Welcome to the Money Maven's Financial Blog

Money Maven Blog by Sheryl Sutherland, Authorised Financial Adviser and Director of The Financial Strategies Group

Friday, 25 January 2008

Musings & Amusings

My worry treatment of choice is a well mixed Martini and thanks to a book called How's your Drink? I now know the required dosage; there is apparently a link between breasts (female) and Martinis. One is too few. Three is too many. Two seems somehow superbly right.Please comment on your treatment of choi...

Finance & Investment

You can't see me but I am wearing a pointy hat, carrying a wand and peering into a crystal ball. Yes folks I am going to make a prediction.Remember the dot.com bubble? Well here is the next one; the "clean tech" bubble. Consumers are going green - and as Kermit so famously said, "It's not easy being green."Venture capitalists are pouring cash into environmentally friendly technology. This is a reflection of the hype around smart cars, green buildings,...

Wednesday, 23 January 2008

Why?

I am enthused that the last two decades have seen a major shift in education throughout the West. Employers cry out for more highly educated workers and boys have made modest gains in participation and performance but they have been outdone by the explosive improvement of girls at every level.There are plenty of theories which claim the rationale but the jury is still out.Why does this matter?- It is actually a world wide trend, some US universities...

Womenomics

I frequently start off my presentations by saying "I don’t know any women who aren’t fabulous with money; budgeting with it, spending it, getting it from other people, saving it (in the bank), buying cheaply, securing cash for clothes or jewellery, helping others make money, or giving it away, or, like Greenacres Zsa Zsa Gabor being a good housekeeper – she kept all her houses."And now this has been validated by a survey commissioned by home lender...

Who's counting?

Well it was probably you - adding up debt looking at interest rates, petrol costs and trying to figure out a way to cope in 2008. As always I have a few ideas...or rules:First StepTalk to whoever will offer you the lowest rate for debt consolidation for most of us that is the bank, PSIS or credit union. Try and avoid those credit brokers who claim to search the market for "the best deal."Be aware however that if a loan period is extended it will...