"Women Empowering Themselves: A Financial Survival Guide" will take you through the basic steps to calculate your financial worth, identify your financial needs and gain control of your financial destiny. Inside are simple exercises and tools to help you understand what you own and what you owe and to show you how to manage your budget and debt, whether you're in a relationship or alone. Keep this guide with you as a reference, a financial record keeper and a resource; you will become more financially aware and independent. It will be like having a credit counselor in your purse Inside this guide you will find: Definitions of financial terms and concepts Tips for organizing your financial information Marital and personal net worth charts Personal income calculators Household expense analysis Budgeting and problem-solving tools Debt and credit report explanations Warnings of potential financial pitfalls Housing and major expense evaluations Financial considerations for divorce negotiations Savings tips and financial goal setting Resource directory for information and assistance ANTOINETTE BABEK is an Accredited Financial Counselor and Certified Personal Finance Counselor for a nonprofit credit counseling agency. For the past three years she has counseled thousands of clients throughout the United States. She is involved with several outreach programs, volunteering at a local hospital and food bank, and is leading the Making Strides incentive to promote breast cancer awareness. In addition, Antoinette is certified by the National Guild of Hypnotists. She gives hypnosis consulting for advanced weight loss, smoking, stress management and other addictions. Antoinette was a managing partner of her own industrial company for over twenty five years, in charge of marketing, business strategy and finance. After her marriage ended, she moved to South Jersey to be closer to her family. She immediately became involved in community volunteer programs, raising money for Harbor House and Contact Through Extended Arms. Antoinette has two passions in life: traveling and cooking. Both hobbies have led to an ever-expaning circle of friends from many countries. Entertaining her family and friends, and helping others are her most rewarding endeavors. HOLLIS COLQUHOUN is currently a Financial Advisor for Waddell and Reed Financial Advisors, and has over twenty years of experience in the financial industry. Starting out as an institutional trader and salesperson for a Wall Street brokerage firm, she later became one of its first female partners. Hollis worked in the Corporate Bond Departments of several New York firms then moved into the distressed securities market where she helped set up a new brokerage operation for one of Wall Street s masters of "value investing." Three years later, Hollis stopped working to devote more time and attention to raising her three daughters. She also became very involved in local community projects and a nonprofit education foundation. Two years ago, Hollis was hired by a nonprofit credit counseling agency and received certification as an Accredited Financial Counselor and as a Certified Personal Finance Counselor. Over a two-year period, Hollis counseled thousands of clients who were drowning in debt and in need of financial guidance. She also conducted workshops on budgeting and credit for local community organizations and New Jersey State welfare to- work programs. Hollis lives near the Jersey Shore, and when not working with local nonprofit organizations or promoting financial education for women, she pursues her interest in martial arts. She has a black belt in both karate and taekwondo."