Totally provocative and tongue in cheek, but you get the underlying message. Choose your partners wisely.

I am not suggesting that women marry solely for money, I am after all a believer in love and commitment as a solid foundation for marriage. However, I am suggesting that women  marry partners that are financially savvy. I will detail the benefits of choosing a partner that has a solid financial plan in place and uses money as a tool and not a crutch.

Financially Savvy
Women who choose financially savvy partners fare better than their counterparts who don’t. Why? These women know that in order to have a marriage built to last that finances play a huge role in the viability of the marriage. I know it sounds like we’re discussing a corporate merger but there are elements of marriage that resemble a business.  Think about it, how many people can’t afford to separate because they can’t afford it?  We want financial freedom, well we have to choose a partner who knows what that means.

Personal finance issues are the leading cause of divorce and in order to live happily ever after, you must be on the same page as far as your finances are concerned. No, if, ands or buts about it.

So what makes these women smarter?

Aligned Financial Values
When smart women meet a partner, while wooed by good looks and the smooth talk, they are interested in how their potential partners spend money. Does he have an emergency fund? Is he current on their monthly bills such as the car payment and rent/mortgage? Does he spend more than he earns? They’re listening keenly to understand how their potential mates relate to money. Is it a tool? Is it a crutch? They know the difference and conduct business accordingly. Should the potential mate fall into the category of the above mentioned then it’s time to say good-bye or work out a plan to get him financially fit. After all, who wants a man who isn’t interested in learning how to manage his money effectively? They are in it for the long haul, not a few cheap dates.

Motivated by Money to Create the Life They Want
Smart women are up to date on the latest issues in personal finance. They understand rate chasing, investing for the long haul and understand that while they may have substantial savings, practice and embrace frugality. They look for similar if not the same qualities in their potential mates. Smart women want to be able to relate not only on a romantic level, but also on issues regarding personal finance.

A Man with a Plan
Who wants a man with no financial plan in place? I certainly don’t. Where does he see himself in 2 years? 5 years? 10 years? Is he thinking long or short term? That answer will determine the course of the relationship. Ideally he should be able to think past next month’s car payment and have a financial plan for the current year. This an expectation for smart women, not a hope or a dream, but something they demand and require in a potential mate.

Take a few minutes to let it all sink in. Gone are the days when gold diggers were secretly envied because they were able to go for the gusto and stifle high pitched screams during musty sex with a shriveled up oil tycoon. Smart women can marry for money, and guess what!?  It’s ok!  Move over and make way for women who are in control of their financial destinies and not afraid to say it. They are armed with a positive net worth and not afraid to flaunt it.  They are breaking financial ceilings one stiletto at a time!

Are you a smart woman?®

I frequent various message boards and one meme that’s a constant is…”Unpopular Opinions About…<insert topic here>  This could be about hair, makeup, purses, you get the picture.  So this time I will add 10 unpopular opinions about personal finance here.  Keep in mind these are UNPOPULAR opinions about personal finance.  This isn’t necessarily how I feel about it, but Ive had enough conversations about it to know they float out there.  So please, fall back on getting froggy in the comments and link backs.

Edit:  One blogger has already decided that I want a handout from the government.  I am simply inspiring discussions, not running to the government trough with my hands out :0)

1.  Given the present state of the economy, people should be able to walk away from their homes if they are “under water” by a certain amount without penalty.

2.  I think the government should pay off either student loan or mortgage debt for every working individual who pays taxes.  Why?  We have been screwed with no luble over the last 8 years and paying for it now.

3.  Every woman should know what a pre and post nup is and how it affects her position in a marriage.

4.  We should have forced savings and retirement, as in penalties if you’re not saving at least 10% of your income and 75% of the $15,500 limit for retirement.  There should be special incentives in place in order to give people something to work towards.

5.  There should be one credit score.  Why do we need three bureaus?  Especially when we don’t have access to all three anymore.  Experian recentlybroke ties with Fair Isaac which means we no longer have access to our Experian scores.

6.  Healthcare and education through college should be free.  Why?  On education, I think this would open doors for many who are unable to go to college due to financial difficulties.  Quality healthcare shouldn’t be a priviledge, but a right.  Of course, this is just my opinion.

7.  Utilities should be capped at a certain amount based on household size because of the recession.

8.  Payday loans should be banned.

9.  Wall Street CEOs salaries should be tied to company performance.  If the company tanks then their bonuses should be divided up between all the employees and put towards their severances.  They get $0.  Bailout $$ or not.

10.  The latest stimulus bill should have focused more intently on keeping homeowners in their homes, halting foreclosures and forcing every bank that issued a mortgage in the last 5 years to modify all loans at the request of borrowers regardless of whether or not they can find the original note.  If they can’t find the original note then the homeowner shouldn’t be subjected to paying the mortgage.

Bring it!

What I love most about Rudder is it’s ability to track “What’s Left” or your cashflow over the course of two months.  I struggle with this as we have different bills coming out of our main account at different times of the month.  And, since I hate balancing my checkbook this was a key selling point for me.  So while I can use Yodlee and Mint to track balances, manage our spending in different areas such as eating out, groceries and shopping, I primarily use Rudder to tell me where we will be financially at different points in the month.  Especially since we now have temporary recurring expenses for the next few months.  This is also helpful in planning this year’s vacations and blog conferences as it can get expensive.

Another great thing about Rudder is that it sends an email every morning telling you what bills are due for that day.  90% of my bills are automated so this comes in handy for the few that sometimes slip through the crack because I may forget to log online.

Widgets

Rudder also has widgets you can add or remove depending on what you’re really interested in tracking.  These widgets revolve around cashflow forecasting, savings and budgeting.  I’m curious to see how the SpendMeter works out because I haven’t done much discretionary spending to see what it’s all about.  Though, I think this weekend’s trip to Target may rev things up a bit.

Overall, I think it’s an excellent tool, though I think they could stand to add a few more widgets around tracking budget categories and innovative debt reduction tools which utilize the cashflow forecasting widgets.  My wish is for Mint, Yodlee and Rudder to merge and give us one robust tool to track everything.  But for now, Rudder is what I use everyday to track cashflow and keep on top of bills that need to be paid manually. Rudder comes in a strong first with Yodlee and Mint coming on second and third respectively.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

“Simplify your life. Get rid of anything that’s pulling at your energy, time, or finances-especially anything that pulls you away from your life purpose” Doreen Virtue, Ph.D

This quote made me think really hard about all the things that I engage on a daily basis that no longer serve me.  Because Im on a mission to live a purposed life, I thought about all the hours I spend “screen-shopping” and not attending to my ever increasing TO-DO list.

In doing so, I inevitably end up purchasing something that I don’t need under the guise of sprucing up my wardrobe. And it sucks when the package arrives and I just throw it to the side like…hmm this is nice and then toss it to the side.  That’s gotta end.

Question? What money habits no longer serve you?