Women's Worth: Finding Your Financial Confidence [Hardcover]

Eleanor Blayney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2010

We are different.

Women live longer and are more likely to live alone for significant periods of time. Our workplace participation is more intermittent, and the care of dependents falls to us more often. Though we are educated and successful, earning more now than ever before, we often lack confidence in our ability to make financial decisions. In short, our financial needs are different from those of men -- it's time our financial advice was different, too.

In Women's Worth, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Eleanor Blayney breaks through the traditionally male-dominated field of financial advice to offer information you as a woman can really use. Her frank approach intersperses practical advice with easy-to-do exercises that will help you understand your beliefs about money, learn the fundamentals of financial planning, and gain confidence in your financial know-how.

After all, you're worth it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Women's Worth is a great resource for women who aren't sure if they're making the most of what they have financially. As an experienced and respected financial planner, Eleanor speaks to women on their own terms, taking their unique issues seriously, and helping them gain much needed confidence around money. --Olivia Mellan, Co-author, Money Shy to Money Sure: A Woman's Road Map to Financial Well-Being<br /><br />Eleanor combines two areas that can change the fiscal well-being of America and America's families: women becoming financially competent, and creating women's circle gatherings as a way to talk, learn, and share about money. Women's Worth stands out because of Eleanor's passion about women's financial well-being, her empathy, and her professional mastery of financial planning. The journey to financial maturity is a worthy path and this book will serve as a compassionate guide, inspiration, and map. --Elizabeth Jetton, CFP® / Partner, RTD Financial Advisors / Past President, The Financial Planning Association

Eleanor combines two areas that can change the fiscal well-being of America and America's families: women becoming financially competent, and creating women's circle gatherings as a way to talk, learn, and share about money. Women's Worth stands out because of Eleanor's passion about women's financial well-being, her empathy, and her professional mastery of financial planning. The journey to financial maturity is a worthy path and this book will serve as a compassionate guide, inspiration, and map. --Elizabeth Jetton, CFP® / Partner, RTD Financial Advisors / Past President, The Financial Planning Association

About the Author

The only woman partner in a four-partner firm, Eleanor Blayney, CFP®, draws upon her female intuition, communication strengths, and relationship skills to serve hundreds of individuals around the country with their wealth management. She currently serves as Consumer Advocate for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards and owns Directions, LLC, a financial advisory service for women.

Well-known as a conference speaker and spokesperson to the press, Eleanor has played a pioneering role in building and shaping the financial planning profession. She has taught for the College of Financial Planning and has helped develop practice standards and ethical requirements for CFP® professionals in the United States and worldwide.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Direction$ LLC; First edition (April 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0984361820
• ISBN-13: 978-0984361823
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #793,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Women and money are subjects that have always fascinated Eleanor Blayney, author of "Women's Worth: Finding Your Financial Confidence." As the youngest of four daughters, and a graduate of two all women colleges - Mount Holyoke College and Girton College, Cambridge University in the UK - Eleanor has had plenty of opportunities to observe the ways and wisdom of women.

When she earned her MBA from the University of Chicago and launched her career in the world of personal finance as a Certified Financial PlannerTM, she kept her female perspective in this typically male-dominated field. Having worked with hundreds of women clients for more than two decades, Eleanor is convinced that women think and talk about money very differently from men, and face unique financial issues, such as living alone, moving in and out of the workplace, and being the primary caretakers of children and the elderly. She addresses and celebrates these differences in "Women's Worth," offering financial advice to women that is simple, but not simple-minded.

Eleanor also serves as the Consumer Advocate for the CFP Board of Standards, the organization that certifies and supervises CFP professionals. In this capacity, Eleanor frequently appears in printed and broadcast media, educating consumers about the importance of the financial planning process and how to find qualified, competent financial professionals.

Eleanor is currently President of Direction$ LLC, a financial advisory service for women...because women ask for directions.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Financial planning textbook or conversation? Both. May 10, 2010

By Candice McGarvey

Format:Hardcover

For those who have ever observed little boys and girls at play, it will come as no surprise when Eleanor Blayney focuses on the ways men and women are wired differently. But I had an "A-ha" moment when I read about how those differences have resulted in a system that is not preparing women for the most likely scenario. Between a woman's longer life expectancy and high divorce rates, Blayney says, "You should think about your financial affairs as if you will be on your own at some point in your life." I found her financial planning recommendations to be supportive of marriage (not advocating financial tactics that might cause dissention) while reminding readers of the facts: women cannot afford to bury their heads in the sand.

This is one of those rare financial books that feels more like a conversation. As I was reading, I kept thinking of friends who need to learn from Blayney and would enjoy her humorous - but wise - approach. These friends represent a wide range of life situations: single, married, spenders, savers, social conservatives, political liberals, investors, and mattress stuffers. Blayney's uplifting teaching applies to each of them. Instead of telling readers what they should do, she encourages them to do what they can by denoting which steps are necessary and challenging women to take charge. Women's Worth is a great textbook in financial planning because Blayney's experiences as a Certified Financial Planner(tm) make her teaching both engaging and relevant.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Personally and Professionally Relevant October 27, 2010

By Mark DiGiovanni

Format:Hardcover

As a Certified Financial Planner, my professional opinion is that this book addresses an audience often misunderstood or patronized by the majority-male financial planning community. As a husband and father, my personal opinion is that I want my wife and daughter to learn what Eleanor Blayney is teaching in these pages. I've raised my daughter to never accept less because she is female, and Women's Worth helps reinforce that message.

Reviewer is author of the following:
Money Morons: Their Causes and Cures
Whipsawed: How Greed and Fear Shred Finances and Futures
6,000,000 Minutes on the Clock: Discovering the What, Where, and Why of Your Ideal Career

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's been a long time coming! July 7, 2010

By pEG dOWNEY

Format:Hardcover

I've been a member of two book clubs for ever so long--and what I learn in most meetings has little to do with the book we have chosen to discuss. Talking about a book leads us to talk about our lives and to learn from each other. Eleanor Blayney's book is just like having Eleanor present...we learn from her as she shares her life story. That makes this the most interesting financial book for women that I have ever come across! I think it probably would be a GREAT book for book clubs! But anyone reading this will enjoy it and, coincidentally, learn a great deal about how she can make her own life more secure.

A great introduction to personal finance, and a wonderful guide to the unique issues women in their financial lives. It would be a wonderful gift for birthdays and even weddings.