Girls Just Wanna Have Funds: A Feminist Guide to Investing

by Camilla Falkenberg, Emma Due Bitz, Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen

Start your journey to financial success with Female Invest's bootcamp for safe, smart and sustainable investing.

Are you one of the 68% of women worldwide earning less than a man doing exactly the same job? Then you need to make your money work harder, starting now. The trio of founders behind the global movement Female Invest bring you an empowering guide with a straight-talking you don't have to be an expert or a millionaire to make money. Simply equip yourself with easy-to-follow golden rules and tools to find your confidence and open up a whole new world of opportunities. Whether you want to master the art of setting realistic goals, demystify jargon and markets, gain independence, or finally get excited about your financial future, find all the answers you need and more with this comprehensive guide.

Genres: Nonfiction, Finance, Self Help, Money, Feminism, Personal Finance, Business

219 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 29, 2022

Reviews

[Taylor Ball · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely horrible. I would not recommend to anyone. I was excited about this book but it was a mess. It skimmed over important financial concepts and at times gave very harmful advice. The authors shared research about how investment bankers on Wall Street performed worst than “monkeys throwing darts at stocks” and then, rather than encouraging women to invest in ETFs that reflect the market, they instead argued that “hey, don’t worry if you don’t know what you’re doing! No one does”

The whole book felt like instructions on how to get women to lose their hard earned money. They encouraged women in retirement to invest their life savings into hand picked stocks even though there is not a sufficient time span to get a return on investment. They addressed ESG but skimmed it and recommended new investors look at the UNSDGs - a framework which isn’t at all related to investments. No mention of UNPRI, SASB, GRI or TCFD. Why mention ESG at all if you’ll end up simply promoting greenwashing due to the surface level explanation?

Overall, the advice was awful. The structure of the book was worse, they consistently gave advice before exploring the underlying concepts which made it hard to follow.

This is probably the 10th finance book I’ve read. I tried to look at this book from a beginner’s lens but even with this perspective, I would not recommend this book.

4.5 hours on Kobo

[Rachel Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good reference for beginners but I was expecting a little bit more depth to it.

[scl.ashx · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I would learn something life changing, but nope, it's just a basic guide that drives through ABCs of finance and budgeting while dropping in "women's" need, wants, power to make it actually relevant to the book's title.

[Not Quite A Bookshop · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to both managing your finances and moving on to investing. If you have an understanding of budgeting and basic finance then the first part of the book will be too basic. The info is concise however at one point the author contradicts themself as to going with your gut when investing. I was hoping for something a little more in depth hence a 3⭐️ review.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - As mentioned by others, good for beginners, but lacks depth.
Still, I think it's worth reading, and it's a good entry point to investing.

[Lorna Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demystifying and empowering! A great intro book. I will definitely be returning to it for reference once I actually have the money to invest!

[Patrícia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

Although this book hasn’t brought to me much knowledge in the field of technical finance, I think every woman should have a read at it!

Since I have a bachelor in management and a master in finance, I was already familiar with the concepts of the stock market and how it works. Nonetheless, this book was a smooth read with all the highlighted quotes and interesting facts about the gender financial gap.

However, if you don’t have an academic or professional background in economics, managements or finance, this is probably the best start point in your investment journey. It will bring you the knowledge necessary and the comfort for your kick-off. It covers all the topics necessary, from how the stock exchange works to behavioral finance. Also, the writers, who are investors with years of experience, share a lot of feedback and a list of great habits for people to practice in their financial lives which are definitely helpful.

I would like to highlight the importance and education this book brings on the concept of financial gender gap. This was by far my favorite aspect about the book!

“It’s not just about money. It’s about freedom, independence and the ability to life life on your own terms.”

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

If the graphics/texts weren’t this good I don’t think I would have rated it this high because it was a dry topic lol. It really only got into the meat of things the last 1/3 of the book. The intro was very broad. With that being said it was a good refresher on some things and I did learn some new things towards the end. It was very general advice that could apply to any age group

[Jodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up.
Just giving a nudge in the right direction and good kick start. Also made me revisit budget earnings pension etc.

[Rita Moreira · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish there was less on investing and more on feminism.

Interesting for those who are not familiar with the financial field.

[Miguel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I consider this a version of financial irresponsibility. It's very short (like a 3 hour audiobook) and gives the most surface level approach towards personal savings and investment. And all the while wrapped up in a vague notion of 'women power' (wheeeeee!). There's no meaningful insights to be gained here, and worse she crams in Crypto coverage as if it's just another run-of-the-mill investment choice rather than the toxic sludge that it is. Look, once you have your spending under control with a budget, look up the FAQ on a Bogleheads forum as it would be much more useful and coherent than whatever this attempted to be.

[Bridget Mackie xxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened as an audiobook which was great. I wish the chapters were broken up into smaller chunks so I could go back and revisit bits that resonated, because a one hour chapter is a lot to skip back through! Awesome, thorough advice.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid book on the basics and how to start. Super accessible and tbh very cute and colorful. Lots of really great info.

[Sariya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good finance advice and really well presented. My only qualm was that it was very Australian-oriented obviously so parts were confusing/hard to understand as a Kiwi but super good to learn about nonetheless.

[thepurposeofcats · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good introductory text to investing particularly for females. Gives you the essentials to get started without pressuring one to do anything in particular but instead encourages to make your own decisions. Sometimes repetitive on descriptions and some key terms that were included in the glossary were not really mentioned in the main text (i.e. shorting). Nevertheless not bad at all.

[Chelsea Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant beginners guide to investing! I felt to inspired reading this, and it was such an easy and visual read too. Will definitely be recommending to all the women in my life 💸

[Cathie (ClassyLibrarian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not really what I expected. Lots of facts about the imbalance of women’s financial power vs men’s as well as empowering words, which was great. I feel as if the chapters touched on the surface of many monetary topics, piquing interest for further research. Loved the chapter on debt reduction.
Overall, a good starting off point into investing and financial freedom.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for anyone that wants to start investing, but doesn’t know where to begin. It doesn’t get super deep, but the basics are there to help you feel more confident. Also, this book is BEAUTIFULLY designed and laid out. For an industry that tends to get dry, dense, and confusing, the beautiful pages make the investment world a little more bearable.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the way this book broke down each individual step to building a diverse portfolio. I feel like I have a better grasp of what investing actually looks like.

[Raechel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid intro to investing and money management. I don't know if I'd recommend it if you don't know ANYTHING, but definitely good for newbies like myself.

I did feel like it went a little fast and could have gone over some info a bit longer.

[Vicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good for the basics for absolute beginners, but I was disappointed it didn't go deeper. I feel like the pretty colours and large fonts were compensating here. Girls can have pretty books that go beyond the surface.

[Jade Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has really enlightened and empowered me and I'd encourage everyone but especially women to read it, they should teach this stuff at school!
A brilliant, easy to read book!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for very beginners. Had some good elements but expected it to have a bit more depth. I ended up skimming a lot of it. An ideal audience would be someone with NO knowledge of investing.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, which was very informative. My first hurdle is having the funds to invest in the first place…

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Total gennemgåen af How-to investere. Både om kvinders historie ift. investering, hvad er investering, hvad betyder forskellige ting, hvilke måder man kan investere på, og hvordan man faktisk kommer igang.

Den virker super nyttig. For mit vedkommende gør den investering mere overskueligt. Det skal dog også siges, at jeg inden denne bog ikke havde viden omkring emnet, så jeg kan i virkeligheden ikke rigtig sammenligne den med virkeligheden ift. hvor brugbar og korrekt den er.

Den eneste grund til, at den ikke får 5 stjerner er, at den i starten er sådan “man skal ikke kunne læse regnskaber for at investere” og slutter med at være “ja, og så skal man lige læse op på de alle de her dokumenter omkring bæredygtighed og mål”. Det gjorde det en tand mere uoverskueligt.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro ha sido de mis mejores inversiones y ojalá lo hubiera leído antes. Aunque ya había aprendido un poco por mi cuenta por pura impaciencia, creo que me ha ayudado a establecerme y aclarar algunas dudas (también, a hacerme preguntas y a reflexionar sobre mis decisiones). Creo que la mayor parte de la vida, no nos damos tiempo a entender nuestra relación con el dinero y cómo influye en todas las decisiones que tomamos o que dejamos de tomar.

Me siento un poco más segura de mí misma y menos sola ahora mismo. Me ha gustado bastante el enfoque de la obra, aunque algunas de sus apreciaciones las veo más como simples opiniones y no tanto como una directriz a tener en cuenta, como las inversiones ESG.

[Christa Trombley · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who don’t know much about “finances” and think investing is a scary word, this is a great starter book. It gives background knowledge, tells you what you should do before thinking of investing, defines common investment terms and outlines avenues to investing, and provides a “how to” section to set you up with game plan. For those who need an intro to investing, it’s perfect. For those more advanced with their finances, it wouldn’t offer much. I’m already recommending it to women in my life to make sure more of us can feel in control of their financial health & their futures!

[Katie Wheatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because I was interested to learn about how we as women fit into and can benefit from the financial world – and it did not disappoint.

Not only does this book discuss and dissect topical and thought-provoking issues, but it also provides actionable steps to start your investing journey. It breaks the terms and concepts down in ways that are easier to understand, and this is the perfect push every woman needs to get started on their investment journeys.

This is my first five-star read of 2025 and I’d highly recommend to any woman in my life!

[Rachel Merrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would say this is overpriced for the quantity & quality of content. I also thought that if you were reading this completely new to investing then you might get the wrong impression that selecting individual stocks is the best option (which isn't true in my opinion). But, it was an easy read and I learned a few interesting things.

[Lise Højer Rømeling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super god og appetitlig introduktion til investering. Er vild med det feministiske projekt kombineret med den praktisk anvendelige trin for trin vejledning til investering - om alt fra tidshorisont og budgetlægning til forskellige typer aktier, investeringsforeninger og bæredygtigheds-fokuserede investeringer. En bog jeg vil låne ud til alle mine veninder - og en oplagt studentergave!