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| Preface | |
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| Introduction | |
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| Women Really Are Different (But Not How You Think) | |
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| Your Money Personality: A Constant (The Accountant, The Social Worker, The CEO, The Entertainer) | |
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| The Gender Gap | |
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| Get a Grip: Your Net Worth, Cash Flow, Goals, and Budget | |
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| Budgets That Work-Honest (Pull Out Your Pencil, Stick with Cash, Predict Costs) | |
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| Savor Your Rewards | |
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| The Power of Knowledge | |
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| The Single Life: Start Out Right | |
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| Five Steps to Financial Independence (1. Pay Off Your Debt, 2. Write Your Credit History on a Clean Slate, 3. Plump Your Cash Cushion, 4. Open a Retirement Account, 5. Buy Peace-of-Mind Insurance) | |
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| Ten Surefire Ways to Spend Less and Save More | |
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| Set for Life | |
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| Getting Married: Opposites Attract | |
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| Getting Money Out in the Open | |
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| Work as a Team | |
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| Defusing the Hot Spots | |
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| Marching to Different Drummers | |
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| Spending Too Much | |
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| Passing the Buck | |
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| Taking Risk-or Not | |
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| Deciding Whether to Pool or Not | |
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| Handling Credit: Keep Your Distance | |
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| Seek Outside Help | |
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| Financial Guideposts | |
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| Saving Marriages | |
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| Staying Married: Don't Be a Silent Partner | |
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| Stake Out Your Property | |
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| How You Hold It | |
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| What's His and What's Hers (Savings and Checking Accounts, Your Home, Your Car, Stocks and Bonds) | |
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| Keep It All in the Family | |
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| Life Insurance Made Easy | |
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| Where There's a Will | |
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| There's Security | |
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| Your Most Precious Assets: Your Children | |
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| The Other Pieces of the Plan (A Durable Power of Attorney | |
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| A Living Will, Trusts) | |
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| Long-Term-Care Insurance: A Lifesaver for Women (How to Evaluate a Policy, When to Buy) | |
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| Special Issues for Second Marriages (Tell the Kids) | |
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| Your Children: A New Financial Challenge | |
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| Working or Not Working? (To Work, Not to Work) | |
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| Raising Kids on One Paycheck | |
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| Pare Your Expenses | |
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| Borrow With Discretion | |
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| Tap Your Assets | |
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| But Address Reality | |
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| Take Advantage of Family-Friendly Tax Breaks | |
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| The Child Credit | |
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| The Child-Care Credit | |
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| Child-Care Reimbursement Plans | |
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| Getting Help with the College Bills (State-Sponsored College Savings Plans, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, Prepaid College Tuition Plans, U.S. Savings Bonds, Roth IRAs) | |
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| Special Issues for Single Parents | |
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| Teaching Kids about Money (An Eye-Opening Experience, Hidden Expenses, Work Incentives, Six Money Skills Kids Must Master) | |
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| Investing: Ways to Meet Your Financial Goals | |
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| Women Make Better Investors | |
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| Stocks Are Gender-Neutral | |
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| Invest for the Short Term (Garden-Variety Bank Savings Accounts, Bank Certificates of Deposit, Money-Market Mutual Funds, Short-Term Bond Funds, Treasury Bills) | |
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| Invest for the Long Term | |
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| Invest with Confidence (1. Keep All Things in Proportion, 2. Invest Slowly and Steadily, 3. Choose Your Level of Risk) | |
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| Pick Stocks (How Much Does the Company Earn? How Does the Price Relate to Earnings? What Is a Company's Book Value? What's the Return on Book Value? What's the Total Return?) | |
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| Find a Stockbroker | |
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| Consider the Mutual Fund Alternative | |
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| Different Strokes | |
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| Really Simple Investing | |
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| Invest in Bonds | |
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| A Word about Real Estate | |
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| Assess the Bottom Line | |
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| Saving for Retirement: It's Easier Than You Think | |
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| Where Do Women Stand? | |
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| How Much Will You Need? | |
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| Consider These Golden Opportunities to Save for Your Golden Years (Run, Don't Walk to Open an IRA, Which IRA, Roth or Traditional?) | |
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| A Retirement Plan for Stay-at-Home Moms | |
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| Take Full Advantage of a 401 (k) | |
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| Don't Squander Your Kitty | |
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| Plan for a Joint Retirement | |
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| New Kid on the Block | |
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| Keep It Simple | |
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| Living in Retirement: The Next Phase of Your Life | |
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| What Women Can Expect from Traditional Pension Plans | |
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| How to Make the Most of Your Husband's Pension | |
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| Test the Social Security Safety Net (What You're Entitled To, What You Can Count On) | |
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| The New Retirement (Retire on the House, It Pays to Stay on the Job) | |
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| Your Talents Are Your Greatest Asset | |
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| Divorce: Get a Fair Deal | |
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| Don't Go It Alone | |
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| Get Rid of Joint Debt | |
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| Who Gets What? | |
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| Don't Count on Alimony | |
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| Know What to Expect in Child Support | |
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| Look Beyond Child Support | |
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| Should You Keep the House? | |
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| Tap Your Husband's Retirement Assets | |
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| Exercise Your Rights to Social Security | |
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| Revisit Your Estate Plan | |
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| Be Informed about Equal Opportunity Divorce | |
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| Caring for Your Parents: Help Is on the Way | |
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| Get Help from Your Employer (The Family and Medical Leave Act, Flexible Spending Accounts, Other Employer-Provided Benefits) | |
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| Get Help with Your Parent's Care (In-Home Care, Assisted Living, Continuing Care, Further Help with the Options) | |
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| Get Help in Paying the Bills (Home Care, Assisted Living, Nursing-Home Care) | |
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| Help from the IRS (Deduction for Dependents, Deduction for Medical Expenses, Dependent-Care Tax Credit) | |
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| Break the Cycle | |
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| Keep Your Parents in Control | |
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| Widowhood: Be Prepared to Carry On | |
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| Make Settlement Easy | |
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| Sit Tight with Your Money and Say No | |
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| Take Your Time | |
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| Manage Carefully | |
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| Take a Lump Sum or Invest in an Annuity? | |
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| Revisit Your Investment Plan | |
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| Consider Kay's Example | |
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| Get Support from the Widow's Safety Net (Social Security, Pensions, IRAs) | |
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| Deal with Death and Taxes (Insurance Proceeds, Estate Tax, Income Tax, Medical Expenses, Capital Gains) | |
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| Take Care of Yourself | |
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| Don't Panic | |
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| Things to Consider if You Remarry | |
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| Don't Underestimate Your Own Resources | |
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| Test Your Money-Smarts | |
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| Index | |