Financial Adulting (eBook)

ASHLEY FEINSTEIN GERSTLEY is an author, speaker, and personal finance expert. In 2012, she created The Fiscal Femme, a feminist money platform on a mission to end inequality through financial well-being, and has helped thousands of people feel financially confident, achieve major financial goals, and destress their relationships with money.

Preface ix

1 What Is a Financial Adult? 1

2 Equity and Personal Finance 11

3 Your Money Goals 27

4 All About Income 41

5 Your Money Outflows 57

6 Consumer Activism 81

7 Work Optional (a.k.a. Retirement) 95

8 Become an Investor for Good 125

9 Buying a Home 155

10 Insurance 179

11 Tax Basics and Estate Planning 205

12 Your Credit Score 223

13 All About Debt 237

14 Become Your Own Money Coach 261

Notes 281

Acknowledgments 291

About The Author 295

Index 297

"Financial Adulting is the step-by-step guide we all wish we had when we graduated college. Although most of us start "financial adulting" much later, wherever you are in your journey, Ashley provides the perfect toolkit for uncovering a lifelong financial planning strategy while also investing in a more equitable world."
--Farnoosh Torabi, host of the So Money podcast and author of When She Makes More

In Financial Adulting, Ashley provides an engaging and inclusive path towards becoming a money savvy grownup. She also brings in rarely-talked-about lessons from history and ways we can better align our spending with our values."
--Erin Lowry, author of the BROKE MILLENNIAL series

"A must-read! Ashley covers the important and often complex financial topics in a way that even a reader with no financial background can understand."
--Tiffany Aliche, New York Times Bestselling Author of Get Good with Money

"Most of us didn't learn about money in school. Financial Adulting is a crash course on what women really need to know to be the boss of their financial lives. This book perfectly pairs the "why" behind important money moves and the "how" with helpful exercises, so you can get. it. done."
--Elyse Steinhaus, head of financial content at theSkimm

"Financial Adulting is a must-read for anyone who wants to build their financial foundation while also making the world a better place. Ashley demystifies even the most complex topics and provides critical context on some of the big problems with our financial systems. She gives readers an action plan for each area of their finances and a recipe to maintain their financial prowess going forward."
--Stacey Tisdale, CEO of Mind Money Media Inc. and author of The True Cost of Happiness

"Financial Adulting is the most comprehensive, real-world guide out there to master your financial life. No more pretending everyone starts from the same place or has equal opportunity--Ashley breaks down all the ways our financial system advantages some and disadvantages others, and she does it with empathy and humor. This book will make you angry about how unfair our system is, but also give you the confidence to navigate that system like a pro, no matter your starting point."
--Tanja Hester, author of Wallet Activism and Work Optional