Money, a Memoir

This book alternately shamed and appalled me. I was embarrassed to identify with the many educated, professional women who nonetheless are happy to relinquish any claim or interest in managing their own investments. At the same time, I was horrified by the many women (some of whom fall in the first category as well) who blithely go out and fritter money away on things they don't need at prices they can't afford. People, shoes shouldn't cost more than $20 ($25, maybe, but only if it's for your own wedding). Retail therapy can be useful in a pinch but is not an acceptable lifestyle choice. And for God's sake, don't be so proud of your kept-woman status.

I didn't feel that I'd learned much by the end of the book, save that my intermittent twinges of guilt over not making my own trades in my 401(k) should be addressed, not ignored. Perle lays out the situation as she sees it, then basically steps back and expects the reader to figure it out.

Money, a Memoir: Women, Emotions, and Cash by Liz Perle. Holt, 2006, 288 pages.