Over the last few months at home, I’ve been working to get my finances organized – insurance, investments. Juggle stuff around a bit. Make sure all the paper work is in order and so on.
And I repeatedly run into agents who state “Please check with your husband Madam” or “Is your husband available, I can explain it to him”. Or better still, insurance agents, bank agents, MF agents – who insist on filling out the forms for me automatically putting my status as ‘housewife’, income as ‘nil’ and misc other things, without even checking with me. Just because I was at home on a weekday afternoon.
Normally, I just let the guy rant on for a while and then throw in a term or a question hinting that I’m not exactly a blank slate Mister, can we please move ahead now.
Yesterday as I was trying to open a new demat account, the guy filled in whatever he felt like onto the form and when I corrected him, he insisted that it did not need to be changed. It took me a good 10 minutes to get him to “let me” correct my profession, income and nominee details! Uggh.
I’ve been handling my personal finances for years now. Yes, I’m not perfect. But I know my investment options, I know why SIPs are good for you; why you plain old term insurance is way better than ULIPs; and the importance of having your nominees listed, and your will made.
Understanding Personal Finance and managing my money, have nothing to do with my gender.
Or so I thought.
Until I encountered some nice, modern, broadminded folks (men and women) who think otherwise. ‘The women need not know such details. It’s always better to let the men of the family handle the finances”.
To say that I found this quite shocking, is an understatement. And its been rattling about in my head since.
I’d really like to hear what others have to say about it. What do YOU feel? Can/ Should women handle their own finances? And er, should they even be allowed to??
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Um…no. Women, men, everybody needs to know how to handle their own finances. I can understand only having one person per household (male or female) handling everything just for simplicity, but that “don’t worry your pretty little head” attitude is definitely shocking. Good for you for not losing your cool with condescending agents. Personally, I wouldn’t take that half as well 😉
Precisely what I’m struggling with right now. Jave always let my dad and hubby handle most of my finances…and of course, life had to kick me in the butt a couple of times…and am handling more and more of them this year…it’s much easier than I thought…except for MF’s…they freak me out for some reason. But yes, my past and present auditors talk to my husband over my head…it annoys me no end…but at the same time, I’m still not savvy enough to challenge them with full confidence. 🙁 Voted.
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Really? They actually said ” let the man handle your finances”?
They think this ability is gender-based?
So I guess you shouldn’t even be starting out on your own. You should be home, cooking up and storm and making sure the doorknobs are gleaming.
*sigh*
In India this topic is highly gender biased. I am an Indian lady blogger too,…. trying hard to come of this stereotype. Please do check out my blog on finance at http://myfinanceexpress.wordpress.com/
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