Why Taking Control of Your Money Should Be on Every Woman’s Life List

Within days of my husband telling me he wanted to leave our marriage, I had a business meeting with one of Australia’s big banks to pitch for a project.

I was greeted by a polished female banker who led me into a conference room with breathtaking views across Melbourne and glass walls on all four sides. As we exchanged pleasantries and I commented on the view, she asked me what seemed like the most innocuous question of all time:

“How are you?”

And I burst into tears.

Mortified, I sat there—a blubbering, stuttering mess. Without hesitation, that lovely woman handed me a box of tissues, rose to lower the blinds on those gaping glass walls, and shielded me from the outside world.

My pain, fear, and vulnerability were so close to the surface that one simple act of kindness completely disarmed me. The words tumbled out. And, while I can’t remember much of the conversation, one sentence I uttered still haunts me:

“I don’t even know how to open a bank account.”

That day I changed banks. And for the first time since I was 23 years old, I took responsibility for my own money.

A Comfortable — and Dangerous — Disinterest

In personal and professional relationships there’s often a division of labour – it just makes sense to play to your strengths. Finance was never one of mine and so I happily deferred the dollars to my husband.

We had joint bank accounts and investments. We had good incomes. We lived well, and if we wanted something, we could afford it. So, I thought, “Why bother worrying about money?”

In hindsight, I see the danger. In Australia, research shows only 35% of women feel confident making financial decisions compared to 50% of men. Globally, women score 8 percentage points lower than men on financial literacy tests (men: 63%, women: 55%). Confidence is a big barrier—one third of the gender gap is due to a lack of confidence rather than a lack of knowledge (Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center, 2025).

After my marriage ended, I realised how reckless my apathy had been. If my ex-husband hadn’t been a decent man, it could have ended in disaster (for me). I didn’t know how much money we had, what our investment portfolio consisted of, what we owed, when bills were due, how our mortgages were structured, or how much was in superannuation—his or mine.

And it didn’t stop at personal finance. In my own business, my financial interest ended at sending invoices and giving everything to my accountant at year-end. I didn’t care, and I didn’t understand.

Finally flexing my financial muscle

The shock was sobering (and full of self recrimination). And I’m not alone. According to the World Economic Forum, the economic gender gap is still only 68.8% closed, with women less likely to own investments or manage long-term assets. In Australia, women retire with 21% less superannuation than men, and 64% of women say they have little or no investment knowledge.

That was me. To a T.

It was a very hard, steep climb crawling out of my financial malaise. Today, finance is one of the 7 buckets on my ‘Life List’ that I prioritise (Wealth; Health & Wellbeing; Adventure; Lifestyle & Environment; Relationships; Growth; Giving).

Wealth (and my financial acumen) has a permanent place on my ‘Life List’, not because I love it, but because I never again want to feel the kind of powerlessness I felt that day in that glass-walled meeting room.

Here’s are the 7 things I do differently now:

1. I track every dollar in and out (business and life).
2. I check my business P&L twice a week.
3. I invest in financial advice—for me and my business. I keep asking questions (plenty of dumb ones) until I understand the answers.
4. I talk to my financial advisor and my accountant regularly and meet formally with both twice a year.
5. I make my maximum super contributions every year.
6. I budget monthly and forward plan for major expenses.
7. I make sure my daughter and sons are getting the financial education they need. Interestingly, my sons love it and my daughter hates it.

I may not know everything yet—but I know enough. And that’s a kind of freedom I never want to lose.

To the other women out there – if you think money isn’t your “thing,” I urge you to reconsider. You don’t need to love the language of finance—but you do need to be fluent enough to protect yourself. Because life can change with one conversation. And in that moment, you’ll be grateful that you know exactly how to open a bank account. Add it to your Life List today.

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The Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Index evaluates the performance of the 11 nations currently offering operational Citizenship By Investment (CBI) programs: St Kitts and Nevis (Saint Kitts and Nevis), Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia (St. Lucia), Antigua & Barbuda, Nauru, Vanuatu, Türkiye (Turkey), São Tomé and Príncipe, Jordan, and Egypt.