"There are many things I’m happy being just OK at. For my entire adult life, managing my finances has been one of them. I pay my bills on time, I don’t have credit card debt, and I can comfortably cover the bill at happy hour, most of the time. A good credit score and an account that only overdrafts sometimes? That’s always been enough for me. But as I’ve grown closer to 30 and become more comfortable talking to friends about money, I’ve realized that while there’s nothing inherently wrong with how I’ve been managing my money, I’ve only been doing the bare minimum.
“Not being good at money” is not an excuse for my lackadaisical (read: irresponsible) approach to personal finance. But the truth is, given my severe lack of financial knowledge, I’ve been paralyzed by not knowing where to start. I received a copy of Rich Girl Nation: Taking Charge of Our Financial Futures by Katie Gatti Tassin (Money with Katie), and to be honest, it was my lack of “readiness” to approach the topics in the book that ultimately convinced me I needed it more than ever.
Truthfully, I finished the book in three days and was dumbfounded by how much I didn’t know. In just 270 pages, Gatti Tassin gave me the wake up call I needed. Then, she outlined the framework required to get my shit together. Alongside hard truths about what it’s like to build wealth as a woman, Gatti Tassin shared advice that every woman, no matter how “good” they are with money, can apply. From deciding how much you can justify spending on manicures to how to advocate for your salary at work, and more, I’m sharing my favorite takeaways from Rich Girl Nation by Katie Gatti Tassin.
From the founder of Money with Katie, Rich Girl Nation is a leveled-up finance guide for ambitious women everywhere. Packed with scrupulous research and Tassin’s trademark wit, this book uncovers the real story behind our financial system and shows us exactly how to thrive within it.
Trying to “stay pretty” will cost you a lot of money
In the first chapter of the book, which is titled “The Hot Girl Hamster Wheel,” Gatti Tassin breaks down how much it costs women to remain “conventionally attractive.” The fact that the beauty and wellness industries thrive off of selling solutions to women’s “problems” was not news to me. However, I never once thought about how much I was spending to stay pretty, as Gatti Tassin puts it. $40 for a manicure, $30 for an eyebrow wax, and $50 for a new foundation doesn’t sound all that bad, but when you consider the fact that all of these things either run out or need to be kept up, their cumulative cost at the end of the year is choke-worthy.
Coincidentally, I listened to this chapter on a Saturday afternoon as I put makeup on. Instead of looking at my blush collection lovingly, I felt a little silly. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a girl, but keeping up a presentable appearance is insanely expensive. I never put much thought into that until Gatti Tassin urged me to get real about how much what I considered to be mandatory beauty upkeep ate into my finances. The realization made me the right amount of angry, just enough to convince me to make some changes.
Getting off the Hot Girl Hamster Wheel isn’t so simple, though. If you stop going to your salon appointments or stop wearing makeup, people might think you “let yourself go.” (A problem for another day.) What I appreciated about this chapter was that Gatti Tassin’s advice isn’t to stop everything cold turkey and say F the patriarchy, but rather to consider what you’re spending your money on in this specific category and why. Are you getting your nails done because you genuinely love it, or are you doing it so people think you look more put together? Are you blonde because it’s conventionally “hotter,” even though you might like your natural hair color, too? The solution, as Gatti Tassin encourages, is not to start cutting your own hair. Rather, it is to do a Hot Girl Detox, which is to take a hard look at your spending, admit why those expenses are really there, and then decide where the money could be better allocated to benefit future you.
If you want financial security, you have to speak up
I’ve made a big-girl income for eight years now. While it has served me well, I spent years counting on my parents for help, and later, splitting bills with my partner. I’m embarrassed (but know I’m not alone) to admit that I fully panic at the thought of having to pay for life all on my own. We all want a higher salary and financial security, but for me, that has always felt a little out of reach. The next three chapters of the book emphasized that my lack of confidence in my ability to support myself is a direct result of not 1) advocating for myself in the workplace, and 2) prioritizing financial independence. However, since Rich Girl Nation is rooted in Gatti Tassin’s personal experience, and she, too, had to learn these lessons not too long ago, seeing the other side started to feel doable.
“If I want to feel stable on my own and help my family feel financially secure, I’d better learn how to ask for more money—and then know what the hell to do with it.”
While I’ve done my fair share of salary negotiations, I’ve mostly operated on a “it is what it is” mentality. I like my job, they’re able to offer a certain number, so that’s what I get. What am I supposed to do about it? Well, Gatti Tassin made clear that while I can’t necessarily control the market rate for my position, I can control my perceived value. More than that, I can use more informed and strategic tactics (like negotiating for a better bonus structure) in these conversations so I don’t leave money on the table. I know that money isn’t everything, but it can’t be ignored that there is a correlation between wages and stability. If I want to feel stable on my own and help my family feel financially secure, I’d better learn how to ask for more money—and then know what the hell to do with it. (Which I don’t! Shocker!)
I won’t pretend that the financial jargon in this chapter and the following one, titled “Knowledge Is Power,” didn’t go over my head. (Ironic, I know!) I skimmed through the nitty gritty tips on investing and tuned out when Gatti Tassin talked about taxes. But this just taught me one thing: There was a lot I didn’t know, and that was scary. I have to speak up and ask questions. I need to re-read the chapters and download the resources and charts that come with them (which are awesome, by the way). And I need to get serious about my financial future, because it’s no one’s responsibility but my own.
You don’t have to be rich to have financial freedom
Gatti Tassin points out that “Savings are what enable financial freedom.” That is not how I perceived financial freedom before. I always thought the only people with financial freedom were just really rich people. Like the people who got started on YouTube back when it was kind of weird. Instead, Gatti Tassin encouraged me to see it another way: Financial freedom has less to do with how much money you make, and more to do with how you manage your finances to support the things you value. Instantly, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. You mean I don’t have to climb the corporate ladder, sell my soul, or go viral to feel financially free? No. You just have to determine what you value and save and invest accordingly.
“Financial freedom has less to do with how much money you make, and more to do with how you manage your finances to support the things you value.”
In my world, this looks like saving for childcare without having to take on a second job, to which Gatti Tassin explains in detail. It also looks like retiring at a reasonable age, even though I’ve been ignoring saving for it, which she also outlines step-by-step. And paying off my student loans, which you guessed it, she also broke down in a way that actually feels doable. Before reading Rich Girl Nation, these goals seemed out of reach. I used to think that only if I were lucky would I be able to see a comfortable, debt-free life before I die (the drama, I know). But the reality is that financial freedom comes from being smart with the money you have now, no matter how much it is.
Anyone can have financial freedom, so long as they do the work to set themselves up for it. Maybe doing the work looks to you like asking for a raise, or maybe it looks like maxing out your IRA contributions. For me, it looks like rewriting the narrative that I’m not good at money. Gatti Tassin encourages that “Learning the language of money takes time.” One day at a time, one informed decision at a time, I’m learning how to take charge of my financial future, and by reading Rich Girl Nation, I was able to take an important step in the right direction.
Hailey Tagliarino, Assistant Managing Editor
As Assistant Managing Editor for The Everygirl, Hailey Tagliarino oversees, writes, and edits content across various categories on the site. From the pitching stage through publishing, she works alongside the team to ensure that the content that our readers see every day is inspiring, relatable, and timely.