Book Review: The Financially Confident Woman

The Financially Confident Woman by Mary Hunt
Release Date ~ December 2014 (Reprint)
Baker Publishing Group
ISBN13:  9780800721466
Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. 

Goodreads Synopsis:
Too many women feel like they lack the know-how to take control of their financial lives. But it's not the level of their knowledge that's the problem, says personal financial expert Mary Hunt; it's their lack of confidence. Being in debt isn't a money problem--it's an attitude problem. And Hunt is here to help women develop a confident, capable attitude toward money so that they can take control of their finances. 
Using the lessons she's learned from her own hard-fought battle with debt, Hunt empowers women to develop nine essential money habits, including giving, saving, investing, rejecting unsecured debt, preparing for emergencies, getting what you pay for, and more. She also includes a six-week action plan to help women get started right away.

Happy New Year! I'm back in 2015 with a brand new book review, featuring a book that's a little bit different from what I typically review here.

Like many others, I like to use the ending of one year and the beginning of a new year as a time to reflect and focus on my goals. As I've gotten older, one of those goals has involved finances. The Financially Confident Woman appealed to me for that reason.

1. Pragmatic advice for women:
   
   One of my favourite aspects of this book is that Mary Hunt writes to women to provide her readers with some basic financial knowledge and tips. Her advice is practical and clear, which is particularly important when finances can be confusing for some people. I appreciated that Mary Hunt dealt with more than simple budgeting or healthy attitudes towards money (which are important), but she delves further into the topic. She also approaches important topics like investing and retirement savings.
   
2. An important read for her target audience:
   
   There is clearly a target audience for that book, and if you don't fall within that category, then this isn't the right book for you. But for everyone else, this is a worthwhile read. It's concise and I liked the attention placed on long-term finances (which many people don't consider early enough on in life). Mary Hunt writes from a Christian perspective so she places a heavier emphasis on giving via tithing and donations, for example. But she's also writing to women who do not have much experience with managing finances - whether it's because of youth or the fact that they've had their husband manage finances.
   
3. Clear writing:
   
   Mary Hunt writes in a very straightforward, engaging manner. She tells stories from her own life, including her past mistakes and what she learned from them. I liked that she was upfront about her shortcomings, because it shows that she doesn't have a self-righteous attitude. 

This is a reprint of Mary Hunt's book that was written years ago, and the one thing I would have liked to have seen was a more intensive update to the book. Finances and banking has changed rather dramatically in recent years, particularly when it comes to common payment methods and banking. As an example, she focuses a fair amount of timing on cheques which just aren't as common as they used to be. Regardless, it's helpful information for the few times I'm likely to run into using cheques. 

This is a book that I think has something to offer for just about anyone; the attitudes towards money which are identified in this book are still relevant and important today for many people. In particular, this is a book that I think would be great for young women/teenagers just starting to learn how to manage their money while in post-secondary or in some of their first full-time jobs.