Blog
What’s holding you back from leading the life you really want?
So often women have a fear around money and carry feelings of guilt and shame. You may think these feelings are experienced by women on a low income or women who struggle to meet their spending needs. But these disempowered emotions are not in fact related to how much...
Are you on the right path?
Have you ever felt you weren’t sure whether you were on the right path? Maybe, not sure exactly what was ahead of you? I had this experience recently when I went out on a nice long walk in the hills. The weather hadn't been great, and certainly on the higher...
What happens when you stop listening to that protective voice?
Here’s what happened to me… The pendulum that was so fully in the “Be safe” zone has now swung fully to the “Oh, it looks fun. Let’s try it” zone. Wild camping, open water swimming, aerial yoga. After decades of playing save and hearing “Don't do it” I'm now hearing...
After decades of playing safe, I’m now hearing “Give it a go”
Standing in the icy cold river inching forward just one small step at a time. My ankles feel as though they’ve lost all feeling and my teeth are chattering noisily. I don’t know how much of the teeth chattering is from the icy water and how much is from the tight ball...
“Thank you for your directness”
Sometimes coaching needs to be non-directive. You let the coachee get to their own answer by asking the right questions. They then end up with a solution that's right for them and their circumstances rather than a solution someone else thinks is right. They are...
What do weight loss and your finances have in common?
So often people have a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight and/or a New Year’s Resolution to manage their finances better. Now, at first thought, you might not think they have very much in common. But actually, there's a lot of similarities between losing weight and...
Let’s talk about self care
Do you treat your self-care as an important priority, or does it always fall further down the list of what’s important? It's so common, especially during a busy time, for us to think we don't have a minute to spare. Work, family, friends, home commitments etc always...
Meet a very young Mary
The little girl above, is me. She grew up in a totally dysfunctional family with an alcohol and abusive father and a neglectful, narcissistic mother. Luckily, she had a natural intelligence and soon realised that if she worked hard at school the...
“I thought my husband knew more about finance than me”
So often I talk to women going through divorce who haven't dealt with finance during the marriage and instead have left managing finances to their partner. It's quite common, at least with my clients. The wife looks after the house, children etc and the partner looks...
Are you a perfectionist?
It's easy to think that being a perfectionist is a good thing. Maybe we have the idea that being a perfectionist helps us to achieve what we want, either in work or in our home lives? It is easy to think so. But, there is a big difference between being a perfectionist...
Do you ever feel like you’re invisible?
Do you ever feel like you're invisible? I don’t mean in the fun Harry Potter, Invisibility Cloak type of invisibility. (By the way, wouldn’t that be the best fun ever!). I mean the women who feel that they reach a certain age and then society begins to view...
Is ignorance bliss?
Is ignorance bliss? I remember the first time I had to give unwelcome news to a client. She was a doctor in her late 50s and had come to take financial advice because she planned to retire at 60 and wanted to check what income she would be able to draw. At that first...
Do you know how much money you need to save for your retirement and future need?
Do you know how much money you need to save for your retirement and future need? Well, you could be asking yourself the wrong question. This is the equivalent of asking “I want to buy a new car. How much will it cost?” If you're looking for a basic, small 2 door car...
Money can’t buy you love
Money can't buy you love Money can’t buy you love, or so the Beatles reliably informed us in the 1960s. But does that mean money is of limited use? There are many things we need money for, from basic security and food to some of the finer things in life. But how much...
It’s not all about work.
It’s not how much money you have that’s relevant, but whether you feel rich. It's not all about work. Yesterday I had a marvellous afternoon spa day at the beautiful Pennyhill Park. It was exactly what I needed to recharge my batteries after 3 months of yet another...
It’s not how much money you have that’s relevant, but whether you feel rich.
It’s not how much money you have that’s relevant, but whether you feel rich. It’s not how much money you have that’s relevant, but whether you feel rich. I love this quote from Coco Chanel since it encompasses everything I think about money. Abundance is the term I...
There’s more to life and money than handbags and shoes
There's more to life and money than handbags and shoes. Question from a client: “I've had this Inheritance and I'm wondering whether to use it to pay off my mortgage or whether to invest it” Such a sensible question. It shows she understands her options and wants to...
Does your financial adviser understand your needs and values?
Does your financial adviser understand your needs and values? Does the work you do with your adviser centre purely around your money or is it so much more encompassing than that? When my client and I work together it’s really important to me that I'm working with my...
How empowered do you feel right now…both economically and financially?
How empowered do you feel right now…both economically and financially? Lockdown influences everyone. For some there is a real concern about their earning capacity and concern about how safe their income is. For others they have more money than normal due to cutting...
Taking control of your financial future
Taking control of your financial future In my last article, “What would you do if you knew you could afford it?” I explored how the experience of living through this pandemic over the last 6 months has prompted a number of us to reassess our lives and priorities. In...
What would you do, if you knew you could afford it?
As we approach the six month anniversary since the UK first went into lockdown, I’m thinking about how different things are now, compared to how they were just six months ago. We’ve all had a different experience over the last six months. Some have loved the lack of...
Your financial queries answered in just one call.
Do you wish you had the ability to raise your financial queries with an expert? How many times have you spent hours searching the web, only to get conflicting information or information that maybe you're not sure applies for your specific circumstances? A web search...
Can you have too much money saved?
Many would probably expect me to say that it’s so important to save for the future, and therefore this takes priority. So many people nowadays aren’t saving enough that it seems odd to suggest that maybe you shouldn’t be putting every penny away for that rainy day....
Will I run out of money?
“Will I run out of money?” is the question I most often get asked by clients. For most of us it’s the sort of question which will keep us awake at night. For my ongoing financial planning clients this service is provided on an annual basis and updated each year. I...
How much money do I need?
"How much money do I need?” is one of the top questions I so often get asked by my clients. Whether it’s from a female saving towards retirement or someone who’s going through divorce, clients are looking to get a definite number so that they can see how near or how...
Help…what is happening in the stock market now?
The attached graph shows us what has happened in the stock market since 1925. It's hard to read but very happy to send you the pdf if you'd like ti so you can view the details. It highlights the Bull markets (increases in the market of 20% or more) against the Bear...
Well, what a week that was..
Well, the past week has been rather interesting hasn't it? This time last week I was counting down the last working week until my holiday, due to start on Saturday. Today, I'm planning my one daily trip out to get exercise and actually see that other people actually...
The Coronavirus and Market Declines
The world is watching with concern the spread of the new coronavirus. The uncertainty is being felt around the globe, and it is unsettling on a human level as well as from the perspective of how markets respond. At Wealth for Women, it is a fundamental principle that...
Dealing with a divorce through Christmas
Christmas is traditionally seen as the time we connect with family, and all come together to have a great time. All feelgood Christmas movies will always show a huge family from children through to parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins etc. sitting around a...
Valentine’s Day or Single’s Awareness Day? Tips on Practising Self-Love this Valentine’s Day
It seems like Christmas has only just ended, and here we are facing one of the most dreaded days to those who may be single or recently separated or divorced and spending the day alone. Remember, just because you are single on Valentine’s day it doesn’t mean you can’t...