Top Five finance tools for women

Want to boost your financial literacy? These female-focused podcasts, books and courses have advice, tactics and tips to build wealth

Rise of the financially empowered female

The average net wealth of Australian women is now 89 per cent of that of men1, with the rise of women as an economic force largely due to more women working, along with the booming housing market.

In turn, this has fuelled the growth in female-focused personal finance resources – whatever your interest, there’s a good chance there’s a book, podcast or course that has you covered.

Whether you want to improve your financial skills, grow your wealth, get better at money management or become a savvy investor, it can be difficult to know where to start.

But every day, more and more money resources are available to help women kit up. We’ve taken the hard work out of tracking them down, with this curated a list of five courses, books and podcasts to help you up your money game.

5 courses to improve your financial fitness

  1. MoneyGirl’s First 6 Steps to Financial Independence is a financial education course for young women, covering money management, tax, super, credit, debt, investing, and money and relationships, with a special focus on migrant and refugee women.

  2. Women Talk Money has produced a series of free videos backed by women’s support services organisation WIRE, unwrapping issues like financial abuse, marriage, divorce and retirement.  

  3. Ladies Finance Club’s Investing in the Share Market for Beginners covers topics for new investors such as compound interest; inflation; different asset classes; risk, return and diversification; direct investment, and exchange traded funds (ETFs) and managed funds.

  4. The Money Project, from Women Talking Finance, features videos, worksheets and conference calls with a money expert to help you set financial goals, develop investment skills and design your own financial plan.

  5. Women with Cents runs the Making Cents of Money program to help women of all ages take control of their finances by learning about budgeting, saving, investing, super, insurance and debt.

5 books to boost your money power

  1. How to Get Mortgage-free Like Me, by finance journalist Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon, shares the stories and strategies behind how she, and other Australian families, paid off their mortgages fast, as well as tips from experts on how to get debt free, quickly.

  2. A Real Girl’s Guide to Money, by personal finance commentator Effie Zahos, covers subjects ranging from getting your first job to retiring – and everything in-between – all from a financial perspective.

  3. The $1000 Project, by financial planner Canna Campbell, follows the author on a year-long journey of growing her wealth by $32,000 – by finding or earning extra money and investing it every time the sum she accumulated reached $1000.

  4. The Joy of Money, by journalist Julia Newbould and financial adviser Kate McCallum, is a step-by-step guide to creating a system for managing money, career, family, relationships, investment, super, insurance, wills, and estate and retirement planning.

  5. Smashed Avocado, by journalist Nicole Haddow, is the story of how she went from broke to homeowner in two years. This realistic guide to home ownership looks at alternatives to the traditional owner-occupier model and seeks out tips from property experts.

5 podcasts to supercharge your cash

  1. She’s on the Money, hosted by financial adviser Victoria Devine, is a female-focused podcast for millennials, designed to take the fear out of finance and help you master your money.

  2. Season one of ABC podcast The Pineapple Project, hosted by comedian Claire Hooper, is a sometimes hilarious take on money, covering subjects ranging from money habits to the property market, and super to side hustles.

  3. The How to Money podcast helps young women learn about everything from taxes and first jobs to credit cards and shares. It’s hosted by Kate Campbell, who also co-hosts The Australian Finance podcast.

  4. Pocket Money, a podcast from price comparison website Finder, spans the breadth of money topics, from the costs of owning pets to what happens to your money when you die. If you’ve got a money question, chances are they’ve got it covered.

  5. The Joyful Frugalista, former diplomat Serena Bird’s podcast, is about more than being a fashionista on a budget. It’s a look at how being careful with money doesn’t necessarily mean you have to compromise your lifestyle and, more importantly, how to do it yourself.

If the do-it-yourself approach isn’t really your thing, you can always seek professional help from us. Call today on Phone (03) 51 433 450.

For a full guide on how to build wealth, download the free workbook

How to plan your finances in a changing world: The essential workbook for Australian women

Download now

Source: MLC

1 http://roymorgan.com.au/findings/8072-females-closing-the-gender-wealth-gap-201908050003

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