Smart women, smart money

"I do not claim that all women, or a large portion of them, should enter into independent business relations with the world, but I do claim that all women should cultivate and respect in themselves an ability to make money."
- Ellen Demarest

There are many reasons why a woman must put financial security high up on her list of priorities. Some important reasons are that women tend to live longer than men, earn less money than men and generally will have less to live on in retirement. These are reasons enough for women to think about getting their financial houses in order, whatever it takes.

Financial security is a critical matter. Ignore your financial well being and you may find yourself eating cat food in old age, wishing you'd put away a little something in your youth. There are many things that you can do to improve your situation. It's not too late to make your future years better ones. The most important thing you can do is to learn about finances however dreary and dreadful you may think it to be.

Find the right resources and you may actually enjoy the process! Read up on financial news, get together with other friends to exchange information, get yourself a guide or mentor to help you understand finances.

Here are some encouraging facts about women and money matters -

• Women are often smarter than men about money.
• They admit it when they don't know something.
• They seek help.
• They avoid risk.
• They do their homework.
• They set goals.

And the best part - balancing and juggling money comes naturally to them.
They have been doing it for years!

So, hone in on your money saving and making skills.
Remember that you need to invest wisely in your futur

Why women make better investments

Women put their nose to the ground and do all the sniffing they should before they invest in funds or the stock market. They take the effort to research the areas of operation of the companies they decide to invest in. The result? Investment clubs run by women seem to be making much more profits than men!

Women like to stick with it. Women don't make decisions to sell their stocks at the tiniest whim, they hold on to what they buy and the outcome is huge savings on transaction fees. Women normally see a reason to switch from one fund to the other only if the mutual fund is making losses. Get wise though, if your stock shows a sudden rise, look out. It might be because it is making risky investments.

Women understand their family priorities like children's education or a daughter's marriage and therefore rate stability higher! Women prefer not to invest until their family is more or less settled. Men on the other hand get into the market early to gauge their money skills it is more a test of skill than investment, which may encourage risky transactions. But don't wait all your life or for a personal tragedy to galvanise you into action, investing in the market early might fetch that much more returns.

Women make faithful workers and will stick to a company just because they are comfortable or because they are happy at home and office aggravations don't matter. In the process a woman might not be getting paid as much as she deserves. It is good to be able to continue to work at the same organisation for a long period, but it may be wiser to find out your market worth and ensure that you are being paid your due.

Women tend to set their money aside for the future, without any concrete plans for these reserves. But as important, as a retirement plan may be, it is also a great idea to motivate yourself from time to time, with little treats that will get you and your family to appreciate the concept of savings.

Perfectionism - Problems and Solutions

1.Be aware that perfectionism should not be confused with the desire to achieve excellence. The desire for excellence is the desire to do the very best possible while perfectionism is the quest for the unobtainable. In the extreme, perfectionism is like an obsession. Examples of such behavior include making sure that everything has its place and that one is always completely organized.

2.Perfectionism is based on a belief that "unless I am perfect, I am not okay." Perfectionists believe that they cannot be happy or enjoy life because they are not perfect. One does not have to be a compulsive organizer to be a perfectionist. Often, holding oneself or others to unrealistic standards can, by itself, result in stress.

3. Perfectionist thinking also can be a negative force in one's life. Perfectionists are typically driven by fear which is primarily the fear of failure. Perfectionism is an intense competition with oneself. Perfectionism, like anger, is one of the behavioural precursors of coronary heart disease and other physical problems. A high score on the scale of perfectionism will make any individual susceptible to such diseases.

Perfectionist, change your ways

Set realistic expectations
Most perfectionists try to do too much at one time. Frequently, they set extremely high standards for themselves and others that cannot be realistically attained. This attitude can be self-destructive. Goals that stretch people are fine. Goals that break people are not.
Deal with your fear of failure
Since the fear of failure motivates the perfectionist, ask yourself: "What is the worst thing that could happen if I didn't do everything just so perfectly?" Practice leaving some things undone or not as "perfect" as you would normally do. Most things can wait a day or two. Distinguish between life's essentials and non-essentials, so you know where to spend your effort and energy. Misplaced effort results only in greater disappointment.
Take time for yourself
Perfectionists often do not know what their true needs are or how to go about meeting those needs. Recognize that your needs are important.
Let go
Learn the art of "letting go". Remember that there is a time to turn off the computer, put the pen down and call it a day. Letting go is one of the best techniques you can learn.