20 Secrets to Money and Independence: A Guide to Independence, Economic Empowerment, and Self-Awareness [Hardcover]

Joline Godfrey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2000

How to be a glam grrl with money in the bank, the heart of a lion, and the passion to make your dreams come true. . .

Loving one's weirdness (which Godfrey calls the fingerprint of the soul), getting loud (without apology), using money to exercise voice (while defying materialism), asking forgiveness (when permission has been skirted), are just a few of the secrets which open the door to the indie grrl's real life.

Not your standard how-to book, Godfrey uses the lives of REAL indie women to uncover secrets that make them memorable and individual. At the heart of Godfrey's stories are instructions that help Y-Gen femmes find their voice, get and use money for their own visions and dreams, and help them gain comfort inside their own unique skins. Independent women, according to Godfrey, are not "lone wolves" but are independent while in the middle of love, friendship, and family.

Geeks and girlygirls, surferchicks and soccerjocks, prom queens and poets, wild things and intellects-all femmes en route to claiming their own womanself will find the $ecrets divulged herein, of use on their journey. And added to the fun and function of the book are activities and events that readers can use to go deeper-either on-line or in real time.

The founder of Independent Means, Inc., a company which produces such programs as Camp $tart-Up (a summer business program for Y-Gen women) and The DollarDiva's MoneyFair, as well as products like Hot Company( and Women Who Dare(, Godfrey's ideas emerge from her deep experience and work with the independent women whose daring and original management of their own lives are changing the very nature of the work/life conundrum.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A guide to managing money and life for the "Gen Y woman" (ages 12-24) is a good idea, but Godfrey's contribution doesn't successfully blend the different elements it introduces. The principlesAor, as they are annoyingly labeled throughout the text, "$ecrets"Aare about creating a good attitude: "Accept Yourself," "Uncover Yourself," "Grow Your Money-Self," "Get Out of Yourself" and "Take Care of Yourself." Transmitting the message that if a young woman learns about herself and finds her voice, she will eventually be successful in her professional life, Godfrey's recommendations (girls should read the business section of the newspaper, learn about investing, create a budget and eventually contribute to charitable organizations) are empowering. Unfortunately, her didactic tone and lack of focus mars the delivery of this commonsense advice. Encouraging women to "manage your money as carefully as you manage your love life," Godfrey suggests ways that young women can exploit their friends (organize a vacation with several girls, overcharge them and profit from the trip; arrange "power lunches"). She also offers an unwieldy array of contradictory truisms: she admonishes girls to fight crass materialism, yet also to aim to be wealthy enough to buy whatever they desire; they should create a large, diverse community of friends, she says, yet shouldn't worry about being considered weird or unpopular. While the idea of being one of Godfrey's "DollarDivas" is appealing, her directives may be emotionally perplexing to the "indie girls" she seeks to reach.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

A deceptive title that seems at first glance a composite of lectures on money and investing, Godfrey's third book (after No More Frogs to Kiss [1995] and Our Wildest Dreams [1995]) centers on a discovery of self. The end goal is to become an independent woman, and through a fun series of 20 secrets, filled with books to read, videos to watch, and questions to answer, she prompts each reader to assess or rethink approaches to personality, self-development, finances, society, and soul. A few of the remedies to social stagnation, for example, include volunteer work, obtaining a sense of etiquette, studying a foreign language, and even voting. Short quizzes and exercises ground the author's recommendations in the realities of personality. A book for novices in the working world, mid life careerists, recent retirees, or any woman who's impelled to stop and smell the roses. David Rouse
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 242 pages
• Publisher: Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (January 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312262795
• ISBN-13: 978-0312262792
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,757,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since 1992, Joline Godfrey has been a pioneer in the movement to increase financial intelligence among young people. Developer of a unique developmental approach to financial education, Godfrey's introduction of the financial apprenticeship stage of life has given parents and community leaders revolutionary tools for becoming better money mentors for kids.

In addition to being the CEO of Independent Means Inc, Godfrey's standing as an expert is buttressed by her research and writing on the subject. She is the author of Our Wildest Dreams: Women Making Money, Having Fun, Doing Good; No More Frogs to Kiss: 99 Ways to Give Economic Power to Girls; and Twenty $ecrets to Money and Independence: The DollarDiva's Guide to Life and most recently, Raising Financially Fit Kids, published by TenSpeed Press and is a contributor to a number of books and magazines.

Recognized in features for the Today Show, Oprah, Fortune, BusinessWeek, The New York Times, etc., she is a frequent speaker worldwide. Prior to founding Independent Means Inc, Godfrey spent ten years as an executive for the Polaroid Corporation. Her first company Odysseum, was a spin-off from that corporation. With degrees from the University of Maine and an M.S.W. from Boston University, Godfrey was awarded an honorary degree in Business from Bentley College in 1995.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, November 5, 2000

By 

Michelle Smith (Tracy, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 20 Secrets to Money and Independence: A Guide to Independence, Economic Empowerment, and Self-Awareness (Hardcover)

I am 34, I have a 17 year old daughter going throught the, "I don't know who I am, where I am going, what to do, or how to get there. Yes, I had my daughter at 17. I wish I had a book like this when I was her age to help me make sense of life. I have always wanted a college degree. As I was reading this book it inspired me to reapply for college. I decided I am going to get the degree, because I will never be happy until I do the things I have always wanted to do.

I recommended this book for anyone. I think guys could even get something out of it. Stand tall, and be proud of who you are! Go after your dreams! You can do what ever it takes to be where you want in the world. It is your choice. Even if you don't get exactly what you dream at least you are assured that you made your own decisions. This is exactly what I have been telling my daughter for years. It is your choice to be successful or not, and it won't happen if you don't decide to do it. I am giving my daughter the 20 $ecrets to money and independence today.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive (and fun) guide to money for grrls, August 25, 2000

By 

Sarah Harden (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 20 Secrets to Money and Independence: A Guide to Independence, Economic Empowerment, and Self-Awareness (Hardcover)

If you are a grrl (or a mother, father, sister, brother, auntie) of one GET THIS BOOK. It's the book I wished I had read when I was 16...An inspiring, informative, no nonsense guide for girls to get smart about money and independence.

Each chapter addresses a different '$ecret' related to becoming a 'dollar diva' - the emphasis is NOT about becoming a great capitalist...it's about providing very practical ways (or $ecrets) for a grrl to become her own person - savvy and independent and in control of her own personal and financial future.

At the end of each chapter is a really helpful resource guide which lists lots of websites, books, videos to follow-up for further info (whether on investing, starting a business, being a smart philantrhopist, reading about other 'dollar divas' or numerous other topics)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ms. Godfrey Gets Under Your Skin, August 23, 2000

By 

Brooke Espinoza (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 20 Secrets to Money and Independence: A Guide to Independence, Economic Empowerment, and Self-Awareness (Hardcover)

I found this book to be a powerful tool. It's one of those books you'll think about constantly when you're reading it.

The book is a wake up for all women of all ages to realize that there are steps that need to be taken if financial independence is to be achieved in this lifetime.

Ms. Godfrey's writing is fun and witty, she incorporates a lot of pop culture as well as classic models which I think make it accessible to women of many different backgrounds. Plus as she makes clear in the book women's financial prowess is not measured by age.