By Amanda Morrall
1) A man is not a financial plan
The line above has to be the best book title ever, well second to Money Matters of course. Queenstown-based money writer Joan Baker (incidentally married to financial advisor and investment writer Martin Hawes) used it as the title for her book focusing on why women needed to get a better grip on their finances, independent of a partner. Highly recommend it, if you haven't already read it.
In his latest column Hawes has a crack at the subject. Also a worthy read.
2) Demanding more
Someone once had the audacity to call me Demanda. Actually, it was my former neighbour who also had the nerve to name the chicken that I gave her Amanda. She's a funny old bird with a wicked sense of humour, obviously. On warm summer's nights I could hear her chiding the chicken for raiding her veggie garden frequently using my name amid the telling off. But I digress.
Damned if I can figure out her reasons for naming me so as actually I don't think of myself as being the least bit demanding. In fact when it comes to financial negotiations, I have been anything but. That's pretty typical for my kind actually. In the article above, one of the issues raised in the context of women needing to get a better grip on their financial futures, is the well known fact that we are paid less than our male counterparts, even for equal work. That's also despite the fact that in general terms we are equally if not better qualified for the job. Why the gap then? Because we're too soft when it comes to negotiations and also expectations for pay parity.
Canadian economist Marina Adshade in this piece for Canadian Business measures the gap and offers some suggestions on how to bridge it.
3) Risk and return
John Collette from the Age in his latest column for the Money section considers the importance of age in the risk and return equation and looks at some trends in the superannuation industry when it comes to risk assessment.
Closer to home, investment writer and financial commentator Mary Holm has also written on this subject extensively. An excerpt from her latest guide on risk and return called Upside Downside is available on her website here. You can also download a copy of the full guide for free through the Reserve Bank's website here.
4) Playing FTSE
Telegraph money writer Emma Wall looks at the rebound of the FTSE, which has doubled up since hitting a 15-year low in 2003. She also looks at some of the stocks that are driving it.
5) From zero to hero
U.S. personal finance blogger Ramit Sethi profiles a couple who went from US$0.00 to $27K a month with their start-up. Naturally, he's flogging his materials throughout but if it works, why not?
To read other Take Fives by Amanda Morrall click here. You can also follow Amanda on Twitter @amandamorrall or at www.amandamorrall.com
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