Empowered Women Realize the Importance of Financial Independence

“I don’t want to, you know, say to Joe, ‘Hey Joe, can I have a hundred bucks for this?’ . . . I think it’s important for every woman to have her own money and be independent.”
~Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden and the first woman in that role to continue her professional employment

One of the things that often keeps us stuck in a bad situation is money. Lack of money, or poor money habits, can keep us stuck in a dead end job or in a bad relationship, because we’re afraid to head into the murky, chaotic waters alone. But financial independence is a critical part of stepping into your power. Financial expert Manisha Thakor knows a lot about that subject. Hear what she has to say about it:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g5sD9sqWkA[/youtube]

What financial tools have helped you Carpe the Chaos? When has a chaotic situation given you the opportunity to try a new job or a new way to manage your finances so that you have the power to live as you wish? I’d love to hear from you.

3 Comments

  1. Serena Freewomyn on November 10, 2010 at 11:47 am

    I think that money is such an important part of being an independent woman. When my partner and I first started dating, we split everything 50-50 on our dates. For me, it sets up such an unbalanced power dynamic when one partner pays more than the other. Before we moved in together, we had a discussion about how the money would be split. We use the 3 pot system: we have a joint account for joint expenses, and we still have our individual accounts so that each of us is financially independent of the other. If the relationship were to go sour (goddess forbid), either one of us could walk away without having to worry about how to pay rent, etc.

    I have seen a lot of women stay in bad relationships way longer than they should have simply because of money entanglements. You have to look out for yourself. Romance doesn’t last forever, and everyone inevitably dies – so your relationship is going to end at some point. If you’re not continuing to build your resume, build your earning power, and build good financial habits, you’re just asking for trouble.

  2. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Serena Freewomyn, Gloria Feldt. Gloria Feldt said: New post: Empowered Women Realize the Importance of Financial Independence http://bit.ly/db8Y4N #NoExcuses […]

  3. Julia Jones on November 11, 2010 at 9:29 pm

    Gloria-
    Looking forward to reading your book and wanted to let you know that I used the barefoot and pregnant story in my recent book.It is a great story and I was just at the right age in 1963 to have a fit about Van Dalsem. Little Rock’s young mothers gathered together to protest him and we helped elect a new state senator! In fairness, he may have lost his next election but came back later in full-fledged support of ERA. See http://www.juliahughesjones.com for more about my book and me.

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