Single Women and Money

Book excerpt: Finally, there’s a money guide to help single women survive and thrive. Single Women and Money is a highly readable guide that helps single women live a financially secure and successful life. It’s a book for the millions of unmarried women in America who must make ends meet on a single salary—which is typically less than what men earn. Using stories of actual women, as well as data and experts’ insights, the book chronicles the financial issues of single women. It provides the tools needed to tackle their daily and longer-term needs and probes the issues specific to divorcees, widows, women who never married, and single mothers. Single women reveal their moving stories detailing how many have overcome obstacles. From there, the book provides a wide range of specific guidance on money issues targeted to singles. These include saving, spending wisely, managing with children, shedding debt, investing in line with your values, planning for retirement and long-term care, navigating Social Security, paying taxes, landing a job after age 55, protecting financial assets and leaving a legacy. Offering resources women can turn to in hard times, the authors also suggest ways society can, and should, assist single women.