Womenomics

As the French say everything changes, everything remains the same. A recent headline in the Sunday Star Times caught my eye “DIVORCE LAW: MOTHER’S DON’T GET A FAIR DEAL.” Law Professor Mark Henaghan says that stay at home mothers left with little earning power when their marriages break up are not getting a fair deal from the courts.As one English judge famously put it: “The cock bird can feather his nest precisely because he does not have to spend...

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Musings and Amusings

I am certainly amused. It appears that the myriad of studies advising women not to drink for fear of increasing the risk of getting cancer, especially breast cancer, are based on questionable research.The leading study was one created by one Naomi Allen of Oxford University. There are, it appears, several flaws in her results.Firstly, her study is an observational one; that is it is based on self reports about the drinking habits of women. Thus it...

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Why?

Why when talented successful women flourish are there those who are ready, to pull them down. Are they a perceived as a threat? Or is it simply envy which motivates the detractors. The term "successful woman," it seems to me embody a conundrum; success may lead to exclusion by peers; and if success is eschewed ones own personal and professional fulfilment is put at ri...

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Finance and Investments

The fund promised high and unwavering annual returns, but you had to know someone to get in on it. And that was really all it took to attract credulous investments, that and the sterling reputation of the banker behind it, a financier revered in privileged circles.“I’ve looked into it” is how one investor reassured a friend who wondered what would happened if the fund should fail. “Name up everywhere, immense resources, high connections, government...

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Who’s Counting?

I am counting – but only to five. Here are five simple rules for asset allocation (The jargon for not putting all your eggs/investments in one basket).Rule 1: If you need money in the next 12 months keep it on term deposit or in a savings account.Rule 2: If you need money in the next 5 years put it in a safe investment like government stock or corporate bonds. If you can’t do this directly use a managed fund.Rule 3: Any money you don’t need for the...

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Everyday Money

According to economists we are all supposed to be rational about money; to see it as “fungible” a medium which we can use to exchange for any commodity we desire. Each of us has a different relationship with money, the ways we describe money are incredibly varied. We say “money talks,” but it is the way we talk about money which is most revealing.When we talk about money we usually refer to it as dirty stuff, the root of all evil. Women don’t discuss...

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