Tonight as I was getting to know my roommate for Blogworld, she asked about my passion for writing about women and personal finance, pretty much where it comes from.

It hit me that I’d never really blogged about it here, at least not in it’s entirety.

I’ll start by saying that I have always loved talking about women and money, the implications, risks and benefits from being empowered when it comes to money.

But, it starts even earlier than that.

My father passed away at the tender age of 11, and, without going into all the sordid details around it, this meant my mother was now a sole parent and not just a single parent.  His will was written in a manner that meant whatever monies I would get would not come until age 21.  However, the guy who was named executor of the will was a thief and pretty much stole all the money.  No dice. No money. Ever.

Watching my mom save her money and amass an emergency fund big enough to get us through 1.5 years when she lost her job during my senior year of high school taught me painful yet promising lessons about money.  No prom, college had to wait a year after I graduated high school and it meant I had to contribute to household expenses from the job I had working in retail for that year.  I was a selfish bish LOL

Still, while going through the motions, I learned the importance of saving for a rainy day, understanding money just as much or more than your partner/husband and learning how to land on your feet in the coldest of life’s storms.  As a result, I ALWAYS have a back up plan while never getting too attached to material things.

This single event, my father passing away and all that ensued as a result, made me resilient and passionate when it comes to women and money.  I want women to understand that just because we aren’t socialized to be the breadwinners, doesn’t mean we can’t WIN when it comes to money: single, married, divorced or widowed.  We don’t have to wait around for prince charming to guarantee financial security.  In this day and age we can make our own money, count it, save it, spend it, invest it and enjoy it.

I love talking to women who have their finances together, I feel like YES, this is it, that’s GREAT!  And yea I get all excited and tingly inside so I know that this is passion, so Im on the right track.  I love when women share with one another ways to get ahead in their careers while teaching each other how to get ahead financially.  Sure, some don’t talk about money because they are embarrassed or they were taught “you just don’t do that”.  But I mean the talking about money where you’re helping someone, not bragging about all the worthless crap you’ve acquired that you can’t take with you when you die.  I mean, real talk, helping each other get to the finish line and running back to give the runners up the baton.  Feel me?  That’s where my passion lies.  Helping women be the best they can be in their financial lives.

In my own marriage, I am the money nazi making sure that I know just as much or more than my husband when it comes to our finances.  So, Im not just preaching without practicing my mantra of know more than and/or just as much as your partner when it comes to your money.  I live it.  And I want you to be just as empowered in your daily lives as it relates to money as well.  But keep in mind, I still have my own struggles.  Still working on becoming debt free while tackling my six figure student debt as I wrestle with flirting with going back to graduate school, putting me further in debt #honestytime.  At this point, my plan is to find a company to pay for it all because I don’t want to borrow another red cent but that’s another blog LOL

So there you have it, that’s why I blog.  Thank you for supporting me thus far in my efforts to share my thoughts and even glimpses of my personal finances with you.  You all make this blog worth while and I am happy Girls Just Wanna Have Funds exists—->Breaking Financial Ceilings One Stiletto At A Time!