The Smart Money Woman: A Woman’s Viewpoint

Before coming across the book ‘the smart money woman’ by Arese Ugwu, I had seen the movie adaptation where the protagonist, Zuri was played by a famous Nigerian actress; Osas Ighodaro whose voice and mannerisms I could imagine whilst I read the book.

From the movie, I got the cinematic expressions of the moment she found out she was broke, the moment she decided to take control of her finances, and when her hangouts with friends; Ladun, Lara, Adesuwa, and Tami were no longer centered around the latest designers, men and celebrity gossip.

While it didn’t exactly blow my mind, the book exposed many African women’s attitudes to Money. Zuri laments in a chapter how the answer for a young woman being broke is usually to get a rich husband or boyfriend but the answer to a young man being broke is almost always to work hard and never for him to get a rich wife or girlfriend.

Zuri’s money problems are the usual pattern for a ‘Lagos babe’ who feels the pressure to attend every pattern, buy asoebi for a stranger’s wedding, and cop the latest designer dress or bag while she has no investments or assets.

Zuri’s experiences show us how easy it is to get carried away and get into debt quickly without knowing. 20k for that dress, 50k for lunch, maintenance fees for a luxury car, or even that hair you love so much.

I love how the book exposes how women normally justify their lavish spending; it’s for the home, I deserve it, or even I can afford it. It reminded me of a time when I was in a similar situation.

When I was newly relocated, I was schooling so I wasn’t working and had to depend on my partner’s salary. He gave me an allowance, out of which I kept some in a separate account so I could refer to it if we get into a situation and pay. I did this for a while and it didn’t take long before I realized it wasn’t working

I love being independent as I had been before relocating and I now hated this new lifestyle of waiting for his salary so I could have money.

At the beginning of the book, Zuri and her friends have no qualms about being regular trophy wives but as the book progresses, they mature and we evolve with them.

I also loved the fact that each chapter had a smart money-woman lesson and that the author didn’t hold back when it came to disproving money myths women have held on to for far too long.

What happened to Ladun and her family depicts the reality of many African families after the death of their Patriarch. What happened to Zuri’s mother is what becomes of many African widows after their husband dies without a proper will in place.

These widows end up in unpleasant situations and when they come out of it almost always want to give their all so that others aren’t in need. Unfortunately, their generosity is often taken for granted and their situations are overlooked.

I also love that the book doesn’t just teach how to take charge of your finances but it also mentioned foundations and institutions whose mission is to help women attain financial freedom.

The book also disproves a popular money myth; that only the rich or already satisfied can invest. The book goes ahead to teach women how to budget, save, invest and take charge of their financial life.

I love how the author makes an example of Zuri’s life to show how even on the journey to Financial freedom, you can fall off the wagon and even make bad money decisions like Zuri wanting to buy a car Lara who makes five times her income is driving when she can’t handle it financially.

She quickly forgets her experience at the hands of Ola, the mechanic she often takes her Benz to for repairs.

The book doesn’t just focus on investing and building stock or real estate portfolios, No. The author showcases the financial abuse Adesewa suffers at the hands of Soji and his mother and how total submission didn’t save the marriage from crashing and him making away with all her money.

I also learned that the author started a movement for African Millenial Women who are passionate about making smart money decisions. Wow, speak of someone who does what she preaches.

Above all, the smart money woman by Arese Ugwu is a very emotional book that I am sure strikes close to home for many African women when it comes to their financial decisions.

This is a book that will expose you and yet show you solutions to your money mistakes. Don’t miss out on this; here’s a link; Smart Money Woman

Till our next review

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