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Book Review: Well-Heeled: The Smart Girl's Guide to Getting Rich

Aug. 6, 2014
3 mins
A woman holds up her coffee mug and stares out the window as she works on her laptop

Calling all gals looking to take control of their money: Well-Heeled: The Smart Girl's Guide to Getting Rich is a must-read, chock full of tips for making more money, living debt-free and building a retirement nest egg, all aimed at financially independent young women.

Brought to bookshelves by author Lesley-Anne Scorgie, author of previous bestsellers Rich by Thirty: A Young Adult's Guide to Financial Success and Rich by Forty: A Young Couple’s Guide to Building Net Worth, this book is far from being another boring, stuffy personal finance tome. In fact, you'll totally forget you're reading about money management at all; Scorgie writes in a friendly, casual tone as if you’re chatting with a friend. Rather than lecture you, she provides practical advice on how you can increase your savings and stay out of debt. While she does bust out some numbers, her examples are straightforward and practical - no need to be a math whiz to get a grasp on her personal finance tips.

Lessons Learned from Wall Street

To explain the missteps of today's generation, Scorgie starts at the source with a frank retelling of the global financial crisis. In addition to the role played by Wall Street, she also doesn’t shy away from pointing the finger squarely at shopaholics for their part. Before Wall Street fell off a cliff, consumers (young ladies included) lived in a fantasy world, believing that their job was secure and real estate prices would continue to appreciate forever (we all know how that turned out). Although hindsight is 20/20, Scorgie helps motivate bright, young women to take an active role in their financial well-being and choose a smarter path to financial success.

Frugal is the New Sexy

News flash: it’s hip to be frugal. You don’t have to deprive yourself of the finer things in life to save money – you just have to spend wisely. Scorgie proves that you don’t have to go into debt to furnish your apartment – she shares her story of how through garage sales, eBay and Craigslist she managed to furnish her entire home for under $3,500.

Being frugal also doesn't mean being cheap. To drive the point home, Scorgie provides a few examples of the differences between the two. For example, while a cheapskate shows up at a dinner party empty-handed, frugal young ladies host potlucks where everybody brings their own dish.

A Refreshing Take on Real Life Advice

Readers of Scorgie's first two books are sure to adore her latest addition. Not only is it eye-catching – you can’t miss it, it’s hot pink – it’s full of relatable advice from real-life people. It even includes some amusing illustrations to help deliver the book’s messages home. In all, it packs the financial tools that young women - or anyone - require to be a financial success.

Read: More book reviews:

Stop Over-thinking Your Money by Preet Bannerjee

Moolala Guide to Rockin' Your RRSP by Bruce Sellery

Best of Finance 2013: The Best Personal Finance Books

Sean Cooper

Sean Cooper is the author of the new book, Burn Your Mortgage. He bought his first house when he was only 27 in Toronto and paid off his mortgage in just 3 years by age 30. An in-demand Personal Financial Journalist, Speaker and Money Coach, his articles and blogs have been featured in publications such as The Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Financial Post, Tangerine: Forward Thinking blog and TheDot. You can follow him on Twitter @SeanCooperWrite.

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