Book Review > The Women's Money Book - 3rd Edition

This is the third edition of the book that was first published in 1996.

In this book Ms James attempts to cover the day-to-day realities of women's lives which invariably affect finances and the author's aim is to provide an easy reference point for a range of real life situations including having a child, relationships, separation and divorce.

As Ms James states "money brings freedom - freedom to make choices about how we live our lives." The aim of the book is to help women take steps towards achieving financial independence and security.

• Chapter 1 covers areas such as budgeting and becoming aware of your money personality.
• Chapter 2 talks about simple saving strategies, aspects to consider when borrowing money, insurance.
• Chapter 3 discusses investment strategies - property, shares, superannuation and the importance of good financial advice.
• Chapter 4 covers buying a home, a car and going into business.
• Chapter 5 talks about life's events - such as marriage, children, divorce.
• Chapter 6 discusses retirement, health and social security issues

The book also contains a list of useful contacts relating to the topics discussed.

The book is an easy read and covers women's life stages and contains personal case studies to illustrate the topics under discussion. The layout of the chapters is logical and rather than read the book cover to cover it is easy to find a topic of interest.

The author also provides a lot of encouragement "one of the great things about taking control of your money is how quickly you will start enjoying the benefits. You may find you have less debt or that your savings start to grow, but far more important are the choices your money will buy and the truly powerful feeling of security that comes from being in charge of your future."

I found the book contained a lot of useful, basic information. It would be a good starting point for young women or for those women just starting to take an interest in their finances.