5 Ways to Reduce your Spending & Create Immediate Money to Start Investing

Most of us are well aware that in order to improve our finances and to become wealthy, we need to follow a process that takes us from being in debt to having financial assets that provide us with an income. 

If so many people are aware of this, why do so few ever acquire investments? 

There are two reasons: firstly, many of us are already living on more than our income each month, and so finding money to invest often seems unlikely. 

Secondly, there is a common misunderstanding that investing is complicated. 

Femvestorsglobal are here to tell you that it is not.

By following these five steps, you can easily save a regular amount of money sufficient to act as your investment money: 

1. Reduce your entertainment spending 

Chances are, you don't know exactly how much you spend on entertainment each month, and the total is probably higher than you would guess. Common entertainment splurges are alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, nights out drinking, trips to the cinema, Netflix, weekends away, holidays and family activities like bowling and swimming. All of these quickly add up, especially if you are paying for two (you and your spouse) or four (you, spouse and two children) people each time. Rather than seeing entertainment spending as a necessity, you must be realistic about the amount you can afford to spend on these things each month. What can you sacrifice to help your investment budget? 

2. Take control of our duplications

The things we buy time and time again, despite having similar things already. The obvious is 10 pairs of black shoes. How many black handbags, pairs of blue jeans, summer jackets or winter coats, luxurious bubble baths and shower gels, lipsticks, red nail varnish or excessive bedding for our home do we really need?  Identify what your duplications are and assess whether you need all of the items you have already. Sell any you don't use or pay attention to, and commit to not buying any of these items for a 6 -12 month period. Be aware that when you are around these items, you will feel a temptation to buy. Either avoid the malls and avoid scrolling on the internet online. 

Don't give in- Your future self will thankyou

3. Watch your food spending 

Meals to celebrate a birthday, the weekly grocery shop, the chocolates to cheer us up, the lunch bought each day at work, the ice cream while walking the dog, the Starbucks on the way to the office, extra treats for the kids, the takeaways when you're just too tired to cook... food spending takes up a huge chunk of our income each month. Unless your end goal is to be obese and unhealthy, this is a habit well worth overcoming right away. 

A shocking amount of food bought ends up being thrown away and wasted. You are literally throwing away a portion of your income each month by buying food that will not be used. To get your food spending under control, make sure you plan your meals in advance each week and buy accordingly, never go food shopping while hungry or without a list, and don't make the mistake of aimlessly wandering up and down every single aisle in the supermarket. 

Calculate how much your shopping will total and take that amount in cash - do not have a debit or credit card with you. If your shopping exceeds the amount of cash you have, replace some less essential items. Buy cheaper brands of cleaning products, toilet rolls and alcohol. Arrange alternative celebrations- don't treat food as a reward or comforter.

 4. Buy less 'treats' and stop impulse buys 

Do you have a gym membership? When was the last time you used it? The majority of people who have a gym membership will actually pay less over the course of a year if they cancel the membership and pay for each gym session as they attend. Cancel your membership now - unless you really go several times every single week. Consider your magazine and newspaper subscriptions. How many of these can you access free online? How many do you not even get around to reading properly? With the amount of free information available online, there is rarely a need to pay for any magazines or newspapers. 

If you're wondering how you will manage without these 'treats', consider if you are trying to hide from some real pain (a deep rooted issue) that can be better managed. 

5. Avoid ATMs

Give yourself a weekly budget and withdraw this amount at the beginning of the week. Then hide your credit and debit cards (or give them to a friend who will not give them back to you until the next week or put them in the freezer like I did and delete all payment apps on your mobile) and force yourself to spend just that amount. 

This will force you to closely examine your spending and will change the way you think about money and spending. 

By following these five steps, you will have an extra amount of free cash each month that can be invested however you choose. 

If you are new to investing, discuss your options with Femvestorsglobal. 

In no time at all, you will have an investment plan prepared and will be on the road to controlling your own finances. 

Our team are here to support you every step of the way. We offer a variety of programs at difference price points and timeframes so support you with your investing journey.

Make Sure You Are Crystal Clear About Your "Invest" Definition

In today's unstable economy, many people are searching for alternative means of making money and creating their own retirement plans. It is becoming clear that corporations and governments cannot guarantee your retirement plan upon turning 65. As a result, many are taking control of their own futures and putting their money into investments like property and shares. For others, it may be a distant dream, but they are not quite sure where they should begin. The definition of "invest" is a broad one and there are several methods. 

Buying a property is considered a fairly safe kind of investment, because real estate generally appreciates in value. There are a couple of different options to choose from. You can purchase a single home, a multi-unit complex or a vacation home to rent out to various tenants; alternatively, you can purchase a home for a low price and renovate it, then sell it for a higher price. Each option has its pros and cons and it's important to do some research before making a decision on which method you will go with.

Becoming a landlord is a huge responsibility, and you will need to become familiar with the local laws regarding tenants. They will be well aware of their rights, so you should be aware of yours. If you consider yourself a DIY person and can install floors, renovate bathrooms and apply a coat of paint, then flipping properties may be for you. 

When you complete the renovations yourself, you save money and increase your profit. When everything has been done, sell it at market value. Once it's sold, you can collect a nice big lump sum of money. Now, you can find another home and repeat the entire process. When you rent your properties, you receive a smaller amount of money, but it is a steady monthly income.

Keeping a lump sum of money in a bank account is not a good wealth-building method. If you decide not to purchase any more properties, another investment option is shares. When you buy the shares of a company, you are becoming part owner of that company. There are many public organisations and companies that offer their shares for purchase. You can get them via a self-directed investment account or a stockbroker. Due diligence and research are imperative before deciding which companies to include in your portfolio. 

You make a profit with shares by buying low and selling high. Depending on the type of company you invest in, you could see profits in just a few weeks, or it might take a few years. Many people buy stocks and hang on to them for at least 10 years; others sell them as soon as they realise they will make money.

An easier option is to invest in Index funds and or Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) where you are buying a group of companies as opposed to one individual company. Buying into a group of companies protects you when the prices fall as you are not as exposed in comparison to one individual company.

But above all be clear as to your invest definition, and increase your knowledge and resources, you are able to make better decisions. Having a comprehensive plan is a good first step to taking care of your financial security. The time has come to stop depending on governments and corporations to provide your funds for retirement. 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mike_McLoughlin/587899

Where to start when Investing in the Stock Market

Investing in the share market has never been as easy as it is today thanks to share market platforms where everyday investors can invest as little as $10 at a time. Compare that to investing through a share broker where fees make this uneconomic unless you are able to invest a few thousand dollars at a time. Problem with this is that unless one had tens of thousands of dollars to invest then diversification where money is invested in a variety of companies is out of the question. 

The solution to this is Index funds, where your money is pooled with those of other investors. The Index fund tracks indices such as the S&P500, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, FTSE, ASX, Dax etc. Expense ratio fees are low and the benefit is that you don't have to pay buy and sell fees to an advisor every time an organisation leaves or joins an Index. 

Your money is also now invested in a variety of companies and industry types for diversification and for risk mitigation.

Sharesies is a popular trading platform in New Zealand but is certainly not the only one; Hatch, Kernel, and Invest Now are others. In the US, Robin Hood and Webull are popular trading platforms. In Australia Raiz, Spaceship, CommSec are popular and in the UK you can open a Stocks and Shares ISA which allows you to have a tax efficient trading account.

There are so many benefits of getting involved in the share market in this way with the main one being that it improves your financial literacy. It is all very well just reading books of a financial nature but knowledge comes from action otherwise what you may have learned on paper is just information. 

The basic rules of investing still need to be adhered to such as not placing all of your eggs in the one basket and investing according to your goals. If you require the money in the short-term then investing in growth stocks which are high return but with higher risk is not a suitable investment because chances are that the stock price will be down at the time when you need the money.

Micro investing is an excellent way to get involved in the share market. It helps to build your financial know-how, not to mention your wealth. 

Femvestorsglobal supports you in all areas of financial education as we help you with the basic fundamentals of investing, we give you everything you need so you have both the confidence and courage to start investing yourself.

So what are you waiting for?

Why Should I Invest in the Stock Market? The Truth Revealed!

Why do people invest in stocks? For some, it's like gambling. They high associated to the adrenaline that comes as a result of throwing hundreds or thousands of dollars into high-risk, high-reward endeavors. Of course, many individuals are highly calculated and look at investing in the stock market as a way to fund their future, perhaps in an extremely comfortable fashion. Of course, this is actually very possible to do, but not without the proper psychology, mechanics, and discipline in place. 

So why should we invest in the stock market? 

No matter how you look at it, your stock picks will be a gamble. It is possible for an undisciplined individual to bankrupt themselves very quickly. With that being said, there are several advantages of stock trading and investing that far outweigh the risks involved. 

Firstly, with a long-term focus, there is seldom a regulated market that doesn't rebound. This means that with a bit of due diligence, you can continually invest in an index fund whether the market is weak or strong, and chances are good that you'll come out on top eventually. 

Imaging this scenario. You invest in the stock market in a fairly low risk way, meaning you pick an  index fund (you can even invest in the NASDAQ itself) and invest $300 per month into your fund. What happens when the market goes up? Your stocks are worth more! But what happens when the market goes down? While the pessimist may panic, the wise man or woman will simply view this as an opportunity to purchase even MORE shares for that same 300 bucks! 

Then, when the market goes back up, you've got LOADS of shares enjoying this increase in value. Does this make sense? I know it's pretty basic stuff, but the basics are where a LOT of people unfortunately make their mistakes. 

Another reason I invest in the stock market, and why I firmly believe you should, too, is that you can get out of a bad decision in a heartbeat. Just sell your shares. Done. Do you think you have that kind of freedom to just walk away in the real estate business? Not a chance!

 The point is - and hear me loud and clear, I LOVE real estate - the stock market is a far more streamlined investment. For all intents and purposes, it's digital vs. physical. Both are valid in terms of return on investment, but only the stock market allows you to be incredibly efficient with your investment maneuvers. 

Consider starting small, if you're a beginning investor. And above all else, educate yourself. Read books, attend courses, join and converse with Femvestorsglobal... it's YOUR capital, so you'd better know your stuff! Do NOT blindly trust the "experts," as they're just people... and they can be just as wrong as anybody else!

Remember, education is everything!

Women Can Love Investing

Women can learn to love investing. Investing is a huge passion of mine. I find it empowering, freeing, and confidence building! You can learn to have your money work for you and make you money, so you're not dependent on working the rest of your life. It's awesome to see money being made with your computer and not from your work efforts! Once you learn to invest, it's like having your own golden goose. The golden goose provides more money for you over the years and works hard, so you don't have to.

Did you know women are better investors than men? There have been studies of men's and women's investment clubs and women consistently made more money with their investing. The reasoning is that women think through their investment decisions longer before selecting them and hold their investments longer.

Another reason women make good investors is because investing is like shopping. We're used to comparing prices, knowing brands, and watching for sales! Investing is the same way. You figure out what you want and you wait for a good price to buy it. You do that every week!

90% of women will have to manage their own money at some point in their lives (the average age of widowhood is 59). Do you want to learn about money when you're grieving and least able to deal with it or when you choose to?

Making money is simply a function of 3 things:

• the money you have to start with
• the time you have to compound 
• the rate you earn

The more of any of those 3 things you have, the easier it is. If you don't have a lot of money to start with, but you have a lot of years before you need the money, or you can compound (earn) a high rate, you can build wealth. 

If you want to learn how to swim, you can't cling to the side of the pool. Eventually you have to let go and try to swim. When you get good at swimming, you can eventually go into the deep end. You don't try that on the first day! It's the same thing with investing. If you want to build wealth, you can't keep your money in a savings account. You must give yourself time to learn to invest and let your money create a golden goose for you! 

The reason it's important to take some measured risk with your money, is because it allows you to get a higher return. For example, a savings account is paying 1% interest. At 1%, it will take 72 years to double your money. Not a great way to accumulate money to retire! But the stock market has returned 10% on average over the long-term, which will double your money in a little over 7 years! That will build wealth - the savings account won't - and you will be able to have a comfortable retirement. That's why you need to invest in stocks! 

I often hear women say they don't feel "worthy" of having a lot of money. I think this stems from the fact that women don't know their worth. Studies have shown that men know what they are worth in their job and women don't. Women are taught to be of service, to put our needs behind others, to be polite, to defer to others. If we translate that behavior to money, it means we won't feel worthy. We give the power away. We will have fears around it and "trust" others to handle it for us. We don't need to do that. Not anymore. 

I'm here to say women, you can do it! You can overcome your fear of loss or overwhelm. Investments don't require much time to manage once you've got the hang of it. I spend less than an hour a week handling my long term investments. More of my time is spent reading about investments and looking for new opportunities than tweaking the investments. 

I started in my late twenties with $0 (after paying off all my debts)and read lots of books about millionaires and investing. I taught myself how to invest in stocks and became a millionaire at age 38. The next year, I made $1 million in one year! I teach clients exactly the steps I took. It begins with having a wealthy mindset and ends with creating your legacy. Only one step involves investing! Did you know that you don't even have to have a lot of money to start investing? You can open an investment account online with only $500. There's no excuse not to learn! 

If you have a mentor, it can help take the fear of overwhelm away. A mentor can show you how to navigate easily, just like a tour guide can in a foreign country. Over time, you will gain confidence and realize it's not as difficult as you first thought. Like anything with practice, it gets easier - and the rewards are much better! You can learn to build serious wealth which will make your life a lot easier, less stressful, and give you a better marriage and family life. 

What is a stock? A "stock" is simply a share of ownership in a company (think of companies like your favorite brands in handbags, shoes, food, etc.). Companies sell shares of stock in their company when they want to raise money. Suppose up-and coming designer Tory Burch wanted to open boutiques around the world? She could sell shares in her company and raise the money to do that. The "stock market" is simply where lots of companies are selling shares. Initially they sell shares from their company to raise the money and from there investors buy and sell them to and from each other. It's kind of like eBay, except you're buying and selling shares of companies! 

But isn't it risky? Isn't it like gambling? There is risk, but you can mitigate risk several ways - buy spreading it out among multiple companies you own, by buying companies that have a low fluctuation of price, by not owning just stocks and adding in other types of investments. Some people speculate, but most people are not trying to "get rich quick", they are investing for the long-term, which is the safest way to invest. The longer you stay invested, the more likely it is you will make money with your investments. If you stayed invested during the crash of 2008, the stock market is up 80% from the low point. 

The Dalai Lama has said, "The Western woman will save the world." I believe that's true. Women are cooperative, intuitive, and we like to share with others. I see a lot of women giving to the less fortunate, like helping women start businesses with "micro" loans. The average loan someone in a foreign country needs to start a life-changing business to feed their family is only $27! The women in villages teach others in the village how to run a business, so the effects are far reaching and magnified. My mission is to change the statistics for women, where 1 in 5 of us are retiring with Zero dollars. 

Isn't it time you empowered yourself to learn about money and investing? Isn't it time you felt your own worth and independence? Learning to create wealth yourself will do that for you and investing is a way you can build a lot of wealth. You just have to decide to do it and find a mentor such as Femvestorsglobal to reduce the learning time and improve your success rate. 

Soon you will have your own golden goose and love investing too! 

Women and Money - Another Complicated Relationship

Yet another relationship we complicate with our emotions. 

According to statistics: 

• We women earn 20% less than our male counterparts 
• We earn 80 cents on the dollar compared with men
• We have less women sitting in corner offices
• We are not getting our fair share of the world's wealth

It is abundantly clear after research that many of the characteristics and behaviors of women that make us unique also contribute to our lack of financial independence. 

Our greatest gifts we offer to society actually become our greatest weaknesses when our own best interest come in to play. Just like with anything a belief system is a standard that sets the stage for our behaviors. 

How we earn money and manage it is no different. We are taught differently with societal messages that imply our well-being is contingent upon acting polite and other stereo-typical ways when we are young girls. 

Being relationship oriented and soft-spoken are just a couple of behaviors that we are taught and then struggle with when we later apply them to the management of income earned or inherited wealth.

 The expectations of: 

• being a mum 
• wife 
• caretaker of elderly parents 
• AND independent 

are a juggling act that conflicts with the logic of the risk-reward mentality that it often takes to manage money successfully. 

As Independent Ambitious Career Woman meets head on with Nurturing Caretaker Mother and Wife we truly are BLESSED with the impossible sounding feat, if we take on the right attitude and use it to our advantage. 

We are asked to sharpen our skills in so many areas that we cannot help but succeed if we learn how to apply all of these acquired skills in the area of money-management and income negotiation in the workplace. 

There appears to be a paradigm shift that needs to take place in many of our female minds. That shift may require taking on a new mantra that empowers you to realise you have been given a job that seems daunting but in actuality have been given the opportunity to have it all. 

The ability to give life and nurture it can be applied to making money and growing it. So, being a Sep-mother with an independent minded attitude I have had to change my mantra to fit my vision of a successful retirement. 

I believe that how you think determines how you act. Our actions stem from our belief system. Our belief systems were most likely formed at a very young age. We have to understand that we can change our belief systems by attaining correct knowledge and watching our actions. 

Some of the actions we can take as women are: 

1. Keep track of how you are using and losing your money

2. Create a spending plan

3. Always put minimum of 10% away in an investment or savings...

4. Consider learn from other women. Check out Femvestorsglobal.com. 

5. Take advantage of compounding interest rate calculator! Check out http://www.investor.gov

6. There are so many ways to start learning and never an easier time to acquire knowledge. What better way to use Google! 

3 Top Secrets Wealthy Women Use to Overcome Barriers to Creating Financial Freedom

When women reach a certain age, they begin to ask the important questions: "What will my retirement look like? Will I be able to maintain a specific lifestyle? How will money affect my sense of security?" Women typically are so immersed in the present day-to-day activities that they are too exhausted to think beyond that. No, not all women, but a good amount to make a difference. 

What are the 3 big 'No-No's' that women find themselves doing that not only create barriers to financial success but actually prevent it from happening all together? 

1. Not planning early enough. How many times have you said, 'I'll start that tomorrow" but tomorrow never came? 

Financial Quick-Start: Map out your plan when you have your first experience with money. It's not too late, and it's never too early. Babysitting money, birthday money - it doesn't matter - map out your plan on how you will relate, save, spend and value the money that comes in and out of your life. Mothers, teach your daughters to become familiar and comfortable with money at an early age. The important piece is to start - your plan may change or grow, but it should be a plan that grows with you. 

Put money and credit in your own name. Money and credit in your name is a sure way to boost your sense of security. Don't be hesitant to do this. Be proud and excited about the greatness of establishing your own accounts and credit ratings. Start small with bank accounts and credit, then expand into investments. 

Putting money in your own name and knowing it is yours creates a feeling of security and independence. These two feelings build the foundation critical to living a financially independent life. 

2. Closing the door to knowledge. Women don't speak up or ask questions when the financial planner comes around (if they have one). They fear looking uneducated or embarrassed about not knowing much about money. Or there's an attitude of "it'll take care of itself."  

Financial Quick-Start: Read. Learn. Observe. Listen. Hire a financial planner. Get in the game. Expose yourself to several opinions on financial matters. Pretend you know what you are doing and the more you do it, the more you will learn. There is no shame in grabbing the money-lion by the tail and taking charge. 

Learn what will make you money AND know what wastes your money. Read, read, and read again. There are great books out there for you to learn about money decisions, investing, income streams, and financial planning. Set a priority to grow your money enough to allow you to meet with a professional planner, accountant or someone you feel safe in asking questions and learning where to start. 

The main purpose of knowing everything about your money is for you to make informed and responsible money decisions that will help your financial future instead of hurting it. 

3. The "I-couldn't-handle-money-if-I-tried" thinking. This is thinking that will land you in the poor house. Actually, this is a defence mechanism designed to shield you from knowing the truth. The truth may be good, bad or ugly, but it's still the truth. And sometimes knowing the truth around your money can be scary. 

Financial Quick-Start: Grow your confidence. To grow money, you have to feel good about it. And to do that, you must get in touch with your money. When control goes up, worry goes down. When worry goes down, security goes up and so does confidence. This means balancing your finances on a regular basis, knowing your rental or mortgage agreement at all times, opening and paying all bills on time, and reading your quarterly retirement planning reports. 

You should expect more than the crumbs falling off the table. But, gosh, you say, I have too many bills. Well, make a budget (aka spending plan) and stick to it. Sacrifice whatever is expendable (eating out, movie tickets, that cool smelling bottle of perfume) so you can get yourself into a power position with your money. 

Decide what you can pay yourself each month then do it - no matter what! Start with 10% after taxes but no less than 5%. Before you know it, the dollars you are paying to yourself will start to add up! 

The main purpose of paying yourself first is so you learn that you are more important and deserving than anything you could buy.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Karen_Keller,_Ph.D/581146

Money Makeovers for Women

Many women believe we are unable to stand solidly on our own two feet when it comes to our financial lives. We might already be successful Entrepreneurs or Career women in our own right, maybe even Millionaires in the Expat Community, yet many tell me that if their partner died or left, they don't know what they would do regarding their finances. They don't believe they can understand the financial world, especially the investing part of that world. 

A lady last week told me she has turned her money over to someone else to invest and it has lost half its value and she just figures that's the way it is. This was a male broker who she thought was an expert.

One of my old colleagues makes plenty of money but she never pays her bills on time, never believes there will be enough and lives by the hard work model. She gives her children whatever they want but she doesn't take care of herself by paying bills on time, she doesn't know where her money is going and is unable to manage her spending.

Another woman in business knows she must do something about her retirement account so she finally meets with an advisor her partner recommends. She turns her money over to him, walks away and hopes for the best.

Another woman that attended one of my events had always managed her own finances and investing and did an amazing job. However, she got re-married later in life to a man who wanted to take care of everything- including both of their financial positions. As a couple they did not discuss finances and she handed everything over to him to take care of. He promptly lost everything they had. There is a health situation and are now facing retirement with limited financial resources. This was a woman who had been successful yet still turned everything over to someone else.

These are all very bright and successful women. I wanted to find out why this was happening. This is why I created Femvestorsglobal, to provide women with knowledge and confidence so you can maintain your financial fabulousness and not outsource this to anyone else. I knew it didn't have to be this way and I became determined to help create a change in this area of women's lives. 

My real passion and commitment is to change the statistics that 1 in 5 working women today are retiring with zero.1 in 3 women are also victims of Domestic Violence and stay in relationships as they have no other means to financially survive. I want you to live the life you were meant to live. Money is a vehicle that can either disempower us or empower us in so many ways. 

I want to support you in becoming completely free and independent and living from your innate power and aliveness. This is why I continue to write these free blogs. Now, what can you do right now to begin to change the relationship you have to money?

Join our Community Femvestorsglobal.com and become financially fabulous.

To begin, you need to begin......Today is a great day to start!

Why Women Make Better Traders and Investors Than Men

I am often asked whether men or women make better stock market traders and investors. My answer has always been women, and I continue to be proved right. 

According to the Fidelity Investments’ 2021 Women and Investing Study, On average, women investors achieve positive returns and surpass men by 40 basis points, or 0.4%, an analysis of annual performance across 5.2 million accounts from January 2011 to December 2020 shows.

Apart from being proved right, what is even more encouraging is that both the men and women outperformed the money men of the city. If it is therefore possible for these ordinary investors to outperform the so called professionals, why don't more people handle their own investments? I have no doubt there are many reasons including, a lack of both time and knowledge, but I personally believe the main reason to be fear. 

The world of finance can seem intimidating and complex and it is an impression those on the inside do little to dispel. However, what they sometimes forget is that without the contribution of those on the "outside" this world would not exist at all. The money fuelling this industry comes from the everyday activities of ordinary men and women and from the mundane markets such as savings and pensions.

For women it is even more important that they overcome this fear as within the next generation they are forecast to own over 60% of all personal assets, the first time this has ever happened. More women are starting businesses and soon there are going to be more women millionaires than men. Many companies have recognised this trend and have been quick to develop specialist services, yet the financial industry seems extremely resistant to this trend, with only a handful making half hearted attempts. In general they only pay lip service to this huge and growing market.

Women make better traders and investors for many reasons. 

Firstly, and most importantly, women are prepared to listen, admit any mistakes and learn from them. Men, on the other hand, will blame the market or their advisers, rather than their own judgment and will stick doggedly to a view even when the facts are obvious that they are in fact wrong. Getting a man to admit an error of judgement or that they have made a mistake is very rare. In the trading world this can be a costly personality trait, and yet it is a common one in men. Ask most men the reason for this and they will answer that admitting a mistake is a sign of weakness. As all women know, it is in fact the reverse. 

A classic behaviour is in map reading. All men think they are natural navigators and will refuse the offer of help even when completely lost, preferring to carry on until they find some recognisable landmark. This is generally miles from where they wanted to be yet this small success will be offered in vindication of the major  strength. Accepting a loss and moving on is one of the key characteristics that defines a good trader from one who will be wiped out very quickly. 

Women are happy to learn, men are not. Give the same piece of technical equipment to a man and women and observe the different approaches. The man will not read the manual, but attempt to use the equipment straight from the box. Invariably this fails, but reading the manual is a last resort for the male, who ploughs on regardless until finally admitting defeat and is forced to grudgingly read the instructions. The woman on the other hand will probably read the manual first before attempting to use the equipment. If both are doing it together then conflict ensues! 

Finally women make better traders as ironically they are more able to remove emotion from the trades. Men will become irate and take it as a personal insult when trades go wrong, whilst women are more philosophical about the loss and take a more dispassionate view. Being able to trade without emotion is one of the keys to success in the financial markets - just ask any successfully trader - this is a business and not personal. 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Anna_Coulling/69543

Why Many Retired Women Live in Poverty - And What You Can do to Prevent It

Retirement for women is different than for men, and unless this fact is recognised and acknowledged, a woman's retirement may become something less than golden. My intent in this article, is to discuss what we can, even must do, to assure our years in retirement are some of the best years of our lives. 

There are many reasons for us living in poverty during their 'Golden Years'. Below are some you may recognise, and suggestions and solutions you may wish to consider. 

Problem #1: Many women rely too heavily on our spouse 

For income during the working years, benefits during retirement, and for ongoing financial guidance and advice throughout the years, with unforeseen and tragic results in many cases. (3 of every 5 elderly women face retirement without a husband). 

Problem #2: Work Patterns 

We often have irregular work patterns, due to marriage, children, care giving and other responsibilities. This often leads to us not earning full retirement benefits, or any benefits at all. Even when we do earn and contribute to our retirement accounts, our benefits tend to be a fraction of what men receive because of our lower earnings and complicated schedules that penalise us for moving in and out of the workforce. For these reasons men's pensions tend to be upwards of two and a half times that of women. 

Problem #3: In all too many cases a divorce occurs, sometimes even later in life, and the financially inexperienced woman is set adrift in unknown waters. 

For wealthier couples, the assets are divided in what appears at first glance to be equal, but the woman's share may include the family home with a hefty mortgage payment, while the husband receives the cash equivalent to rebuild his life. In addition, the ex-husbands income is not disturbed, while the woman's income may be dependent on temporary alimony and/or child support. Whatever income we are able to generate by going back to work, often with little or no job skills and being out of the work force for many years, brings lower pay, therefore lower future retirement benefits. 

Problem #4: Widowhood upon the husbands death the retirement fund can cease or decrease (geography dependent), putting the widow in a financial bind. 

One-third of women who become widowed are younger than 60. Half of all women who become widowed are younger than 63. Widowhood can severely jeopardise a woman's economic prospects. 80% of women live longer than their spouses and often by many years. The risk here is if we try to maintain our current living standards, we may deplete our savings over time. As health expenses or long term care needs arise we may be forced to reduce her standard of living, or spend down assets in order to get assistance. Neither of those choices bode well for our quality of life. 

Solutions, Recommendations and Strategies 

First, educate yourself about the family finances. Make sure you have a good overview and understanding of what assets are owned, how they are titled, who the beneficiaries are, etc. 

Prepare yourself to manage your own finances, as the odds say you will need to do just that at some point. 

Make sure you are named on all family accounts as owner, co-owner, or beneficiary. This establishes your legal right to these assets should the marriage end in divorce, death, or even if your partner becomes incapacitated. 

Next, build what I call the Three-legged Stool of Lifetime Financial Security: 

1) Inflation protected lifetime income 

2) Growth/income investments for future needs 

3) Long term care protection in the form of assets or insurance, or some combination of both

Some of the solutions to ensure your lifetime security could consist of: 

• Your social security retirement benefit 
• A secondary inflation adjusted income you can't outlive 
• A prudently managed growth/income account to keep pace with the cost of living
• A creative and flexible method of protecting your potential long term care needs 

5) Time tested strategies of ensuring you pay no more than your fair share of taxes 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Steve_Hood/81257

Ladies - When Are We Going to Wake Up?

Today's' woman has the all the options in the world, or do we? After all "We've come a long way" But we need to ask ourselves, "Where have we come to?" 

Please read the following statistics: 

• 49% of women over the age of 50 are single and it's on the increase

• Women's retirement income is 26% less than that of men

• 50% of 1st Marriages end in divorce

• 60% of 2nd Marriages end in Divorce

• The average female is expected to remain in the workforce until 74 due to a lack of financial resources

• Married Baby Boomers are expected to outlive their husbands by 6 years

• Of the elderly living in poverty, 3 out of 4 are women. 80% were not poor when their husbands were alive

As women we need to stop making excuses and start playing catch up! 

We cannot count on our husbands, our retirement funds or a Life Insurance policy to take care of us post our working years

The good news is that no matter what your age, there are many great vehicles to help you amass a sizable nest egg which can be invested into a cash flow vehicle

This means you will have additional income which will arrive each month to spend or save as you need. Convinced? Great! 

The next thing you will ask is "Where do I begin?" Glad you asked, if you follow these simple steps you will begin on the journey to financial freedom

1. Stop making excuses. I have heard it over and over "I am not smart enough" or "I don't have the time". Picture yourself in a dingy apartment eating cat food, and you will change your mind

 2. Self-educate 

3. Learn from others

4. Get out of debt

5. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Get into investing- Real Estate, Index funds, ETF's, stocks to name a few. This is how all millionaires become wealthy. Your goal is to derive income from multiple sources 

6. Personal Development. You have to change your mindset to believe you are worthy

You need to understand how you got to where you are so you do not repeat your mistakes 

If you have a poverty mentality-get rid of it! 

If you are addicted to shopping, find out why and overcome it! Your only hope of success is to change your mindset. 

Remember the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results! 

These 6 things are a good start to get you on the road to wealth creation. 

If you don't look out for yourself financially who will? 

Don't expect family or the government to be there

Make a change now or live with regret

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Sheila_Carothers/51874

Women and Retirement - Start Preparing Now

As much as we all hate to admit it, financial planning - for business and for personal use - has long been an activity that falls on male hands. Although the majority of us women handle the day-to-day financial aspects of running a family, few of us spend the same amount of time on creating long-term plans. In fact, only about 45% of women participate in a retirement plan where they work, compared to almost twice that for men. (Statistics exclude Australia as your employer is required to pay into Superannuation where applicable).

Many of us who do take this important step in financial planning tend to use that money too early, especially, when the family is in financial trouble. Despite the fact that we continue to strive for more equality for us in the workplace, we continue to miss out on opportunities to prepare for our retirement years. 

Why Retirement Planning is Important

If you retire at 65, you could have up to 25 or 35 years of retirement ahead of you. These days, very few women are investing in preparation for these so-called relaxation years, and over half of us women will end up working long after the age of 65. And those who do retire often find it difficult to maintain a high quality of life because the cost of living increases at a higher rate than our returns. 

For some women, retirement and financial planning isn't considered a top priority, whether it's because we consider ourselves too busy or we intend to share in the support and long-term planning of a spouse or other long-term partner. The reality is that half of all marriages fail, and oftentimes to catastrophic financial damages. Even if a couple does make it to the "golden years" together, it is considered unwise financial planning to put all our eggs in one basket, so to speak. With two retirement funds, most couples will be better off over the long term, whether they are still together or separated when the time for retirement hits. 

How Women Can Prepare for Retirement 

Part of the problem for many of us is that we don't know where to start with our financial future. The financial world can be complicated to navigate, and many of us suffer from a misapprehension that we might be discriminated against based on our gender (hence, Femvestorsglobal was formed!)

With the right financial advisor, this will never be the case. The best thing any of us can do is to educate ourselves and start small. As you learn more and start to build relationships with our team, you can start investing in bigger things and making more informed money choices. 

To start out, you should be making full use of your employer's retirement program. This will stand you in good stead later, but don't depend only on this. Investing in low risk index funds is an excellent way for women to get started in investing. These lock your money in for a specific term, which is perfect if you can't handle the temptation of having money in the bank. 

Thanks to advances in technology and financial options, there are a number of investment options that women can take part in. We support and educate you and help you choose the methods that work best for you and your family. This is an important part of planning for your financial future and will make all the difference when the time comes to retire and start enjoying those golden years with those you love.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Wesley_Watkis/362080

Six Reasons Women Make Great Investors!

In the world of money and investing, men and women differ considerably. 

Does that mean that one gender is better than the other? 

Statistics show that there are reasons for women at least: 

1) Women are willing to ask for help and we are not afraid to admit when we don't know something. You hear women say, "I don't know what that term means" or "Can you explain that?" much more than men. 

2) Women are great shoppers and bargain hunters. We know how to look for something that is priced below value and buy it. 

3) Women do their research. Women tend to buy because the deal makes sense, not because we received a 'hot tip' from a friend on the golf course. 

4) Women are less likely to be high risk investors. Why? Because of #3 - we do our homework before making any purchases. 

5) Women have less ego. We tend not to 'brag' about our investments or our rate of return. 

6) Women learn well from other women. This is probably why women-only investment clubs are growing in popularity. We want to see other women succeed and are more than willing to share our experiences and strategies. There is no magic secret to being a successful investor. 

As women, we just need to shift our mindset from "I don't know anything about money" to "I can be a GREAT investor!" 

It's time women took control of not only their finances, but their lives! 

It is a great boost to our self-esteem and a very powerful position to be in. 

Women have been controlling household finances for generations, and making over 60% of all product purchase decisions. 

It's time to go to the next level - the level of controlling our future! 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Maryanne_Fitzgerald/48987

Women - Talking Money

When I'm curious, I take surveys to answer the questions that are spinning around in my head. I turned to women I know and began to ask one question - a question I put to you right now. 

'What are you doing now to make sure you'll have financial well-being for your life when you ease out of working?' 

Will you reach a point in your life that you work because you want to and not because you have to?

The first time I posed my question, I asked my friend during a catch-up brunch date in the City. 'You know, we've both made a lot more money than we ever expected when we planned our careers. But where are we going to be when we're 70  years old? What are you doing to make sure you don't end up broke?'. She turned to me and said, 'Well, I have a car and a house, and that's about where I am right now she said. 

A few days later, I talked to another dear friend. She gave me the same answer: She had a car and a house. A pattern was emerging. I pressed on. 

That night, I called a woman I had known since University. We often chatted by phone just to stay in touch, but rarely saw each other as I had moved overseas. I asked her the same question. 'We own an Apartment here in the city and my Husband and I both have a car so we can take the kids to Daycare,' she replied

I even talked to my hairdresser who I have been visiting for years. Guess what? She owns a three-bedroom house in the outer suburbs, and yes, a car.

The pattern was clear. My friends were 'investing' in houses and cars and then stopping because they, too, hadn't come up with any good strategies for growing their money. 

Our parents, our schools, our employers, our financial institutions, our popular culture-not one had taught my friends and me how to employ our money as part of our younger years. Something was seriously wrong. 

Where we are today regarding money matters is very much where we were two decades ago regarding personal fitness. At one time it was commonly believed that if you ran at full speed, jumped up and down a lot, and sweat profusely, then you would eventually become physically fit and thin. 

Today the more accepted wisdom is that old-fashioned anaerobic exercise-the kind in which you're moving so hard that you can't talk-actually sends your body into survival mode. As a result, the body stores fat, probably defeating any weight-loss or health goals you seek through exercise. Now we know that a regular walk in the park that involves both your body and mindset will produce consistent physical and mental benefits. 

When it comes to money, you can employ these same strategies. And we can find other examples of common beliefs that are now outmoded: for example, our past beliefs about nutrition. When I was growing up, we were told to eat three large, balanced meals a day in order to be healthy and fit. Today, many nutritionists and doctors say that four or five smaller, low-fat meals-one or two of them being fresh fruit or vegetables and no meat -make a more healthful diet. Thankfully, the word about proper exercise and diet is spreading rapidly among women of all ages. 

But many women are still in the dark about money matters and the effective strategies to financial health. Financial institutions itself deserves much of the blame. At many of the major Wall Street brokerage houses I researched, the primary approach to building wealth was to make big chunks of money for the client-and, more important, for the broker-all at once. 

No value was placed on slowly, patiently building a bundle for the future. If you buy into that living-for-the-moment rush, then yes, the risks are very high, and the anxieties of first-time investors are an understandable reaction to the frenzied Wall Street approach. 

But beneath the hype and excitement of the 'fast money'game is the real motive for the financial industry: generating the highest possible commissions for unscrupulous brokers and increasing the wealth of the firm. 

I noticed that the investment information itself wasn't too tough to understand, but it was often presented in a jumbled manner that was heavy on jargon and short on simplicity and logic. It seemed that someone deliberately wanted to make financial information confusing to the average consumer.

I noticed also that brokerage statements presented information in ways that confused clients like myself and often omitted essential information-like what I as a client paid for a specific investment and its current value. With a little effort to straighten it all out, though, and to put it into sensible language, nothing was particularly difficult to understand by me or my girlfriends. 

Eventually, I realised that the financial community is interested more in separating us from your money than in building our wealth. As a result, investor education is a low priority. Even those who worked in major Financial Institutions in the Square Mile, Canary Wharf and Wall Street, making your investments were never really taught how to handle our own personal finances, or to lead others to grow wealth. 

'You mean you knew how to invest other people's money but not your own?' - you ask. No. It wasn't that. 

The point is that the likes of the Square Mile isn't really interested in investing your money, only in getting you to spend it. Let me explain. 

The Square Mile has taught the investor to 'buy in greed and sell in fear.' What does that mean? I'll give you an example: Your broker calls to give you the following hot tip: 'ABC stock is really HOT. It's about to go through the roof. You should buy it. Well, if you have some cash sitting in your bank account, you may well say okay and take the plunge. 

Several weeks later, the price of the stock has declined and you begin to get nervous. What happened to that great opportunity? Your broker's answers are confusing, even evasive. Naturally, you think, 'I really wouldn't want to lose all of my money.' So you opt to sell the stock. 

Bottom line-you did this - you bought in greed and sold in fear. The only person who benefited was the broker, who made commissions on both the buy and the sell.

Now's the time to develop and rely upon your own judgment when it comes to making your dollars work for you. 

Decades ago, many women went to male doctors, who often didn't listen to what a woman had to say about her own body, but who presumed to know all the answers himself. This happens to women and their money, too-a woman's competence is questioned and she may be treated like a baby.

 For women, the path to building wealth is using self-knowledge, making more personal decisions, preserving their power to choose their own direction - and being aware of and expanding their financial choices. Every woman needs financial legs. We live in a time when a woman can advocate for her own financial well-being - this makes it the best of times to secure our financial futures. 

Adapted from Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Joan_Perry/216137

Ladies- How to Start Investing Today With the Money You Spend Right Now

Many women enter a job market right after school and jump right into life feet first. Money comes in from a job, then goes right out to liabilities, food, entertainment... all necessities and pleasures in life. This is often called being stuck in a "rat race". Every month is the same thing... money comes in, money goes out. Once you're stuck in it, it's very difficult to get out. But not impossible. 

Now, money you make in your job is dependent on your ability to perform a task or function and amount of time put into that task or function. Essentially, it is trading time for money utilising a learned skill. But this can't possibly go on forever, can it? 

In addition not only are we paid less for the work performed, we generally take time out to raise children and/or look after our parents. And when we don't invest in things that will bring in income whether we work, not work or can't work any more, we don't have anything to help us live as comfortably as we are today.

Until most women get into a career role that offers good benefits (including a work related retirement fund), money is rarely put towards investments. Money is made and spent as fast as it's made, giving a women necessities and comforts of life at the time - and then some, but not allowing much for a prosperous future once our income stops. 

Every women at some point in their life must face the reality that a job or even a partner is not going to give us everything we want or need in life - especially a life after retirement age. Investing is something best figured out early in life. 

To understand how important investing is, you must first understand what investing is. An investment is a method of making money from a one-time effort. Sometimes this effort can be intense and take some time, but it can provide income for many years to come without having to put forth that same effort or time. 

If you research to buy a house to use as an investment, you only have to do that research one time. Once you buy an investment, it will make money for you with very little effort. If you write a book and sell it online, you only had to write a book one time-it will make money for as long as it is active on a website or in a bricks and mortar book store. If you research a company stock and find the right one, you invest some money in it, money then starts doing work and then making money without you having to do anything. 

These are just simple investment examples that do take some effort. The point is that making money from investments is a lot easier than making money at a job if you know what you're doing. A huge difference between an investment and a job is how much time and effort someone has to put into making money. The cool thing about investing in the stock market (whether it be traditional buy/hold/sell trading, retirement fund investing such as ISA's or 401K, or options trading) is that you only have to learn how to do it once, keep repeating what you learned, and let each dollar you invest do all of the rest of the work for you so you can enjoy life as it was intended.

Of course there is one HUGE problem that every women faces before she can invest. Where do you get money to use to make money? When living life in a "rat race", you eventually get caught up in an impossible circle that is very hard to get out of.

Don't worry! 

You have money... you just don't know it yet! 

There are ways to make a few changes in your life to start building up "capital" for investing - no matter what type of investing you are looking to start. It will be slow at first, but it will definitely morph into something you won't believe possible.

One way to build up investment capital fairly quickly is opening a "Round Up" Savings Account. This type of capital growing account actually helps you save and build money based on your every day purchases. You attach your bank accounts or credit cards that you spend money on to your Round Up account and for each purchase you make, this account rounds up to the nearest dollar and deposits that rounded up cash into an investment platform that helps your savings grow faster. Not much work, is it? This special investment account does the rest. 

For example, if you spent $20.57 on something, it rounds that up to $21.00. The round up, or $0.43, is placed in your account which is divided among several stocks based on account settings. 

If you make 50 purchases from your checking account in a month averaging $0.35 a round up, you will save $17.50 in that month. That's $210.00 in a year saved just by rounding up these purchases. 

Money invested in this round up account goes up and down with stock market movement. At 5% gain in a year, it will go up by $10.50 more. And some stocks that your money is invested in earn dividends that are automatically reinvested into your account. 

This doesn't sound like much, but over time, it will continue to grow. This is an investment in itself and can grow pretty fast if you are consistently adding to it. If you have extra money you'd like to save during a month, you can also make deposits to apply them to your account to grow your account even faster. 

A Round Up Savings Account is simply a stepping stone to get you to a higher level of investing, which can be a stock trading, option trading, a retirement investment account, real estate, or anything else you can invest that money in to make more money. 

Once you build up some good investment capital in your Round Up account, you can withdraw it whenever you want and use it to purchase assets (things that earn you money - unlike liabilities where you lose money) or to invest in stocks to make even more money over time.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jason_Moser/18449

Women and Money - The Girls Want to Get a Grip While Men Want to Get Ahead

There's nothing like a pandemic for highlighting where we've been going wrong with our money management. But do recent events mean that both men and women will become more financially prudent? 

I am fascinated by the subtle, yet important, differences in men's and women's financial views. Women are very keen to get a better a grip on their finances, while men are set on making as much money as they can, focusing on maximising income.

Here are the top financial views: Women's top 5 money outcomes: 

1. Take charge of my finances more (66%) 

2. Get better value for money (63%) 

3. Plan my financial future (62%) 

4. Be more responsible with money (59%) 

5. Plan how to make more money (56%) 

Men's top 5 money outcomes:

1. Plan how to make more money (73%) 

2. Plan my financial future (70%)

 3. Get better value for money (70%) 

4. Take charge of my finances more (56%) 

5. Cut back on my personal spending (52%) 

When we think about how good we are with money, it's often our past money blunders that spring to mind. The time we blew a windfall on a fancy car, instead of paying off some debt. The money we left for too long in a poor investment fund. The years we delayed starting a retirement fund. 

When the economic climate is reasonably healthy, our finances can withstand those kinds of knocks a little better. It's when times gets tough that we are hit with the folly of our past behaviour. And of course, money we waste without thinking during prosperous times becomes a drain during leaner periods. 

Not switching a mortgage to a lower interest rate, for example, could cost thousands of $$$$ over the mortgage term. Even that daily cappuccino and magazine adds up to hundreds a year. I have also found many people will have a direct debit going out of their bank account that they should cancel, an online subscription they'd forgotten about or a charity donation they thought was a one-off that's been taken every year.

When discussing past money mistakes, its clear that a women's big mistake was not being as upfront as men about asking for money. Whether it was pushing the boss for a pay rise or negotiating better self-employed rates, many women had less because of a fear of asking for money or undervaluing what they had to offer. 

In looking at the differences between men and women's spending behaviour, Women tend to engage in more emotional spending. For many women that usually means they hit the shops/spend online when feeling depressed, unhappy or stressed. Women are also more likely to name kids' treats as one of their money weaknesses. This is another example of how, when it comes to money, women aren't so good at putting themselves first. After all, women are socialised to take care of others and pushiness is not a quality that's encouraged in girls, but it's clear that later on in life this can leave us poorer. 

Women (and men's) most common past money mistakes: 

1. Emotional spending 70% (men 61%) 

2. Reckless spending 64% (men 39%) 

3. Reluctance to ask for money 62% (men 47%) 

4. Spending on kids/dependents 46% (men 30%)

 5. Fear of money 44% (men 48%) 

 Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Karen_Pine/520953