Welcome to another week of the Women’s Personal Finance Wednesdays roundup. I started this series after months of debate because I wasn’t certain I wanted to up the ante and commit to publishing three posts a week. However, now that I’ve started sharing these posts, I’m so glad I started.
There are so many fabulous women writing about personal finance online, and yet there is still a perception that women aren’t good with money, don’t care about money, or don’t understand it on a granular level beyond perhaps knowing how to coupon and score a good shopping deal. These roundups are my way of doing a small part to change that perception. There are no shortage of women online doing their part to make it clear that they DO understand money, and these posts are meant to amplify that fact.
The hardest part of this post every week always is narrowing it down to my favorites, because there is just so much good content out there. If you’re ever interested in what else I’m reading, I share quite a few other posts on Twitter (and that’s also where I read most of the content to begin with these days).
Our Women’s Personal Finance Facebook group also has a sharing thread on Fridays, and that’s the place to read all the blog posts written by members over the previous week. If you’re looking for more articles written by women, that’s a great place to continue reading (plus we have plenty of great discussions on finances the rest of the week as well!).
If you don’t have the time or inclination to go searching down myriad posts, though, I will be continuing this series every week to showcase some of the best of the new content I read. If you ever read a post you thing I absolutely need to consider for this roundup, please let me know! I am always open to reading new blogs (and posts of blogs I do know, because I miss some).
Women’s Personal Finance Wednesdays – Week 27
1. Hidden Costs of Caring for a Loved One Baby Boomer Super Saver
This is something I’ve never had to deal with personally, and like everyone who hasn’t, I hope it is something I never will have to deal with. Unfortunately, caring for a loved one is something many of us will experience at some point in our lives in varying degrees.
Of course, sometimes this means just making sure you are financially set up to take care of that person when the time comes, but there is a whole lot more to it than that. As women we are extraordinarily more likely to end up being the primary caregiver in situations, and it’s something we all need to be mindful of. I really appreciate this candid take of what it really looks and feels like from someone who knows.
2. Looking Back – Seven Years After Septic Shock Chief Mom Officer
Another woman who knows acutely what it looks like when your spouse has unexpected – and severe – health concerns is Liz. Her husband spent a significant time in the hospital after a routine surgery became not so routine, and, as the primary breadwinner, she had to find a way to become the primary caregiver to their two young children as well.
It’s been seven years now and her husband is doing well, but those lessons learned are ones they feel acutely to this day. As she says in this post: “You don’t feel the true weight of debt until you’re in the middle of an emergency situation like we’ve lived through.”
Knowing that crushing weight was a significant driver in their push to become completely debt free, including their mortgage, so that they would never again have a financial weight hanging over their heads like that again. And as of Sunday, they have paid off their mortgage and owe money to no one.
3. Expat Medical Insurance and Medical Tourism All Options Considered
Something that I know almost nothing about but is completely fascinating to me is the idea of medical tourism. While this is obviously not an option for everyone, it’s a topic that comes up quite regularly in the financial independence community and one that seems to get a lot more theoretical discussion than actual experience with the process.
Ali and Alison have both FIREd (are financially independent and are early retired) and are currently slow traveling around the world without a home base. Because of that nomadic lifestyle, they’ve experienced first hand what medical care looks like in other countries – specifically as American expats – and do a great job detailing out that experience. For anyone who is considering a similar lifestyle in the future (or if you’re just interested in following along vicariously like me), I’m loving this straightforward look at what a life like this really might be like.
4. Bonus: https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/burned-millennials-alternative-work-lifestyles-61945007
Not a blog post, but a feature on ABC News. While not solely about Cents Positive, there’s a wonderful section about the event and Tanja of Our Next Life, the retreat’s founder, as well as Kara, her podcast cohost. More press on the female side of financial independence is always awesome to see, and they did a very good job on this one. Ps – pay attention around five minutes in and you’ll catch a couple glimpses of me in the background 😉
I hope you enjoy the posts this week as much as I did. I read a ton of content and it was hard to narrow down my favorites. I’m looking forward to sharing some new ones with you again next week!
As always, if you’re looking for a categorized list of self identified women writing and speaking about personal finance, here is my comprehensive guide to the Women of the Finance Independence Community.
