From the founder of Money with Katie, a leveled-up finance guide for ambitious women everywhere—and a rallying cry for a new money movement
Women experience money differently than men do. In the United States, women have only 55 cents for every dollar of wealth held by men, are more likely to end up in poverty following a divorce, and are less likely to retire with the resources they need. What can women do to build wealth and claim financial power in a system that wasn’t designed for them?
Katie Gatti Tassin, personal finance writer and host of the popular podcast The Money with Katie Show, has built an energized following of smart, ambitious women seeking a deeper understanding of the financial issues that affect them. In Rich Girl Nation, Tassin deconstructs the unique challenges women face on their journey to financial freedom, offering context and nuanced guidance on money matters
• Performing a budgetary “Hot Girl Detox” • Proven salary negotiation strategies that effectively navigate gender bias • Investing frameworks that make you the leader of your financial life • How (and why) to create a prenup • Preparing and saving for childcare efficiently • Retiring independently (and in a tax-optimized way)
Packed with scrupulous research and Tassin’s trademark wit, Rich Girl Nation uncovers the real story behind our financial system and shows us exactly how to thrive within it while we fight for broader change. It’s time for women to unite in unapologetic financial autonomy with the net worths to show for it—and to change the playing field not just for ourselves but for the next generation of Rich Girls, too.
I felt like this book was geared towards Gen Z women. Katie does give some good advice, but a lot of it didn't apply to me; therefore 3 stars for me.
If you are a younger woman looking for advice on paring down your expenses, and succeeding in your career, your marriage, and with your kids, this is a great no-nonsense book to help get you started on managing your finances better.
Ugh, can the vapid trend of referring to grown women as girls PLEASE end??? It's quite obvious that the young author is trying to seem friendly, but unfortunately she doesn't understand that using demeaning names undermines her supposed feminism. I also cannot stand the millennial "I'm so cool and edgy, not like those boring finance people" language she uses: besides referring to adults as "girls", she also likes to say "damn" and "whole-ass." (As in, "involving another whole-ass human.")
This is also clearly aimed at people who are already rich; the author says that the average income of her readers is $180,000! She also doesn't seem to like people who don't make as much as she does: when speaking of the Hot Girl (again with the girl!) beauty appointments she makes, she doesn't express any concern over what they cost--only that she felt "uncomfortable" with having to tip.
Then there's the fact that the author has ZERO credentials related to finance. She started a blog and fake-feminized her way to being rich. Let's just say it: she has this platform because she is young, white, skinny, already wealthy, and conventionally attractive.
This is supposed to be a finance book, but the first 10% is a run-down of the history of the beauty industry. There are also multi-page histories of the wedding industry, childcare industry, and equal pay fight. I guess since she has no actual financial knowledge to put in her finance book, she needed to flesh out the page count while boosting her faux-feminist message. Every single word in this book has been said ad nauseum for decades. This is quite obviously an ego-booster for Katie, who can now call herself an author (not to mention the money she is making off of repackaging already-known advice given by actual experts).
Nothing is here is realistic. Katie says the optimal savings rate is 40%. The average savings rate in the US? LESS THAN 4%. All her examples on compound interest, savings, etc have wildly out-of-touch imagined incomes: $100,000 and 400,000 (her actual example is "If you're a TikTok star who makes $400,000 a year, then do this....") are common yearly incomes. She brags about how she spends $100,000 a year and how she and her husband together make $300,000 a year. (This puts them in the top 5% of earners.) She scolds women for falling prey to the wedding industry that makes the average wedding costs $30,000 and punishes guests by having the pay for travel...after saying she spent $50,000 on her wedding and made her guests travel to a different state.
Like all books in the millennial money advice market, this book exclusively relates to women working in corporate jobs. She talks about negotiating salaries and raises and how to make more money when starting your own business. As one of the tens of millions of women who works a full-time job where salary cannot be negotiated, tiny raises are steps based on years of experience and amount to $200 a year, and who has too much integrity to start a business to profit off of people who can be conned into thinking that they're getting something new and not something that's already freely available on the internet....there's just nothing here for me. Katie thinks everyone is already rich and just looking for a cute "girl" to tell them what to do.
As a longtime listener of money with Katie, I felt like this book was not written for me. I wanted to buy it because I want to support Katie. She provides a ton of free content that has benefited me greatly. I recommend her podcast all the time But the book seemed like it was for people who have maybe never listen to her podcast? I will probably give it away to a friend who has never listened to her. I also think younger women might get more out of this. I think it is well done but it just isn't for me
I don’t want to badmouth Katie because I honestly enjoy her podcast, which is both informational, intellectual, and educational. I’m sorry to say that this book felt very coded with flippant privilege. The book would be sensible if you are young, make 6 figures in an affordable city, unmarried (cause if you are married, prenups don’t apply), don’t have kids (she’s very pro-women but I think the caregiver perspective is understandably.. lacking..), and until this point, have been frivolously wasting money on luxuries. The narrow target makes this book feel.. grifty. (I’m so sorry, Katie!!) Reader: if you want this info, it’s on her website, it’s in her podcast, it’s not new. The book references so many other books, that— just go read those other books! But you know what, if you’re in the target, it’s still a fun read because it still has her snark and personality, and is a good beginner crash course.
Are you looking for nuanced, yet super practical, financial advice from a funny, charismatic author whose writing doesn't shy away from the difficulties that, in particular, women face in this f-ed up system called capitalism, and still somehow leaves you feeling totally capable and inspired to take control of your finances and achieve your most ambitious money goals?
I waited a long time for this book to come out and it was everything I expected plus more. Katie is seriously my hero and reading her book felt so empowering and refreshing. Since I am an avid listener of her podcast, I felt like this book was written by an old friend :) I highly recommend everyone read this so we can all start gaining a better understanding of the importance of money both in our personal life and within the structures of society.
From a “I want to learn how to manage money” standpoint this is realistically 3 stars, good tips if you’re starting at zero and some finer points here and there, but I actually really enjoyed the chapters on women and money in society. She’s also a great narrator, so we round up
As someone who engages with a lot of personal finance content, this is the one book I want to give to every twenty or thirty something year old woman that I love. PLEASE read this if you're on the fence!
In the era of girl math and marrying rich, I think Katie has bottled something so poignant for young women in these seven chapters. From planning for career changes, marriage, kids, and retirement - she covers the spectrum of personal finance advice that is relevant to young women today, in a way that is approachable for beginners yet also scalable to experts (the second half of the investing chapter had my head spinning).
I've been a long time fan of the Money with Katie show, and I think she does a great job of balancing her interests in individual action with the realities of the systemic injustices that hold women and minorities back in modern day America. And somehow she makes it fun? I know this is one I'll revisit time and time again.
I’ve been following Money with Katie on Instagram since 2022, using her wealth planners for last 2 years, and still found solid personal finance nuggets in this book. For example, I had no idea you could use future HSA funds to pay for any previous medical expenses (with receipts obvi). Thanks, Katie!
Her tone is frank, pragmatic, and witty to help the spreadsheets go down. She seeks to reiterate if not find the balance between our current and future selves and navigating the US’s current financial climate while encouraging systemic change that would more effectively improve individual and societal ROI.
Highly recommend for women, their partners, and anyone curious about how the hell they can afford their preferred lifestyle, a wedding, children, and retirement. You can also follow her @moneywithkatie on instagram if reels and stories are your preferred media.
I’ve been following MWK for years now and I loved listening to her book. She gives money advice that is relatable to women (especially in their twenties) and digs into systematic issues that tend to disadvantage women financially. Although she can’t solve those problems, she provides tactics on how to set yourself up for success in spite of them. Highly recommend!
"The number one thing that empowers women is access to capital"
I wish this book was available to me in my early twenties. It is insane the disparities and double standards women face with money vs what men experience. Highly recommend all women read this or at least educate themselves on finances because knowledge is power.
This book will be a future re-read and tool as I continue on the road to FIRE.
a fantastic personal finance book for women (and should absolutely be read by men married to/partnered with women!). i’ve been a fan of katie’s podcast for years, and this book is a great look not just at the importance of personal finance and a fantastic breakdown of how to save and plan and use your money to live, but it’s also great commentary on how society is built around the unpaid labor of women, the gendered care work that leaves people (especially women) underpaid.
the hot girl hamster wheel chapter was where i struggled most—i think katie is making a big argument against spending on beauty, but seems to flip flop a bit on where she lands there.
great great book and necessary reading for everyone.
I’m a big Money with Katie fan - I really like and definitely recommend her instagram, podcast, and wealth planner (as a spreadsheet psycho I’m obsessed with this one!). I think she has a great perspective, and although she focuses on women I think there’s great advice for everyone in here. She’s great at setting context and reminding readers/listeners that we live in a very flawed system and she critiques that system but still gives advice to do well within it. The book reads very quick and easy, even though it has a lot of numbers and examples in it. I knew a lot of what was covered, but still learned some new things. I always find the content review with a fresh perspective to be nice and she includes some very actionable tips as well. Definitely recommend for both finance savvy individuals and those dipping their toes in!
As a regular listener of the Money with Katie podcast, I knew I’d enjoy her first book. While much of the content reflects her podcast catalog, I appreciated all the information in one place. A great read for those interested in establishing a strong financial foundation, as well as reflections on the intersection of women, capitalism, and personal finance. I listened to the audiobook but would recommend a print copy to more easily reference recommendations and action items.
Katie is my favorite finance person, and I plan to buy this book for all the women in my life. Getting married? Here's a book! Graduating college? Here's a book! Starting a business? Here's a book!
It terrifies me how many women running small businesses like mine do not save or invest.
Funny, Zillennial-coded, practical advice, while also being a quick and accessible read. This book balances some of the nitty-gritty numbers involved in personal finance, while also acknowledging the broken systems that unfortunately make this kind of advice necessary in the first place.
By no means was this a profound lesson as it’s a lot of stuff I think anybody in our shoes that thought to listen to this already knew, lol but it did make me feel very empowered and to review and check some of the decisions I have or have not made
An informative read on personal finance with a clear acknowledgment of the unique experiences of women with money. Recommend for Gen Z/Zillennial women who want to beef up their personal finance knowledge and be in community with likeminded women.
I really enjoyed this book! I had never heard of Katie- I saw this book at my library. Most of the concepts were pretty basic but I really enjoyed the specific sections about financial implications or benefits of marriage, and her concept of maximizing tax deferred investing and using the tax savings to invest elsewhere. I also appreciated the other books and works she mentioned throughout the book.
3.5 rounded up because I like the podcast. I think some of the chapters were great - specifically the first and the Hot Girl Hamster Wheel. But it seems like Katie assumes you know both too little and too much at times. The book was very short and I think it could have benefited more from some more basic chapters. Or even just rearranging chapters? I would honestly just recommend someone listen to her podcast instead of reading the book.
The lens in which this book is written is too narrow to reflect my experience or be majorly useful to me. But there was a handful of good suggestions and education that I summarize at the bottom.
The majority of the advice pertains to career professionals working in corporate america or white cishet women from upper/middle class backgrounds.
All of the advice about tax and budgeting basically goes out the window for wage workers. She also spends a lot of time discussing the wage gap for women and discussing salary negotiation and strategies which does not apply to wage workers. She briefly mentions the fact that closer to minimum wage gender disparity decreases because minimum wage is an equalizer and states that unions are the most valuable tool for achieving pay equity - but does not discuss unions or the working class in this book.
She spends a good portion of the book discussing the predatory beauty industry, positing that women should divest from a system that harms women and signals wealth (and whiteness/supremacy I was thinking). She says if you cumulatively invest all the money you would spend on maintaining beauty standards you would have much more money for retirement. But then goes on to describe budgeting for a $50,000 wedding that she regrets.
This book honestly was an interesting read to learn about how privileged white women are normalized to spend their money. It had me going “wow, people live like this?” constantly.
Reading this does make me want to further investigate how the patriarchy has shaped capitalism from better sources. And learn more about unions. Open to recommendations!
The most useful information I learned:
- Target date ETF funds are relatively new inventions that simplify retirement investing. They specify a retirement year and automatically rebalance themselves to a more conservative investing strategy as that date approaches allowing for a more hands off, self maintaining system that maximizes its own returns and while managing risk.
- Small cap ETFs allegedly have higher average returns than mid and large cap funds
- Dollar cost averaging yields greater returns than buying the dip over time, allegedly according to studies
- People are bad at comprehending long term goal planning. You need to decide a schedule of keeping tabs on your personal finances that works for you. (As someone who has a lot of money anxiety checking every day is not working for me).
- Idea: A quarterly balance report to track progress towards long term goals, save rate, net worth, account balances
- Idea: A slush fund to accommodate for fluctuating income, that can be filled and pulled from on lower earning months
Interesting facts:
- Women were not allowed to own their own bank accounts without a man’s permission until 1974
- Women CEOs only outnumbered CEOs named John as of 2023 (I think in fortune 500s)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
As someone who is very financially literate, this book was definitely more of a “fun” read for me. At 23, I can certainly see how this book could be transformative for others around this age range (mainly early 20s to early 30s), however having all the knowledge I do, much of it was redundant to me.
If your “special interest” is personal finance, and you’ve been consuming mid to high level educational content for a while now, I’d recommend it as more of a recreational read. However if you’re just getting into the space/have very little to a decent amount of knowledge on personal finance, I definitely recommend giving it a read.
Especially if you’re American, it covers basically every topic that is relevant to a “modern” woman. I find that other personal finance books often miss the mark addressing roadblocks that gen-z and millennials are facing in the current economic environment, while the “woman” aspect of it is neglected entirely.
Being an avid listener of Katie’s podcast, this was the gap the book was meant to fill, and it does so incredibly well.
Personally, because of the above knowledge mentioned, and because I’m Canadian (Chapter 6 almost wholly doesn’t apply), it would be around 3.5-4 stars for me. However I know if I was just starting out on my journey, I would likely give it a 5 star rating for its breadth, perspective, and relevance in 2025. Thus, I’ll leave it on a nice middle ground of 4 stars.
Not just a “how-to” personal finance guide (although there’s a lot to offer on that front), Katie focuses on strategies for building overall finances freedom - hello early retirement. She also delves into the inequities of our system that disproportionally impact woman, which although not surprising, was thought provoking and motivating. Worth a read for anyone looking to level up their personal finance game.
This is by far the best personal finance book I've ever read. It's strategic, thorough, engaging, and all the while entertaining. Katie delves deep into the gendered dynamics of money and offers practical advice for carving out a space to thrive under the weight of an unforgiving and cruel-by -design capitalist society.
A few gripes: many of the examples provided in this book use young people with fairly high levels of household income (e.g., $150k+ for single earners, $300k dual earners). It sure would be a hell of a lot easier to save / invest if we were all pulling those types of numbers.
The rallying cry throughout the book seems to be "You gotta find a way to increase your income!" and like...of course ? People don't have low incomes by choice (which she does acknowledge). Often the biggest struggle is precisely the lack of money to begin with and no discernible path for making more. Not everyone is on the corporate fast track to Director-level roles in Fortune 500 companies. But I digress.
Overall the message and guidance is sound and empowering.
From being one of the first 2,000 followers of @moneywithkatie to seeing what she’s accomplished now 5 years later it was a joy to read this book and see the concepts I had read about and talked about and sent to multiple people explaining why traditional 401k is better (if you want the links I gotchu) among other topics expanded in book form to reach a much wider audience
There were specific phrases I know she kept the same because I read those articles on the site over and over and it made me smile to read them in physical media
I discovered Katie at the right time for me, quite literally as I was starting my first full time job, and while I did have some finance background and knew I had to max out my Roth IRA and pick the most aggressive plan I could, she made personal finance funny and interesting and accessible to a young woman who had an idea of where to start but not exactly how to fully execute, and I’d like to say over the years I’ve done what she asked and have invited my friends along with me:’)