It’s All About You … and Money

Welcome to the Women & Money Blog! Join me, Patricia Stallworth, each week as we build a road to financial independence and control. Along the way we’ll explode some money myths, cover the basics, and explore some financial strategies you can use to comfortably and confidently take control of your financial future.

Why a special blog for women? That’s easy. Not only are we special, but we tend to have different life experiences and different beliefs, motivations, and behaviors when it comes to money. And, let’s face it, most of us never seriously thought when we were growing up that we could be responsible for our own financial well-being someday so we didn’t give it a lot of thought. Now here we are in 2010 and things are tough and it’s more important than ever to have a firm grasp on our finances. Almost 90% of all women will be totally responsible for their finances at some point in their lives. Also, because we generally earn less and live longer than men, we need to learn to do more with less.

I am so excited to be your guide on this virtual road trip. Taking control and achieving financial independence is not extremely difficult but it is an ongoing process and there are always new things to learn along the way. My goal is to make this a fun trip that includes a real prize at the end — an understanding of what it takes to become financially independent. In addition to owning a financial education company, I am a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), a business consultant, and a former teacher, so expect a real mix of topics and possibly even some homework that I whole-heartedly encourage you to complete. Hey, financial independence requires work. And like most things, you get out of it what you put into it.

Be sure to leave me your comments and suggestions for any topics you would like to learn more about, and visit my Website at www.MindingYourMoney.net for more information on the topics discussed in this blog and a calendar of upcoming tele-classes and events.

Now, fasten your seat belts and let’s get started!

It’s All About You … and Money

Let’s start our journey to financial independence and control with you

learning more about yourself by writing your money autobiography (MA). Writing an MA is a great way to uncover the existence and origins of your behaviors and feelings concerning earning, investing, spending, giving, and even wasting money so that you can begin to make more conscious and intentional choices regarding how you use money. Since many of our feelings and behaviors about money are formed as we are growing up, this may entail redesigning some of those feelings and behaviors that may no longer be working for you. This step is so important because you can’t really expect to make good money, life, and work decisions if you don’t understand what you really want or the subconscious agendas that may keep you from getting it. For some people, there is a real disconnect between the story they play out in their head and the lives they actually lead, so it is important to do this exercise to get on the same page with your inner self, so that achieving financial independence becomes an easier task.

So what’s involved in writing your MA?
Start by setting aside some quiet time to reflect on your

money story. Focus on actual events and specifics as well as your general feelings and relationships relating to money. Go back to your earliest memories and work your way forward. It doesn’t have to be a long, drawn out novel, but it should hit the highlights. Keep revisiting your MA until you develop a complete picture that separates what’s real for you from the ideas and behaviors of others. It’s not unusual to discover that some of the behaviors that might be holding you back are really ideas of others, such as a parent.

I have listed a few sample questions below to get you started. Use them, as appropriate, to beg

in to uncover the parts of your money story that may be helping or hurting your chances of achieving your goals. Then summarize the highlights so you can refer back to them as you grow your skills and become more deliberate in your choices about how you use your money.

Sample questions:
– Growing up, who were your money management role models? What role did money play in your life? Did you consider yourself rich, poor, or something in between? Was money discussed in your family? How did your family discuss and express generosity?
– As a teenager, what was your attitude about money? Was it scare or abundant? Did you or your family worry about money?
– As an adult, what role does money play in your life today? Who are your money management role models? Who handles the money in your family? How is your money role like that of your mother’s? Your father’s? What do you tell your kids about money and what money vibes do you think they’re picking up from you?

Happy writing! Remember, those who don’t acknowledge and learn from their past are doomed to repeat it. This is your opportunity to get a clear picture of the behaviors that are driving you so you can take control and make them work for you.

Your discoveries may help others form a better picture of their past, so share your thoughts and leave me your comments below.

Patricia Stallworth, CFP® and CDFA, is the president of PS Worth, a financial education company, the author of Minding Your Money, and the host of the Minding Your Money Minute™. Learn more by visiting MindingYourMoney.net.