Math is hard. Money is hard. Filing taxes, understanding investments and deducing the stock market is even harder, but it doesn’t have to be impossible.
Historically, women have not been allowed to understand or engage with finances at all. Women were not even allowed to open their own bank accounts until the 1960s. Today though, that is all changing as women are rising up and empowering themselves and their fellow women to girlboss their way into the financial world.
Here are four women changing the money game that you need to follow.
Elena Taber
Elena Taber is a 26 year old social media influencer living in the East Village of New York City. She specializes in travel content, as she interned for the UN in college and was once an au pair in France. Her most recent Youtube series spotlights women of the Mediterranean who are “breaking barriers in their own countries.” Taber is also one of the first woman social media influencers who educated her followers about the world of finance. Her Youtube series “financial education” discusses investing, budgeting, and common money mistakes. All of her videos are easily digestible and extremely helpful. All of her videos are aimed towards beginners, and she is the perfect person to turn to when first dipping a toe into the financial pool.
Farnoosh Torabi
Farnoosh Torabi is an author and podcaster best known for her first book “You’re So Money: Live Rich Even When You’re Not.” Torabi published her first book in 2008, making her one of the first women to talk about female financial literacy in the global sphere. Her book encouraged women to not be intimidated by financial success but to run towards it to achieve their goals whether it be a vacation in the Maldives or a designer bag from Chanel. She has since published two other financial books called “Psych Yourself Rich” and “When She Makes More,” with the latter of the two giving advice for women who make more than their romantic partner. Torabi is also the host of the “So Money” podcast, which is a god sent podcast. The episodes are a mix of “Ask Farnoosh” episodes in which Farnoosh answers questions about any financial topic like 401ks, college debt payments and inflation. The rest of the episodes are interviews with interesting and diverse guests who are experts in their field.
Clever Girl Finance
Clever Girl Finance is not an individual but a community of women who seek to educate the next generation of women on financial literacy. Clever Girl Finance is a Youtube channel that posts every Sunday, on myriad financial topics. Most recent videos include a discussion on emergency funds, tips on living a frugal lifestyle, and a guide to discussing finances before moving in with a romantic partner. This channel is also run by Bola Sokunbi, a Black woman, which is extremely important as Black women have been excluded from the financial industry to a much higher extent. Not to mention, Sokunbi is a genius in her field as she is a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI) and a four times best-selling author of the book series “Clever Finance” and the book “Choosing To Prosper.” Clever Girl Finance also operates a website where viewers can participate in completely free educational courses, listen to the accompanying podcast, and shop Sokunbi’s books.
Kristin Wong
Kristin Wong is an accredited journalist who has written for distinguished publications like Elle Magazine, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. Her articles range from pieces on her battle with infertility to struggles with her identity as a biracial Asian woman to competition amongst women. While all of her work is worthwhile, her pieces are especially groundbreaking. Her featured financial pieces include an article she wrote for The Cut titled “Salary Transparency Makes Employees More Motivated” and an article she wrote in the New York Times titled “Why We Shouldn’t Think About College as a Business.” These topics are refreshing as much as they are essential when it comes to learning about money management. Wong also wrote a book called “Get Money: Live the Life You Want, Not Just the Life You Can Afford,” which is a non-fiction read about achieving personal finance goals, which is the first step to becoming financially independent.
Financial literacy is an asset that will help anyone who has it succeed in controlling their own life, which is especially important for women who have previously not been given the privilege of financial independence.