June 2025
Barbara O’Neill, Ph.D., CFP®, AFC®
Distinguished Professor and Extension Financial Management Specialist Emeritus
Rutgers Cooperative Extension
The words above were uttered by one of America's most prominent women's rights leaders 133 years ago. Yet they are as appropriate today as they were during the late 19th century.
Lack of financial savvy can put women (and men) at a substantial disadvantage. Statistics say it is only a matter of time before 85% to 90% of women will be on their own financially. Some will never marry, some will see their marriages end in divorce, and many will outlive their husbands. Women also have lower average earnings than men, more gaps in their employment history due to child rearing and/or care of elderly parents, and more severe impacts resulting from life events like widowhood and divorce.
Looking for a comprehensive financial education resource that is focused on the unique financial challenges of women? Consider reading Money Talk: A Financial Guide for Women, a free downloadable (PDF) 197-page workbook that explains basic personal finance concepts in simple terms and contains dozens of worksheets for readers to apply the content of the book to their personal lives. Also included, at the end of each chapter, are suggested action steps for readers to move forward financially.
Money Talk was recently updated (5th edition) in March 2025 with the most current information about tax laws, investment products, and investment performance. Below is a brief description of it five chapters:
Chapter 1: Financial Basics- Covered topics include emotional uses of money, money values and goals, financial fitness metrics, managing household cash flow (income and expenses), calculating net worth (assets minus debts), the wise use of credit, and financial record-keeping.
Chapter 2: Are You Covered? Insurance Basics- Covered topics include insurance terminology and various types of insurance (life, health, disability, long-term care, auto, homeowner's, and umbrella liability). The chapter also includes a worksheet for readers to list all of their insurance policies in one place.
Chapter 3: Investing Basics- Covered topics include setting investment goals, understanding and accepting investment risks, investment terminology (e.g., dollar-cost averaging), and four types of investments: stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds. There is also an investment risk tolerance assessment quiz.
Chapter 4: Investing for Retirement- Covered topics include asset allocation and diversification, building an investment portfolio, historical investment returns, retirement savings calculations, Social Security, retirement savings withdrawals, and how to choose financial service professionals.
Chapter 5: Planning for Future Life Events- Covered topics include estate planning fundamentals, an estate planning checklist, basic estate planning terminology, important legal documents, a letter of last instructions, estate taxes, and four life events: widowhood, divorce, marriage and remarriage, and cohabitation.
Again, the Money Talk book is free of charge. It is also research-based and non-commercial. For additional information about personal finance topics, visit the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Personal Finance website.