Just in case you missed them, here are a handful of our most popular blogs for women. We call them Can-You-Relates? because they represent ideas applying to women in every walk of life. Scroll down this list and see if any of these questions sound familiar…
Trying to find some balance between work and home?
work-life balance: a zero sum game? … As women, we need to convince ourselves and others that work-life balance does not invariably mean sacrificing both. Just because we must leave the office at 5:00 pm sharp to be at the daycare by 6:00 does not make us less ambitious or less valuable than the colleague who opens the door for the boss in the morning and is the last one in the office at night. This is not an easy task. Even kind, open-minded employers tend to regard with skepticism a young woman candidate of childbearing age, assuming she will be “gone” in a year or two after she is hired …
Feeling frozen by your choices?
the two faces of choice … The pull is strong. The gratification of choosing whatever it is calling us- shoes, children’s toys, jewelry, home goods, books, yarn … you name it – can represent the opposite of freedom: addiction, a lack of ability to choose “no” …
How does it feel to be “rich?”
what is a birthday worth? … I don’t really relish turning 60, but I honestly cannot think of a better age to be at the moment. I love having so much time in my column – not time ahead certainly, but time behind me and all the experiences and lessons of the past. It makes me a wiser mother, a more loving friend, and a better storyteller. The degrees of separation between me and just about anyone else, at least here in the US, are down to just one or two. If I haven’t met you yet, I know someone who knows you, or someone who knows someone who knows you. If I have in fact met you, but don’t remember, I have a built-in chronological excuse we can both laugh about without my needing to apologize …
Should I be financially separate from my partner?
women and money: mine, yours, or ours? … I am often asked by married women if they should keep their finances separate from their husbands. Rarely do I answer yes. Marriage is, after all, an economic partnership which involves working together and pooling resources for shared goals: a new home, college educations for children, retirement abroad. If, however, the goals are different, as is often the case with second marriages and a separate menu of kids, then some segregation of resources is probably in order …
Does money make you emotional?
owning emotion! … Let it be said: as women, we are rich in emotions! It is high time we understand and appreciate this wealth as it pertains to our decisions and choices about money …
Do you obsess about $?
putting the dollar sign in its place … A dollar sign may signal value, in currency terms, but nothing else. It has little to do with the priceless values that govern our lives. Too often, however, we get the two forms of value confused, compromising our principles for prices. For true financial confidence, we need put the $ in its place – as an abbreviation which by itself carries no emotional significance – and consider instead deeper questions of worth …
Does your financial future make you feel alone or afraid?
here’s looking at you, kid! … This picture has powered me through many of the difficult times I have inevitably faced in the years after that marathon. Particularly when I find myself facing something new and unfamiliar, I remind myself that feeling alone and fearful is a necessary consequence of stepping out in front and taking responsibility for my own life …
What does money mean to you?
money as metaphor … As your first step to financial empowerment, take a few minutes. Don’t think about dollars or account titles or investments, but think metaphorically about your money. What state is it in?
Finding it hard to set financial goals you can live with?
setting S.M.A.R.T. goals … As the saying goes, if you don’t know where you are going, any path will get you there – including the path that does not involve any financial planning at all …
How will you get through your retirement years?
a different kind of retirement portfolio … I recently attended a presentation by an actuarial consultant on how Americans view retirement. In a pause between all the statistics, charts, and tables, she made one simple, number-free observation that stood out from all the rest. “There are two portfolios to manage in retirement,” she said. “One consists of your financial assets, the other is made up of your activities.”