SEX, GENDER & CASH.

Welcome To Feminist Finance!

Things to come at FeministFinance.com

I am a twenty-something professional woman living in the midwest with my sweetie. We're planning to get married in about a year, and are integrating our finances slowly but surely in preparation. Between the two of us, I am the primary breadwinner, and I work in a male-dominated field--the storied private law firm. I am a saver, a student loan debtor (shocker!), a retirement investor, and a homeowner. Oh yeah, and see above: I'm a feminist.

I have been reading personal finance blogs for a while now, and have learned from them, but I haven't seen much discussion about personal finance topics & gender lately. How much standard personal finance advice is equal access, and how much assumes its audience is made up of men? Why are so many women continuing to leave private legal practice and what does that mean--economically, professionally, culturally--for the rest of us?

That's a flavor of what you can expect to see here. Leave a comment if you've got other suggestions.

Women, Not Men, Drive Home Renovations

So often women investors go with the flow of where men think the money should go. And there is nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't encourage thinking outside of the box. Women see avenues for investment that men overlook, such as a company that does San Diego room additions.

So why does a business that does San Diego Room Additions make a good investment scheme? Well, women think about their homes and what they can do with it. When it comes to doing room additions or whole home renovation, it's the woman of the house that drives the decision. The husband just goes along with what the wife wants.

Even in a down economy, people still look to do something with their residences. Companies that do home additions are a solid bet for steady financial gains. Look into businesses that have been around for a while.

Low Mortgage Rates Create Long-Term Investment Opportunities

The housing bubble of the '00s put big holes in many retirement and pension plans, losses that have yet to be recovered. These losses were created by fund managers that made bad decisions and felt that the cost of housing was always going to go up, completely ignoring historical trends saying otherwise. However, housing as a whole is still a stable place to keep some investment money.

Mortgage rates have been at historically low rates for some time and the Federal Reserve has shown no indication that they have any intention of raising it anytime in the near future. While this is not going to create another bubble, it does attract the kind of people who should be buying homes. Low mortgage rates make the monthly payment easy to handle for those who are steadily employed and are responsible with their money. Having these types of home buyers make for a steady, long-term investment vehicle.

Retirement fund managers need to stay out of the housing funds unless they intend to make them a small section of the portfolio and leave them alone. Low mortgage rates and tough lending standards are going to keep attracting reliable buyers over a long period of time. In turn, they help a fund grow through the years, but only if managed wisely.

Mortgage rates always fluctuate and do play a part in people's decision to buy a home. Wise buyers purchase the home they need and keep mortgage-based investments a viable money-making vehicle.

Pheromones Don't Just Work In The Wild

With women and men often having different social agendas, sometimes it's surprising that they get together at all. Perhaps the stereotype of a woman looking for a good man but a man looking for a hot woman isn't accurate, but I've seen some stallions who got a whiff of a mare in season practically kick down the barn door with just one thought in mind. In the animal world, the female releases a pheromone that drives the male crazy. Humans, it seems, aren't quite as perceptive in this particular area.

Clinical studies have shown, however, that men who produce an over-abundance of male pheromones seem to somehow have greater success with women. Lots of studies on pheromones have been done and, as a result, there are now hundreds of pheromone products on the market touted to significantly increase one's ability to attract those of the opposite sex.