Personal Finance – Blogs And Books That Teach Women To Save

There’s a common misnomer that women have a difficult time managing their own finances. Salary analyses manifest a distinct salary gap between genders in the workforce, with women on average making less then men holding the same position. Although not entirely accurate, women are seen as the meeker gender in the workforce; they don’t push for the promotions or the higher status. In return, they will not gain the wealth that comes with pushing for these things. Through a series of premises (all not necessarily true), the continuously perpetuated conclusion is that women struggle with their finances.

What is only recently being noted is that the spending habits of women are vastly different from their men, and women need a different set of guidelines to determine financial priorities. Up until recently, the information available concerning savings and investing has been predominantly male-centric.

Today, bookstores and Internet blogs have readily available information for women who are ready to take control of their finances. That’s not to say that information provided by men are completely irrelevant, but these books and blogs are written by individuals who have a keen grasp on women’s financial obligations. Whether the financial dialogue centers around motherhood, shopping, gym memberships or main-petties, the eight blogs and books below (in no particular order) have received critical acclaim when it comes to teaching women how to take control of their finances.

1. Girls Just Wanna Have Funds

Claiming to help women to join the trend of positive net worth “while breaking financial ceilings one stiletto at a time”, this blog not only offers useful information geared towards women but encourages them to take control of their own finances. Featured on FoxNews DC, Essence Magazine, Good Morning America, Korean TV, MSNBC, MSNBC Web Series Project Engage and the Wall Street Journal, this blog is packed full of tips for creating budgets, living frugally, investing wisely and maintaining vigilance over spending habits.

2. Frugal for Life

This blogger has felt the sting of living outside one’s means. Filing bankruptcy was this woman’s wake up call. Now Frugal for Life offers insider tips on how to pull yourself out of the debt’s soul-sucking vortex that can wreak havoc on your bank account and psyche and teaches readers how to live within financial means. Frugal for Life is not just about the movement from out of the whole and toward financial stability, but how to maintain this lifestyle—complete with the good days and the bad one, enthusiasms and obstructions. To this blogger, living frugally is “living below your means; living on 80% of your pay instead of 100-110%.”

3. Don’t Mess With Taxes

Maintained by Kay Bell, BankRate.com’s contributing editor and principle tax reporter, Don’t Mess With Taxes is a user friendly guide to those all too confusing tax mandates. Bell’s ability to translate convoluted jargon into easy to digest morsels of information makes tackling personal finance an attainable goal; moreover, Bell’s humor makes a dry topic an entertaining read. Don’t Mess with Taxes has been named one of the best tax sites on the Internet by Top 10 Sources, hailed as one of the best tax information blogs by Monsmartz, designated as WebStar of the Week by WebCPA, and received a myriad of other critical acclaims.

4. Manisha Thakcom

Although this entry focuses primarily on Manisha Thakcom’s readily available blog, she has several finance books available for women. Thakcom has a long list of credentials, including an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) chart holder and has more than 15 years in the financial service industry. Thakom believes it is her duty to educate women and help them “master their money” through what she calls “financial literacy” with special emphasis placed on budgeting, investing, saving, opening a financial dialogue with your partner and acquiring a financial advisor.

5. Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny by Suze Orman

No list of experts on female finances is complete without including Suze Orman. Her latest book depicts the impaired relationship between women and money and relays insightful knowledge on how to beat the obstacles that seem to be a financial challenge. Orman gives women a first hand opportunity to write their own financial narrative with the “Save Yourself Plan” found in the middle of the book. It’s a five month plan that helps women get on the road of financial security.

6. LearnVest

Learn Vest is a site created by and for women, but without the rah rah girl power chants and celebrations of owning at least one pair of Jimmy Choos. This site is more than just a blog; Learn Vest offers free tools like finance counters to not only make sure you are given the information, but you have the ability to implement and track your finances. LearnVest even has a section dedicated to moms and also, like Don’t Mess With Taxes, offers easy to understand analyses of current market events.

7. Hot (Broke) Messes by Nancy Trejos

As the personal finance columnist for The Washington Post, you would assume Nancy Trejos has a handle on her own expenses. But when experts don’t listen to their own advice, even they can find themselves buried in debt. Hot (Broke) Messes is Trejo’s personal journey from her inability to make rent and other bills back to financial stability. But this isn’t a one woman pity party; this narrative gives readers sound advice in a relatable tone for those who are ready to reckon with financial own destiny.

8. Super Frugalette

Super Frugalette is a blog written by a mid-thirties wife, mother and MBA holder who understands the importance of disseminating information about personal finance, taxes, and insurance. This blogger offers additional advice for frugally financing shopping, children’s’ products and home décor. With a disdain for Wal-Mart but love for Target, this coupon-clipping queen knows how to stock her kitchen with organic produce, her bathroom with Sephora beauty products and her closet with stilettos