Financial Progress is Feminism: Financial Minimalism

Disclaimer: Whenever I use the words minimalism or minimalist I am simply referring to the less is more principle and not the trend of minimalism that has become popular in the last few years.

When I was younger, I was terrible with my money. And it was fabulous.

I went where ever I wanted, did whatever I wanted, bought whatever I wanted, always made sure my bills were paid. I had the best job, I was working with the some of the more talented people in the industry.

Just being a part of my industry as an independent freelancer was already a living feminist statement. The woman who does whatever she wants, when she wants was better than any protest.

Historically, when women gained control of their own finances and assets, they gained power in society.

Currently, women hold a huge percentage of the market’s assets and all I keep thinking was if we were to hold on to our money more than our tendencies to make excuses to treat ourselves, or at least be more aware of our financial future when we spend, we could make a stronger, living statement without mentioning our body parts.

Even better, a woman who does whatever she wants, when she wants, with a diversified portfolio, that’s a living feminist statement.

After reading Own It: The Power of Women At Work by Sallie Krawcheck I began to think about how financial minimalism only expands the money you have and in turn your purchasing power, which means that you get to tell companies what you want them to make or keep making. Money is the language that businesses listen to, and if you want to make changes in the commercial market for ethical reasons, you might want to consider giving yourself the ability to do so. How you manage your finances maintains your purchasing power now and into the future. Also, knowing who to give your money to, which businesses are ethical, and which businesses are cruelty-free or sustainable will benefit from you purchases and create trends in commerce that others will eventually follow. When I realized I had more of a voice in ethical business practices, sustainability and cruelty-free companies by being selective of where I chose to spend my money, I never had to get a law degree, or get out on a picket line to have my voice heard.

All I had to do, was decide who would get my money.

So, I decided to pay myself first. Handsomely. Then, like magic, I got more jobs than I ever imagined, and I continued to put more into my savings and soon further diversified my portfolio. Today, I have a growing garden of greenery in my account that I wouldn’t have had if I were to have kept managing my finances like I was.

As I write I realize there’s more to this than one post can hold, and will do a series on Financial Minimalism to share how I became aware of the power of women and finance. Let’s make financial progress a living feminist statement.

Financial Progress is Feminism

#FinancialFeminism

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Not paid for but Inspired by Sallie Krawcheck and Ellevest