Personal Financial Wellness

I hate it when powerful women remain silent in money related conversations! I have been in rooms with women who led companies, signed off on massive deals and carried influence that most only dream of. But the moment the conversation shifted to balance sheets, EBITDA and cash flow, almost everyone stayed silent. All because of years of conditioning. Growing up, money talk for women meant gold savings, grocery budgets and school fees. The bigger financial decisions like investments, insurance and retirement were handed to fathers, brothers or husbands. And that conditioning doesn’t leave easily. Even women sitting at the top often feel like outsiders in financial conversations, afraid of being dismissed or judged. This gap is about culture. When men make money mistakes, they’re told to “try again.” When women falter, they’re told they “shouldn’t have tried.” But change begins with curiosity, like asking what an unfamiliar term means, talking about investments with friends or starting a small SIP even without full confidence. Because financial knowledge is about freedom and that doesn’t wait for permission. It begins the moment women decide - money belongs to us too. Are you confident about being a part of these conversations? #culture #moneymanagement #financialliteracy #investment 

Men in Spain can get 15% bigger loans than women. Even though in our Fintonic dataset women often show strong budgeting habits and fewer erratic payment patterns than men, their credit score still reflects the credit gender gap: they are 28 points below on average. The real drivers are income and financial literacy, as lower salaries translate directly into lower credit capacity, and gaps in financial knowledge make it harder to compensate. 👉🏼 Spain’s own Survey of Financial Competences (ECF 2021) confirms this, showing persistent gender gaps in financial knowledge across age, income and education. 👉🏼 Another study (Aguiar-Díaz & Zagalaz-Jiménez) also finds that women, even when they manage household finances, often score lower in financial literacy. Women face more financial stress, smaller loans, and fewer opportunities to invest or build. But this gap is not fixed. With better data, fairer scoring, more transparent lending practices and tools like our upcoming Credit Builder, we can expand access and break the cycle. The opportunity is to build a system where credit reflects real behavior potential, not just structural inequality. That’s the future we’re working toward, let’s close the credit gender gap together. (links to the full sources in the comments).

Let’s talk about something that doesn’t get enough attention: Financial abuse is domestic violence. And I didn’t even have the words for it until after I survived it. In I Came to Slay, I share how I was cut off, controlled, and made to feel like I was “less than” because I didn’t control the money. I wasn’t just being kept in the dark… I was being strategically disempowered. Because that’s what financial abuse is: A method of control. A form of punishment. A way to trap you in silence. It can look like: 💰 Being denied access to shared accounts 💰Having your spending monitored or “approved” 💰Being blocked from working or forced to give over your paycheck 💰 Not having your name on assets you helped build 💰Being made to feel “ungrateful” for asking questions about money And it disproportionately affects Black women. According to the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR), more than 4 in 10 Black women experience physical violence, sexual violence, or stalking by an intimate partner—and financial abuse is present in 99% of domestic violence cases. (Source: IWPR, The Status of Black Women in the United States, 2017) So when you ask, “Why didn’t she just leave?” Understand that many of us couldn’t. Not without risking everything. Our safety. Our children. Our survival. I shared my story not to relive the pain but to name it. To make sure other Black women don’t suffer in silence. To let survivors know: it’s not your fault, and you’re not alone. If we’re going to talk about protecting Black women, we need to talk about economic abuse too.

More than 90% of #ClimateFinance is directed toward mitigation, while frontline communities, especially women, remain dangerously exposed to escalating climate shocks — without the tools to prepare for them or bounce back once they've hit. In Economist Impact, I wrote about the critical link between climate resilience and financial resilience, particularly for women. It’s time to rebalance the conversation around climate finance. Consider this: 1. Less than 10% of total climate finance supports resilience, and far less reaches women. 2. Women are 14 times more likely than men to die in climate-related disasters. 3. 880 million women lack access to digital payments, cutting them off from emergency relief when they need it most. Access to basic #FinancialServices — payments, savings, credit and insurance — are no longer a "nice to have." They are a strategic imperative. If we are serious about climate adaptation and economic stability, we must put women’s financial access at the center of the conversation. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eBFtY6VE

The biggest financial scam women fell for? That they’re not smart enough to invest. I’ve heard this line more times than I can count. At investor meetings. At dinner tables. Even in business circles. But you know what’s worse than hearing it? Watching brilliant women actually believing it. Let’s debunk the top 3 money myths still holding too many of us back: → Myth 1: “Women aren’t good at managing money.” Studies from Fidelity show women consistently outperform men in investment returns by 0.4%. Why? Less impulsive trading. More long-term thinking. Smarter budgeting. → Myth 2: “Investing is a man’s game.” Risk isn’t the problem – lack of exposure is. Most women don’t get taught to invest early on in their careers. But those who do? Often outperform. → Myth 3: “Money talk is too unladylike.” The Truth is: Silence keeps us underpaid and unprepared. Women who negotiate earn up to $1M more over a lifetime. Money talks and so should we. And yet – most women still hesitate to talk about money. Not because we can’t. But because we’ve been taught it’s not our place. The Bottom Line is: This isn’t about being better than men. It’s about unlearning what never served us. And rewriting the rules on our own terms. What’s one money myth you had to outgrow to take back your financial power? Assemble in the comments!

Women & Finance: a relationship NOT approved by many! I recently observed that whenever my brother and I receive a cash gift from our relatives or parents, this is how it goes: ⟶ My brother is more than happy to spend the entire amount on himself even in one go without any hesitation or doubt. ⟶ On the other hand, I would save 40% of the amount without fail. I’ll spend the rest 60%  after a lot of contemplation within some months - but NEVER at once. Another common observation is that young women are often raised to believe that financial matters are best left to the men in their families - their fathers, brothers, or husbands. But why? Such instances make me question -  🚨 Why do women shy away from spending/managing their own money? After introspecting deeply, I realized that the answer does lie in our specific upbringing patterns for different genders. Have a look at some of the common stereotypes surfacing in the society – 👉 Women are too naive to handle money. 👉 Women are too risk-averse, they always tend to play safe while investing. 👉 Women are not assertive or strict enough to negotiate financial matters. And what not! Surprisingly, there are so many of these baseless arguments that are widely believed by women as well. It’s high time we understand true financial independence is not only earning your own money - it’s also managing it. The only way out of this is to be UNSTOPPABLE! ☑ Rewire the beliefs you grew up with by taking inspiration from successful women around you. Never let societal beliefs impact your growth negatively. ☑ Empower yourself by investing in your financial education: learn personal finance, investing, and saving. Resources are available online, in libraries, and through community programs. ☑ Track your expenses. ☑ Automate your savings to make it effortless. ☑ Build an emergency fund for peace of mind in uncertain times. ☑ Negotiate for higher pay and know your worth. ☑ Diversify your income streams for financial resilience. ☑ Set clear financial goals: buying a home, saving for retirement, or simply having more peace of mind. Create a roadmap to push you in that direction and keep you on track. ☑ Seek out mentorship from professionals or family members and build a supportive network out of it for guidance. ☑ Regularly review and adjust your financial plan as life evolves. After all, a woman’s best protection is a little money of her own (quoted by Clare Boothe Luce). Are you, as a WOMAN, in charge of your own finances? Are you, as a MAN, encouraging the women in your life to take care of their money? I am open to knowing what you guys think about it? 👇 #drishtiispeaks #finance #education #women #money #management

“I’m looking for a private area for a meet-up for women.” “Kitty party hai ma’am?” he asked innocently. I smiled outwardly (but cringed inside). For years, kitty parties were dismissed as gossip sessions. But they gave women something most spaces didn’t: ownership — of time, money, and community. In 2024, we launched the Money Sista Club, an offline money mixer in 3 cities, re-imagining the kitty - kept the comfy, informal set-up, but replaced the gossip with money conversations, emotions driving financial decisions, confessing mistakes and laughing on crazy fantasies together. And as an entrepreneur building the women-centric space, I learnt some valuable lessons about my audience, my customer : ✨ We don't just want financial content - we need financial conversations. ✨ We don’t always find the courage to do it alone. Sometimes, we lean into another woman confessing, “I’ve struggled with this too.” ✨ Building for women means understanding that money is not just numbers — it’s dignity, identity, relationships, safety, even rebellion. ✨ Across ages, we are showing up for ourselves - even if it's hard to not have friends' to share these conversations with. So no, sir. It’s not a kitty party. It’s a quiet financial revolution, over iced coffee, dollops of laughter and oodles of courage. Tagging some of the amazing women who’ve made these meetups so meaningful. Rachana Patel Geetika Batra SIMRAN JINDAL Gagan Singh Dhanashree Zope Simmy Verma Shilpa Karthik Anindita Zadoo Sana Shaikh Karishma Desai Shilpi Minocha Gauri Dewan Namrata Dhanak Vandana Nagpal Geetanjali H. Harshita Pande Prema Govindan #MoneySistaClub #Womoneysta #WomenAndMoney #FinancialWellness #EntrepreneurLessons #BuildingForWomen #NotAKittyParty

I love January for a weird reason: I can finally dive into my full-year financial summaries from the previous year and set my 2025 goals. I make a date out of it, analyzing my spending and saving habits and projecting future contributions to my 401(k) and Roth IRA. My “New Year Financial Dates” have changed significantly since I started doing them (almost six years ago today, when I joined Bankrate :) ). Earlier in my career, my goal was liquidity (adding cash to my emergency fund that I could access at any time). But my rainy day fund is now more established, so lately, I'm more focused on scaling up my retirement contributions. Here are some key lessons I’ve learned over the years: 1. 50/30/20 rule: Calculate how close you are to this budget rule, but remember, it’s just a guideline. These budgeting guardrails might not be so realistic anymore, in an economy dogged by barriers like student loan debt or high housing costs. Case in point: 50% of the 42.5 million renter households in the United States spent more than 30% of their income on housing costs in 2023. 2. Building your emergency fund: Financial experts typically advise Americans to keep six to nine months' worth of their monthly expenses in a savings account, but many of us are probably spending money on things that we wouldn't be paying for if we were unemployed. Our “emergency number” is also fluid, changing every year along with our expenses. That’s why I like to revisit what I call my "survival" number. Track your monthly expenses and figure out what you'd cut if your financial situation changed suddenly. 3. Small savings goals: If you don’t yet have your "survival" number in your savings, don’t worry: Set small, achievable goals. Savings add up, especially when paired with a high-yield savings account (which are currently offering 4% or more annually). 4. Debt management: Know what’s good versus bad debt. Never go bigger on your student loan repayments if it means sacrificing saving for retirement or emergencies. But credit card debt is something you want to chip away at immediately, possibly by utilizing a balance-transfer card. 5. For more advanced budgeters: If you feel comfortable with your savings and instead want to prioritize scaling up your retirement contributions, play around with how much your monthly income would change if you increased your contributions by just 1-2%. Thanks to the tax savings, you might actually notice it less than you think. Bottom line: Set small goals, give yourself grace and remember that consistently paying yourself first will pay off. Let me know your financial goals this year!

Dear woman who’s earning more than ever but still wondering where it’s all going: You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just busy. Really busy. And when your calendar’s full, Money tends to fall to the bottom of the list. Even when there’s plenty of it. That’s when I see it: → Cash sitting idle → Tax-saving moves never used → Decisions that could’ve been made months ago (delayed again) Not out of avoidance. Just life. Full days. That quiet mental tab open all week: “I’ll get to it soon. And the quiet hope that things will “calm down soon.” But what if your money didn’t need to wait on your capacity? What if it could move in the background without needing your constant energy to drive it. Because it can. Here’s what that can look like: → Moving large cash reserves into a mix of high-yield savings + short-term investments → Rebalancing your portfolio quarterly (not letting your old 401(k) ride on autopilot) → Shifting part of your income into backdoor Roth or after-tax contributions in your 401k → Running a mid-year tax projection instead of being surprised in April These aren’t flashy moves. But they’re the ones that quietly build wealth while you live your life. You don’t need to work harder to make more progress. You just need a plan that does some of the heavy lifting for you.

Trauma. That’s how I learned about money. When you grow up as a first-generation immigrant, money isn’t just money. It’s fear. It’s survival. It’s guilt. 💰 You don’t ask for more - you just feel grateful to have anything. 📉 You don’t negotiate - you worry about being a burden. 📚 You don’t talk about investments - you’re just trying to hold on to what you have. And when you finally start your career? That mindset doesn’t just disappear. I didn’t realize how much financial trauma shaped every career decision I made - until I found myself running a business, negotiating deals, and making financial choices that terrified me. When I looked out to our audience of Monday Girl members, I realized I wasn't alone. In fact, a recent Intuit Financial Literacy Survey revealed that more than HALF (55%) of women feel uncertain about where to begin their financial journey vs. just 49% of men. This is exactly what we tackled when I moderated a panel with Intuit Canada on financial literacy for women, joined by Kyla Bolden, Stefanie Ricchio CPA, CGA and Anna Sinclair who shared such honest and diverse perspectives. One thing that was painfully clear: 1️⃣ Women, especially first-gen professionals, undervalue themselves - not because they aren’t capable, but because they were never taught how to advocate for their worth. 2️⃣ We’re often taught to save money, not to grow it. 3️⃣ Financial literacy isn’t just about numbers - it’s about unlearning fear. Because if you grew up hearing: 🔹 “We don’t talk about money.” 🔹 “You should just be thankful.” 🔹 “That’s not for people like us.” Then stepping into financial confidence isn’t just learning - it’s rewiring everything. I know firsthand that understanding money changes everything. Not just for you, but for the next generation. 👇 What’s a money belief you had to unlearn? #FinancialLiteracy #PersonalFinance #WomenInFinance #MoneyMindset #CareerGrowth