credit cards.
One of the smartest things I did was to go to my favourite ebook superstore cbdeluxe to get all the help I could on the subject. There is a wealth of information easily accessible there to help. You can also get further ideas from going to my blog http://sharon@gr8riches.com/gr8blog/
Keep retirement top of mind. Although women have made many impressive strides toward financial independence, they report having only half as much for retirement as men.
Seek help. Meet with a qualified financial adviser to create a financial plan specifically designed to help manage your personal economy, also go to your favourite ebook superstore and get further assistance.