In the past few months I have discovered the force of finance expert Suze Orman who is regarded by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Not sure where I have been (I suspect at work) as Suze is a regular on the Oprah Show, has written books, is on radio has her own show and much more. She is definitely an inspirational women who is focused is on educating women about money. She has a top selling book ‘Women and Money’ which highlights the need for women to take financial control, not just for the dollars however also for the sense of self.
Suze advocates many sensible money practices, such as ensuring you have a cash reserve aside for emergencies, paying off your credit card and also being willing to ask for a pay rise and enter into salary negotiations. This is an area that women can really develop very easily through education and practice. Download the Free Six Figures Salary Negotiation Guide for Women to help you get started. It is never to late to start learning about negotiation.
Suze also explores financial management for women in business, and not being afraid to raise your prices. Also be willing to negotiate with service providers and paying yourself first. I myself have seen this and done this in business where you pay everyone but yourself and often you get paid last or not at all. To have a viable business and a sense of self your business must be able to pay you first. So while many of you may be thinking that given the GFC it is not the right time to look to become more financially empowered, the opposite is true. Now is the time to start your financial management plan and to start taking care of your financial present and future.