Women are disproportionately affected by relationship economics Unfortunately, about half of families in the US experience poverty after a divorce, and 75% of all women who apply for Welfare benefits do so because of a disrupted marriage or relationship in which they lived with a man out of wedlock.

Gender Pay Gap We already know that women make 80 cents to each dollar a man earns in the United Stares, and it’s even lower for women of color. This puts us at a disadvantage to start.

Women are getting “stuck” financially after splitting up; especially if they were low income to begin with According to the Marriage and Religion Research Institute: “Divorce is the main factor in determining the length of "poverty spells," particularly for women whose pre-divorce Family income was in the bottom half of the income distribution. Divorce, then, poses the greatest threat to women in low-income families. Moreover, almost 50 percent of households with children move into poverty following divorce. Simply put, divorce has become too prevalent and affects an ever-increasing number of children.,”

70% of the Nation's Poor are Women & Children According to Legal Momentum: “Women in America are still 35 percent more likely than men to be poor in America, with single mothers facing the highest risk. Currently, 35 percent of single women with children live and raise their families in poverty.”

Be Strategic: When divorcing, leave no table unturned, and don’t expect child support to cover all expenses “Don’t forget to include the value of your spouse’s retirement plan, which you may or may not have been privy to during your marriage”. , says financial advisor Pedro M. Silva.

According to Sheri Atwood, founder and CEO of SupportPay, a child support payment app: “Child support barely covers the basics: By legal definition, base child support is only meant to cover basic living expenses, which we know doesn’t come close to the actual cost of raising a child,” . “Additional items such as child care, medical expenses, education and extracurricular activities … are typically called into question post-divorce.” She explains that the expenses that fall outside that base monthly payment usually land on mothers (moms make up nearly 82 percent of parents with custody).

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCES

If you’re engaged - Talk to your fiancé and lawyer about prenuptial agreements before getting married.

NBC senior business correspondent Stephanie Ruhle recommends the following for women: Get involved, Ensure financial security, Put Assets in your name, get your own retirement plan, consider long term care insurance and life insurance.

Get Involved - even if you snagged a HVM who’s fully providing. Know you’re situation! If you’re single, you should know your own financial standing and spend accordingly.

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If you’re a stay at home mom that receives an allowance You should still KNOW everything in case there’s a divorce, death, severe illness. Make sure you understand your taxes before signing them, as it is a legal document.

Retirement Planning You should have a 401k if you’re working. If youre a stay at home mom and your spouse is working, he should have an spousal IRA so he can contribute on your behalf.

Women live longer than men and you should plan for this.

Get long term care insurance for when you’re unwell.. especially if you have kids. There are so many families that are completely financially strapped due to long Term care expenses for their elderly parents. Don’t do this to your children.

Get life insurance God forbid anything happens to your spouse, finances would be one less devastation to worry about.

Don’t give your power away

Even if you don’t particularly like “crunching the numbers” and your good-intentioned HVM hubby is a provider and protector who takes care of all the paperwork, bills, deeds, etc. : PLEASE STILL BE AWARE OF EVERYTHING. There shouldn’t be any secrets or surprises.

If you haven’t signed the paperwork, YOU’RE STILL ON THE HOOK IF THE BILLS AREN’T PAID AND THE COLLECTION AGENCIES COME.

You WANT to make sure you’re name is on the house, car, bills etc. even if he paid for them! These are shared assets.

Establish credit by ensuring everything is paid on time, every month. Don’t be blind sighted by bad credit, or no credit if he’s no longer around.

Establish your individual credit Get a credit card in just your name, and pay the bill every month, on time and in full.

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🚨 DO NOT MARRY FINANCIALLY UNSTABLE MEN NO MATTER WHAT. THEY WILL EVENTUALLY RUIN YOU.

Financially Dependent Men More Likely to Cheat - Studies show that men are most likely to cheat if they are economically dependent on their female partners. Men who make 25 percent more than their partners are the most faithful.

BEWARE OF THE BLUFF; TAKE HEED OF FINANCIAL RED FLAGS If you’re just starting to date, run an investigation to see where he works, his title, and average salary for said title in his city. Does he appear to be living above his means? Can he really afford that high rise luxury apartment downtown? Men who are only making the minimum payments on their credit card will eventually run into trouble. Also be cautious if he cares too much about materialistic things. If he asks about the brand name of your purse, shoes or car before asking about your interests and family, RUN.

Money problems lead to divorce According to a recent survey of 191 CDFA professionals from across North America, money issues is one of the top three leading causes of divorce.

LVM / NVM Lie about spending We already know that you should never move in with a man before marriage. Someone recently posted about her live-in boyfriend telling her the rent was actually higher than it really was, so she paid what she though was half each month and he pocketed the difference. He knowingly repeatedly STOLE her money and she only found out by chance.

According to the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts: “Many couples lack the communication skills necessary to navigate financial disagreements in their marriage,” noted one respondent. “The emotional connection of money with safety and security in many people makes the financial disagreements more salient than other disagreements.”

WARNING: DO NOT SHARE YOUR EARNINGS OR INCOME INFORMATION WITH LVM / NVM EVER!!! This is one of the worst mistakes a woman can ever make.

This goes for ALL LVM / NVM I’m your life inclusive of ex boyfriends, friends, brothers, fathers, cousins and uncles.

BEWARE! And don’t TALK about your money to these people, or risk it disappearing.

Good luck out there ladies! Take the blinders off and get control of the cash!