Acknowledgements 11
Introduction: The Plight of the Modern-Day Wonder Woman 13
- Becoming a Woman with Cents 18
- Break Free from the Herd and Carve Your Own Path 20
Part One: Laying the Foundations
Chapter One: Reject Old Paradigms 25
- Paradigm 1: I'm Not Good with Money 25
- Paradigm 2: I Don't Have Time 27
- My 'Aha!' Moment 28
- Lightening the Load 31
- Overcoming Unconscious Bias at Home 36
- It's Time to Make a Change 38
Chapter Two: Strategise Your Money 41
- Planning to Succeed 44
- Pinpointing Your Values and Goals 46
- Managing Your Cash Flow 50
- Automating Your Money 55
Chapter Three: Break Up with Debt 59
- Learning to be a Saver Instead of a Spender 60
- Understanding the Power of Gratitude 63
- Spending Money Doesn't Equal Happiness 65
- Tackling Your Debt Once and For All 68
Part Two: Building Your Dream Life
Chapter Four: Manage Your Mortgage Better to Build Wealth 75
- Determining Your Loan Requirements 76
- Buying Your First Home 79
- Navigating the Changing Lending Environment 81
- To Fix or Not To Fix? 85
- The Lowdown on Offset Accounts 87
- The Secret to Becoming Mortgage Free 93
- The Refinancing Mistake That's Costing You Thousands 99
- Using Your Equity to Purchase Another Property 102
Chapter Five: A Beginner's Guide to Investing 107
- Four Asset Classes for You to Consider 108
- Determining Your Risk Profile 112
- Factoring in Your Timeframe 115
- What's Your Investment Style? 117
- Investing Made Simple 120
- Should You Invest More Now or Later? 124
- Seven Golden Rules of Investing 128
Chapter Six: Create a Super Future 135
- Understanding Your Super Statement 138
- How Much Super Do You Need? 140
- Four Ways to Get More Involved in Your Super 142
- Six Factors that Could Help You Boost Your Super 148
- Could Refinancing Your Home Loan Boost Your Super? 154
Part Three: Protecting Your Plans
Chapter Seven: Safeguard Your Future 159
- My Biggest Mistake and the Lessons Learned 161
- The Ins and Outs of Life Insurance 164
- Making Insurance More Affordable 170
Chapter Eight: Estate Planning 179
- The Logistics of Death 181
- Why You Need a Will 182
- Making a Valid Will 185
- Should You Use a Will Kit? 189
- Tax Considerations 191
- Binding and Non-binding Nominations 196
- Updating Your Will 197
Conclusion: Following Through on Your Financial Plan 201
- Believe in Yourself 202
- Think About the Future 203
- Have a Failure Plan 204
- Celebrate the Wins 205
- Surround Yourself with Like-Minded People 205
- Remember, Your Future Depends on What You Do Today 206
About the Author 209