You’ve likely seen the “mom salary” story:  what is a stay at home mom worth in dollars if paid by an employer for her daily duties?  The most recent figure was just under $117k.  While this is certainly flattering to a stay at home mom, it is irrelevant when evaluating the cost of going back to work since it is calculated by aggregating full time salaries for professionals such as a daycare manager, chef, driver, housekeeper, etc.

Some moms do not have the option of staying at home; they may be the primary breadwinner of the family or the only parent with health insurance.  Others simply do not desire to stay at home for various reasons.  Many moms, however, would love to stay home but are unsure whether it is financially feasible.  The primary cost to consider is childcare; and it varies significantly depending on your choice of childcare and where you live.

Daycare Centers

According to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), the annual cost for an infant in a daycare center ranges from $5k to $18k, depending on the state (you can find the average for your state on the NACCRRA website.) 

• Pros:  Easily verifiable credentials, high level of socialization and independence-learning opportunities.
• Cons:  Lower level of individual attention, high exposure to germs, inconvenience of driving them and packing their stuff every day.

Home-Based Daycare

A licensed daycare run out of someone’s home is another good option; just be sure to verify their credentials.  Typically there are a few other children in this type of setup, but not always.  The annual cost is $4k to $12k depending on the state. 

• Pro:  Usually the most cost effective option. 
• Cons:  For some, childcare is another’s home may be outside your comfort zone, inconvenience of driving them and packing their stuff every day.  Socialization and individual attention is mid-range.

In-Home Nannies

The cost of an in-home nanny varies not just on the cost of living in your area, but also the age and experience level of your nanny.  Other points to consider are whether you will provide health insurance or pay their taxes (some choose to pay “under the table”); and what other services they provide (housekeeping, cooking, etc).  Generally, the annual cost of an in-home nanny is somewhere between $18k and $36k. 

• Pros:  Highest level of individual attention; convenience (no driving them or packing their stuff everyday).  
• Cons:  Most expensive, little socialization with other children.

Other Costs

There are additional costs associated with going back to work that are less impactful, but worth mentioning, such as fuel costs, eating meals outside the home, and wardrobe maintenance (new clothes and shoes, dry cleaning, etc.)

The Decision

Find out the average cost of your childcare choice specific to your local area, then sit down with your partner and go over your budget.  Evaluate whether or not his salary can support the household bills and expenses alone (don’t forget retirement and college savings).  If the answer is “almost, but not quite”, are there any sacrifices you can make in order to get there (drive a less expensive car, eat out less, do your own nails, etc.)?  You may reach the conclusion that you simply can’t make it work as a single-income house, and you have no choice but to return to work.  However, if you think you can swing it, go for it.  The value of a stay at home mom is beyond measure, as it’s the non-numerical kind.

Sources:

http://www.salary.com/six-figure-moms/

http://www.naccrra.org/

http://www.babycenter.com/0_nanny-care-how-much-does-it-cost_6045.bc

Have you read about the CardACT legislation that went into effect, October 1, 2011?  If not, read up here:

The Federal Reserve’s rule told credit card companies that they no longer can consider household income when assessing the creditworthiness of an individual who applies for his or her own card. Under the rule, only an individual’s own salary or other income — rather than combined household income — can be considered.

One major effect of the new regulation: Stay-at-home moms (or dads) without significant outside income no longer will be able to open their own credit card accounts — and establish their own credit histories to build their credit scores. Compliance with the rule became mandatory Oct. 1, 2011.

Read more:

During the first few months that the new law went into effect, there was heated backlash against the Obama administration on the basis that it discriminates against women who happen to be stay at home parents (stay at home dads too) and women in abusive situations.  For the purpose of this article and to stay in line with the theme of this bog, I will focus on the effect on women.

The Backlash

Dissenters say that this law takes the women’s movement back 50 years because now women would be put in a position to ask their husbands or partners to get them a credit card.

Anisha Sekar, chief content manager and credit card industry analyst for NerdWallet.com, commented on LearnVest.com that this bill undermines the contributions of stay-at-home parents:

As far as I’m concerned, a stay-at-home mom works just as hard as (or harder than) her spouse—she just doesn’t file her income with the IRS. She is also likely to make the household’s financial decisions, from paying for groceries to saving for college to dealing with medical bills. So why is she relegated to second-class citizenship, a subordinate who can only get a credit card with her husband’s say?- Mommyish

I couldn’t disagree more and here’s why.

My Thoughts

Those are things mothers would do regardless of whether or not they worked a day job.  It comes with the territory of being a mom.  I value very much the work that mothers do in the home but the harsh reality that many of us seem to dodge intentionally, is that work in the home does not translate into a real paycheck that the bank can use in the event of a default.  This is not second-class citizenship, welcome to adulthood.   We can’t cry about inequalities and then balk when laws like this level the playing field.

The women’s suffrage movement worked hard so that women today would have the luxury of choice.  For the purposes of this article, that would be the choice to stay home or work a day job.  As with all choices in life, there are intended and unintended consequences.  Women all over the world who choose to work out of the home contend with spending more quality time with their children vs working to earn a living to support their family.  Women who choose to stay at home must wrestle with maybe one day having to return to the workplace and competing with others who have more current and up to date skill-sets given their absence from the job market.

No one likes to talk about this but those are the harsh realities of the choices we make as women.

There will always be unintended consequences that we struggle with in order to make this life we live in work.  What grates my feminist nerves is when I see women reacting to this new law as if they’re newly slayed victims on the gauntlet.

Choice vs Risk vs Consequences

Women make the choice to stay at home with their children and depend on their partner’s income.  That’s a decision they made, not this new law.  If you want to be able to get a credit card in your name, here’s a novel idea-get a job and earn your own money so that you can qualify on a credit application.  Harsh, I know, but it has to be said since so many news outlets seem to be coddling our egos by supporting the idea that we are the new victims as a result of this law.

The card act states that creditors must consider a consumer’s ability to pay before extending credit. The intent, says the Fed, is to keep consumers from taking on unaffordable debt. And to do that, the Fed concludes, credit should be granted based on the applicant’s income, not the income of someone who won’t be legally responsible to pay the card bills.-Baltimore Sun

I support the banks lending to consumers who have the individual ability to pay them back.  Would you lend $10,000 to an individual who has not demonstrated that they are able to pay back the debt?  Why would the banks and other lending institutions risk their capital by leveraging 1 salary twice?  Once for the wage earner and second for the person who does not?   What if you and your spouse separate?  Divorce?  Who does the bank go after now that you’re newly divorced with no job or maybe you have a new job and struggling to get back on your feet with kids to feed?  Choosing to stay at home is a lifestyle choice with the intended consequences as they were there before you decided to stay at home.

Let’s be serious ladies.  This law does not force you to ask your husband for a credit card.

1.  You don’t need a credit card

2.  If you want one, under this new law, you’ll need to get a job so that you have your own income and when you have your own income then you can get your own credit card.

3.  Toughen up.  This is why the women’s suffrage movement went down the way it did.  It resulted in many of us having choices that we did not have over half a century ago.  If we don’t like it then we have the choice to go back to work and get in line with the new law and the requirements.

4.  For the women in abusive relationships?  A credit card won’t help you get out.  Every situation is different, and a credit card isn’t the key that opens the door to freedom.  The carefully planned decision to leave will as the real problem is the attachment to their abuser which clouds their ability to craft an exit.

I could go on and on but I will leave you something I my mom taught me years ago:

“Women often work hard at teaching their children the art of being independent while abdicating that responsibility to themselves”

The reality is, the blog and news outlets that coddle you into being a victim do so because it gets them page views and social media mentions.  By encouraging this mindset, you never really think about the idea that you can earn your own money and if you choose, get a credit card in your name.  Once you do that, there is no story and we all carry on like happy and responsible adults.

Here are a few excerpts:

 

You’re one of the most famous bloggers in the personal finance for women niche. Why did you start a personal finance blog for women in the first place? Did you consider any other topics, or did you know that this was the only topic you want to write about?

 

Wow, thanks!  The primary reason why I started a personal finance blog for women because I think it’s important that we raise our level of education and awareness around money management.  I won’t bore you with the stats about women and poverty but I will leave with this-the fact that women learning about and becoming empowered in personal finance continues to be a novel idea, sites like mine are needed.  You’ll never hear the question, wow, why do a sites like Kiplinger, Motley Fool or Smart Money would focus on men and money.  That’s a given.

 

Socially, women are taught to get an education but marry a man that can take care of her financially for the rest of her life while she gives up the best years of her earning potential to raise their children.  On the other hand, men are socialized to become long term planners, investors and providers for their families.  I think the latter is great, but women are rarely presented with images of how to be self-sufficient. That is my goal – to teach women how to manage and make more money while being self sufficient regardless of whether or not they have a partner.

 

The second reason is that I wanted to highlight some of the issues that we face today like salary negotiations, maternity leave and contending with choosing when to have a career vs planning a family.  Furthermore, when I started blogging, the personal finance blogosphere was a veritable sausage fest, so I thought it would be nice to spice the place up a bit

 

I’ve noticed that money is a very sensitive subject for many people. Not only you blog about money, you also express some controversial views such as “Smart women marry for money”. Do you get a lot of skeptics and haters and if so, how do you deal with them?

 

So you read my guest post on Consumerism Commentary?  Ha!  I still cringe at the comments on that post!  I get a lot of men who are threatened by the idea of a woman being self-sufficient.  Even the well meaning ones, because it shows that the base thought process is that we aren’t necessarily thought of in this light.  The first reactions you’ll see from that post is that I am teaching women to whore themselves out for money which is far from the truth.  Flexo wrote a follow up about it here which clarified the gist of the article nicely.

 

“Ginger, who wrote a guest article for Consumerism Commentary, argued that smart women should marry for money. Although the article was misunderstood by many readers, she was not saying that women should marry for quantity of money, but for their approach to money. A smart, independent woman shouldn’t need to take care of a husband as if she were his mother. The same may be true for men, though traditional sex roles tend to make the man-supporting-woman paradigm more acceptable.”

 

Haters aren’t a factor, so I don’t worry about them.  You can’t shoot a moving target    Generally, once readers who think I am asking women to sell themselves for money read the blog, they change their minds and I get the occasional email apologizing for going on a rant over at Consumerism Commentary which then continued on my site.

Go on over and take a looksee at the rest!

Sadly, the longer a woman stays out of work, the harder it is to get back into her field of choice. When deciding to have children, these are the issues that should be discussed ahead of time such that the proper planning is put in place to avoid issues when deciding to return to work.

We live longer, but those of us who stay at home with children to raise them ourselves also have the burden of sacrificing the time in our life during our highest earning potential.

One of the best parts about running a blog that discusses women and money is the interactions I have with women behind the scenes.  Readers, just like you who want answers to pressing money issues.  And, while I am not a financial advisor and articles written here or across other social networks and partner sites should never be construed as such, I am often able to give insight into issues that come up during our email exchanges.

A question often asked is:

“how do I gain financial independence?   I want to learn how to stand on my own 2 feet”

Why This Is Important

I think this is an important issue for women as we should be able to stand on our own so that we’re prepared for whatever life brings our way.  Yes, this can be a touchy subject, depending on who you’re talking to but an important topic nonetheless as too many women find themselves without options once their partners are no longer in the equation for whatever the reason.

Huffington Post’s Jason Alderman also published an article which speaks to the importance of women learning how to gain financial Independence:

• Women live longer than men but are much more likely to experience critical health problems that hamper their ability to work — and to pass up needed care due to cost.

• Although the earnings gap between women and men continues to narrow, it’s still significant: Among full-time workers, women’s weekly earnings as a percentage of men’s have increased from 62 percent in 1979 to 80 percent in 2009. (Those numbers represent overall average earnings in all fields, not what men and women are paid for doing the same job — although such disparities likely still exist.)

• More women than men now graduate high school and earn college degrees, but far fewer women earn degrees in engineering, computer sciences and other higher-paying fields, which likely contributes to the wage disparity.

• Women increasingly are marrying later, having fewer children or remaining childless, yet they still are more likely to live in poverty than men, with single-mother families suffering the worst disparity.

• Women are less likely than men to work outside the home (61 percent vs. 75 percent in 2009) and are much more likely to work part-time and to take time off to raise children or care for aging relatives.

What rubs me about the last statistic is that we are forced to make hard decisions like this, because let’s face it, we birth the children so by default we’re expected to take time off to raise them.  No bones to pick there but we have to plan in order to make it all work.

To that end, my comment on the Huffington Post article reads as follows:

“Women are the default partners who volunteer to take care of children when they are sick or just by default of having a child. They decide to stay at home which can have detrimental effects on their career when getting back into the workplace.

Sadly, the longer a woman stays out of work, the harder it is to get back into her field of choice. When deciding to have children, these are the issues that should be discussed ahead of time such that the proper planning is put in place to avoid issues when deciding to return to work.

We live longer, but those of us who stay at home with children to raise them ourselves also have the burden of sacrificing the time in our life during our highest earning potential.”

The Road Back To Independence

So, let’s discuss?  Whether you’re married, single or newly divorced and want to learn how to manage money properly, it’s best to start here:  21 Days To Rock Your Finances: Day 1- Create A 1 Year Financial Plan.

Understanding the minutia of money management is of utmost importance as we often think that if we make the money, the money management skills will just show up.  Not at all.  In fact, the opposite is true.  We must master before we make the moolah!  Teaching yourself these principles will give you the foundations needed to be successful.

Now let’s talk about you, the budding money making machine!

What Stops You From Being Financially Independent?

Looking at this closely will help you figure out why things are the way they are.

The replies I often get are:

“My husband manages all of it”

“I don’t know how to…I haven’t had a job in years..”

“I’ve been taking care of our kids so money was the last thing on my mind”

One of the best pieces of money advice my mom gave me years ago is that:

“Women often work hard at teaching their children the art of being independent while abdicating that responsibility to themselves”

Powerful right?

I think it’s great that we want to be there for our kids when they’re growing up but we often forget about who we will be once they are independent and don’t need us anymore.  It is often after the kids are in school or in the unfortunate event of a separation or divorce that some women think about returning to work or how they will support themselves.  And, this can be difficult.   Being out of the job market for years can hamper the job search process once they choose to return. This leads to issues around self-worth due to feeling that they aren’t able to stand on their own, financially.

If you’re planning to stay at home with the kids once you have them, create a plan that enables you to keep your resume fresh and skills updated while you do so.  There’s no reason to neglect your career during this time as one never knows what the future holds which may lead to you needing to re-enter the workforce hoping that someone will hire you once again.

Communication

Talk to your partner about allowing you to manage your money if you don’t have that arrangement in your relationship. At the very least, you should have a role in the money management aspect of your relationship.  Know where your accounts are stored, check your credit report as well as your partners and review the status of all accounts listed on the credit report to keep yourself abreast of everything going on financially.

If you’re already at this point, having stayed out of the work force for whatever the reason, then it’s time to plot your way back in.

How Do I Get Back And Stand On My Two Feet?

Go back to school.  Start there.  Did you finish college?  Do you want to go back to graduate school?  What are you passionate about that requires a degree or certificate?  Do you need to go back to school?  These are all questions that you have to ask yourself if your path to returning to the work force involves going back to school.

Start A Business.  Along the same lines of going back to school, what are you passionate about?  Do you see a need in the market that hasn’t been filled?  How can you work to fill that need while creating income for yourself?  This can include producing your own stuff to sell on Etsy or Ebay to heading a startup company.

Renew Or Update Your Skills.  If you’re in a field like myself, then you’ll need to make sure that applicable licenses or certifications are always up to date as allowing them to lapse costs more time and money.  Talk to the licensing or certification board within your field and find out what you need to do in order to maintain your skills in this area.  If you plan on applying to jobs that require a license or certification then you’ll need to make sure this is up to date.

Attend workshops and conferences in an effort to remain up to date with the current trends in your field as well.  This also gives you the opportunity to network with others which will discuss in a bit.

Volunteer or Intern Within Your Field

This continues to be my most successful piece of advice.  *pats self on back*  It has worked for me and countless others who needed a foot in the door.  Yes, this does mean sacrificing time and money but when you’re in the position of needing to prove yourself, then beggars can’t be choosers.  One of our administrative assistants did this prior to obtaining a paid position with us and it worked out nicely for her.  When the administrative assistant that she supported quit, she was able to move into her position with relative ease while collecting a new full time paycheck.

Network, Network, Network!  Did I Say Network?

I lied.  This too is a great way to land a position.  Network with others in your field.  Go to chapter meetings, join associations and go to the hosted happy hours.  Talk to others about your goals and learn to sell yourself.  Be willing to sacrifice and prove to them that you’re the woman for the job.  Talking to the right person means they can possibly put in a good word for you during the hiring process.

Find A Mentor IE Your Sisterhood of Success AKA “Personal Board Of Advisors”

Who supports you professionally when it’s time to make hard professional decisions?  Do you have a group of women or even one woman that you can turn to?  I take that back, it doesn’t have to be a woman.  Anyone who supports you and is able to provide professional guidance will do.  Women are more successful when they have mentors guiding them both personally and professionally.   Especially when when women mentor women.  Great things happen!

This starts with choosing your Personal Board of Advisors.  Some of you might refer to this as “Auntie/Big Sister in my Head”.  Personally, I have always imagined Oprah, Tyra, Beyonce and Michelle Obama as big sisters and aunties in my head, so you get my drift!

How do you choose your Personal Board of Advisors?  @ChiefHotMomma gives us some tips on getting started:

Visualize yourself in a room with all of the people who represent each place setting.  Who do you want in that spot supporting you throughout the years?

Once you’ve picked who you want in your Sisterhood of Success, chart a plan to connect with them.  This can be someone who is readily accessible or someone you’ve admired from a far.  In the latter case, do your home work and make the process easier for them.  Remember, flattery will get you what you need.  Let them know how much their work means to you and that will open the door to discussions around lending their time to help make you a success.

Once you have a plan stick to it!  Remember, consistency is key, once you’ve established the relationship with this person, keep the lines of communication open and be flexible.

What are your thoughts on women seeking advice on how to get back on their feet, financially?  What tips do you have?  Stories to share?  Any encouragement or advice is much appreciated!

Last week, I had the opportunity to interview Becky, an Avon representative who makes extra money selling products to family and friends.  What I loved about this interview, is the no-pressure attitude that Becky takes to selling products.  She does it when she can so that she can still balance her time between family and selling products.

As a result, she’s able to use the money for family vacations and the occasional surprise bill or two that may come up.  We all love extra money!

Here’s the interview:

Talk to me about how working with Avon and selling the products has given you financial freedom or at least access to it?
For me, Avon is fun money for me and my family.  Take vacations or do things like that.  That’s my purpose to put extra money aside to do that.

What is the best thing about that?  What motivates you to keep selling?
We love to travel and do more of that now that the kids are older. 

What was your biggest obstacle when first getting into selling AVON products?  How did you overcome it?
Making the time to do it. and more so insecurities around selling things and talking to people.  I had to tell people I don’t know about the opportunity, but I told them about my story and it helped people begin to get on board and sell their own products.  I’ve come a long way and I’ve discovered that I am a sales person, both-a salesperson and a down to earth rep for the company.  I love the products and the company.  I let people know about products that I don’t care for, I give my honest opinion about the products.

What does your life selling AVON products look like?  How do you end up selling so many products to so many people?  You must be really good!
I do it part time.  I try to work it into my daily life, such as  dropping off products while running errands.  I’m learning how to balance selling products with spending time with family.

What would you tell a woman who may be considering selling AVON but thinks she doesn’t have what it takes?
I think we all have what it takes.  Avon makes it so easy to start.  $20 to start your own business.  If isn’t for you then you don’t lose much.  There’s nothing to lose.

How does AVON support you in your daily or monthly goals?
Extra cash for bills AND vacations and fun stuff.

Do the products sell themselves and what is your absolute favorite product?
Yes, because of the name-everyone knows what Avon is…  My favorite product is the ANEW Reversalist Serum.  Just put it under your moisturizer or before bed and your skin feels amazingly soft.  Glimmer stick eyeliner is another fave-it’s only $3.00

What are your thoughts on Avon?  Have you sold Avon products now or in the past?

Disclaimer:  I am a paid brand ambassador for AVON. My views are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Avon and its affiliates.

Earlier this week the post, Reason #423 Why You Should Check His Credit went live on this site.  What followed was angry commentary from men who were no less than PISSED that I advocate that a women be financially knowledgeable about a man’s finances before saying I DO.

First, let me clear a few things up about this blog:

• This blog is obviously written by a woman, and that would be me, Ginger.  It is written by a woman for women on the topics of personal finance and everything that goes along with it.  Why?  I find that women are often left out of the equation when discussing this topic as issues that pertain to them are seldomly addressed.  Therefore articles are written from my perspective.

• My intent here is not to compete with Money Magazine, Kiplingers, et. al.  or any other personal finance blogs for that matter.  I leave the laser analysis of current financial news up to them.  I provide commentary, advice and discussions on articles within the realm of personal finance that affect women.  This blog is written in my voice and has Ginger stamped all over it.  

• Yes, one of my mantras is that women should ask to check their mate’s credit report before walking down the aisle.  Why?  This prevents issues down the line and everything is laid on the table so that each partner can make an informed decision.  Marriage is much more than butterflies and a wedding.

Would you go dutch on the first date?  Tell me why or why not?

How did you know you were ready to become a mom?  Did something just switch on?  I’ll be honest and say I don’t know that I was ready to be “wife” until 1.5 years into our marriage.  The intent was there but to really step into it?  Only happened recently LOL  And I’m ok with that, we all live, love and grow.

Did you plan everything around your pregnancy?  Anything?  Timing?

Was your pregnancy something you looked forward to?

You all know I am trying to plan this thing down to the second I go into labor and even then I’m asking the OGBYN to have an Epidural ready as soon as I get wheeled into Labor and Delivery!  LOL  *prick*  *euphoria*

So how did you know you were ready to become a mom and was it something you’d always looked forward to?

I question how ready i am emotionally to become a mom.  Everything seems to be in place-husband, marriage, house, finished with grad school and so the next logical phase seems to be motherhood.  But Im just not quite there yet as I still have some things to get out of my system.  I feel some sorta way for not following the prescribed social time line but I’m moving through it.

Since my last post about our time line it has since changed.  We’ve now decided to just wait to see the outcome of my application to the doctoral program and then take it from there.

There’s also the physical and emotional demands of being a mother that Im kinda not sure I’m ready to take on.  Right now I enjoy being able to leave on a moment’s notice for a getaway weekend or not have to worry about dropping baby weight.  I’m not there yet where Ive come to accept those sacrifices as part of my life.  And, you know while Im OK with it, I still feel some sorta way.

Why?

Well, I feel like my friends and family accept these changes and well uhmm I dont.  I am very much a planner with regards to every aspect of my life.  I have to know who, when, where why and how and I think having a child brings along with it a certain level of unpredictability that I am not ready for at this stage in my life.

So how did you know you were ready?  Please tell me there’s a switch some where?

So with all this talk about motherhood, my husband and I have been having pretty frank discussions about my reservations around having a child right now, one of them that I haven’t discussed being adequate and quality childcare. He then asked if I would consider being a stay at home mom devoted solely to raising our kids and my reaction was, uhmm no.

You see, I’m over the guilt imposed by other moms and the SAHM vs Working Mom debate.  Over it.  I’m completely OK with the fact that I am driven by my career and that I have total satisfaction in this area of my life.  So there’s that.  I just realize that I have to figure out how to get what I want while being the wife, mother and professional i aspire to be.

Where i am going with you ask?

Well, while I truly respect the choices of moms to stay at home (the ones who stay at home and truly do NOTHING BUT take care of home and kids, not the mom blogger type raking in the elusive blogger dollars or ones with part time jobs), I have to wonder about the what if factor?

What if your husband keels over heaven forbid tomorrow? What if he decides that you are no longer the love of his life?  Have you seen the scene from Diary Of A Mad Black Woman where he kicks her out and moves the mistress in?   What if you just decide one day that you want to have a career? How do you then get back into the game should one of the above mentioned hammers hit the nail?

I admit to being fiercely independent but only recently so due to finishing grad school and now working, so mama’s bring home the dollas LOL  I don’t have to, but I do because I get a sense of fulfillment in this area of my life and I know that should anything happen, I’m good to go financially.  Still, for the last 3 years I worked sporadically, while finishing grad school.

So my questions to SAHMs (Stay At Home Moms who do not work at all or are in school), what is your plan should the what if happen? Do you have a plan?  If so, what is it? I ask not to incite that tired old debate, but because I truly want to know, and frankly, I think you should know too.

After writing the Economoms post, I received so many emails thanking me for the information and asking about more resources.  So I know that there are some out there who didn’t see this recession coming, with their husbands having lost their jobs, now some SAHMs are forced to re-enter the work force, many 5-10 years out. What’s the plan?

Do men really want a strong woman or is that just something that they say until they actually have a career oriented, driven, opinionated woman in their lives?

You know who she is… she cooks, cleans, pays the bills, takes care of the kids/husband and/or herself, oversees the home, plans fabulous trips, rolls with an amazing crew and is moving up the corporate ladder or making her own way as an entrepreneur. But, her love life may be suffering as a result of her independence and strength.  Her husband says she’s a workaholic, selfish and neglecting him. Her boyfriend says he isn’t a priority and he is tired of coming in second to her ambition and goals. So, what’s a woman to do?  Should we work less and give more time to our personal lives?

Or, should we continue to follow our passions knowing full well our hobbies, outside interests, and our relationships with family, friends, and those we hold dear may be jeopardy.

We will talk about “The Downside of the Superwomen Syndrome” and I would love for you to join in on the discussion, Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 7:00 PM EST. I’ll be joining the show host, Danielle Ricks, and several call-in listeners when I’ll be a guest on one of the hottest on-line relationship radio shows, NowWhat! Blog Talk Radio. The program airs LIVE on www.BlogTalkRadio.com a social network that allows listeners to connect quickly and directly using an ordinary telephone line.

NowWhat! is all about women! Thursday’s show, “The Downside of the Superwomen Syndrome”, will cover issues like:

• How we define “a strong women”?
• How women can balance work and home?
• Do men really want a strong Black woman?
• How do the sacrifices women make impact us?
• What advice can we give young women entering the workforce?

I’ll be dishing it with the host, Danielle Ricks, and other callers who are interested in strong women. But, to make the show really interesting I’d like you to be a part of the discussion! There are two ways you or your
friends can get involved:

Call into the show on Thursday, April 15 at 7:00 PM EST by dialing 347.838 8493 from any phone line.

Or, join us on-line for a live chat at 7:00 PM EST by visiting the website at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/DanielleRicks.  We are creating already a buzz on Facebook and Twitter surrounding this topic. You do NOT want to miss being a part of the LIVE discussion!