Chapter One
			FINANCIAL FALLACIES
So what are these beliefs that steer women away from the mention of wealth, let alone the reality? They are taboos acting so subtly that sometimes more women believe them than men.
1.  'Talking about money is not feminine'. This was always implied behind the 'Don't bother your pretty little head about that, dear' of the Victorian father and husband. They should try it on a Frenchwoman or a Thai. Both nations boast some of the most glamorous and feminine women in the world. They also expect them to learn the art of driving a hard bargain with a winning smile.
2.  'Talking about money is not polite'. This depends on the time and the place. What would be shocking at the graveside becomes perfectly proper among the same people in the lawyer's office half an hour later. All we British act coy about money. None of us would dream of asking a stranger at a first meeting how much he or she earned. An American would not hesitate. British men beat about the bush in public but in private they soon launch into precise figures. It is your choice. Would you rather be considered a perfectly polite little lamb ready for fleecing - or astute and well-informed but a little outspoken?
3 .  'Careers connected with money lack that magic ingredient, glamour'. Good looks count for nothing - that is true. As soon as a woman talks knowledgeably about money, men grow so interested, they forget she is a woman. A few words on finance can halt a Romeo in mid-seduction. Some women take this as a reason not to choose such a career. In fact, it offers a golden opportunity. What qualified women complain of - the youngest and prettiest more than any - is not being taken seriously. Money gives you that chance.
4.  'Women cannot understand figures'. Twaddle. Say rather that women, and many men, don't like the look of figures. I have spent hours poring over columns of numbers but I still look away whenever I see one on the printed page. This does not stop me  looking back and puzzling out what it means. Why should this happen? In Britain, where most of the primary teachers are women, it is girls who are bad at figures and good at languages. In East Africa, most primary teachers are male. There, the boys are good at languages and bad at figures. Draw your own conclusions.
5.  'You need to be a maths genius'. Chartered accountants need to add, subtract, multiply and divide. They must understand fractions, decimals and percentages. This is all I ever saw them do in nine years working alongside them. You learned all that before you were 14. Besides, everyone uses calculators to take away the drudgery. In case you have forgotten since or never really understood arithmetic, you will find it explained in Chapter 20.
6.  'I can't understand the language'. You will find a glossary in Chapter 21 to explain the technical words I use. You should then be able to follow the explanation a commercial dictionary gives for any other words you come across. Incidentally, have you read the blurb that accompanies skin-care products or lists the contents of some food packets? How much of that did you understand? Did it stop you using the product?
7.  'I've been handling money all my life. It's common sense'. Life is not so simple. What we call common sense is not common. Perhaps, like the French, we should style it 'good sense'. You find as many old wives' tales about money as you do for curing hiccups or freckles, increasing your bust or reducing your hips. I have sprinkled them throughout the book and explained just why they are wrong.
8.  'Men know better than women'. This fallacy is only held by women. No man ever refused to let me handle his affairs, even when it involved juicy divorce details or facts about him that his wife did not know. But a woman refused - purely on grounds of gender.
9.  'If you need help or advice, someone will always give it to you'. The girl who pronounced this to me was 15. That must have been her excuse. She said she had learnt it from her mother. Clearly, Mother never reads a newspaper. The papers trumpet to the world what befalls innocent people; either they do not realize they need advice, or what they receive proves useless. What you don't know can hurt you.
10.  'Men and women treat money just the same, so any advice on money will suit women too'. Not so. Women receive money at different times to men, for different reasons. Their career patterns, hence wages, differ because of bringing up a family. They may receive a lump sum on divorce or inherit on widowhood. Few women get 'golden handshakes' (a lump sum to soften the blow of dismissal), large redundancy payments or 'golden handcuffs' (lavish perks to discourage them from changing jobs). Women cherish different aims for their money from men. Besides, they have quite a different approach, say, to investment.
You will handle money for the rest of your life, whether you read this book or not. How well do you manage it? Are you using what you have available to give you the sort of life you want? Luxury items, fine, but also the sort of basic security that comes from knowing everything is insured and your old age is as well provided for as possible?
We females enjoy one great advantage. We can appear ignorant. My husband always asks me to drive a car to the garage if one develops a fault. I find out in detail just what is wrong, what that involves and what is needed to put things right. I write all this down at the garage, taking great trouble with the technical words. Why? Men are expected to know about cars whether they do or not.
The mechanic who will eagerly explain to me in detail if asked nicely would just grunt 'Big end' at a man and expect him to understand. And - because they dare not lose face - most men would pretend they did understand. Then they would pay any bill at the end of it.
Money is just the same. Men assume that other men know all about it. Disguised male ignorance causes monumental blunders.
Besides, the more you - or any woman - know, the more intelligent the questions you can ask, and the more you can pierce the smokescreen of jargon that costs you money and restricts your financial freedom. That is what this book is all about.
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