Young women, here is some advice:
Don't throw your hot, youthful selves away on young, financially unproven men. They may never become successes, and if they do, they'll probably just chuck you for younger models when you're too old to successfully compete again in the marriage marketplace.
Instead, marry rich guys while you're still taut enough to snag them. They may dump you, too, but at least you'll have nice, fat divorce settlements with which to pursue true love, or the pool guy, whoever comes first.
Notice I didn't say it was good advice.
But that is the gist of a new book, "Smart Girls Marry Money: How Women Have Been Duped Into the Romantic Dream -- and How They're Paying for It," by Elizabeth Ford and Daniela Drake.
"Rather than pursuing love, we suggest pursuing a lifestyle with a man you like, or admire and enjoy," they write. "But in any case, he should be a man with resources."
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Rescue me
The book is new, but the advice is probably as old as marriage itself. Maybe you've heard this old saying: "It's just as easy to fall in love with a rich man as a poor one."That reminds me of another chestnut: "If you marry for money, you will surely earn it."
The authors seem to have no qualms, though. They enthusiastically endorse gold digging and even take great pains to dismiss the notion that women can manage well financially on their own. You'll never earn as much as a man, they advise, and if you do succeed, you'll regret it. "Empowering ourselves economically can undermine our sexual power," they counsel.
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Betty Friedan is spinning so fast in her grave that she's augured herself down another 6 feet.
The book is laughable, of course. It diagnoses a legitimate problem: people rushing into marriage blinded by lust and romance, without enough talking about money. It's the same issue I discussed in "Get real: Marriage is a business."
But the authors prescribe exactly the wrong solution by advising women to seek out a gold-plated Prince Charming. Ford and Drake explicitly endorse the secret fantasy entertained by too many women: that someone or something will rescue them from having to deal with their own finances.
"That's such a hurtful message," said financial writer Jennifer Barrett, a co-author of "The Smart Cookies' Guide to Making More Dough." "It plays into these fears that (women) can't manage their own money and have their own life without supplementing it with a man."
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Love and moneyGetting married can have a dramatic impact on your finances. Before you say 'I do,' make sure you and your mate are on the same page.
Money can disappear
Then there's the other problem: Gold digging often doesn't work. Daddy Warbucks can die, lose his money or show you the door right before a sunset clause in your prenuptial agreement qualifies you to share in his wealth.In Barbara Stanny's case, handing over the financial reins to her husband meant losing a fortune after he gambled away the heiress's wealth and fled the country, leaving her with a $1 million tax bill.
The experience prompted her to write her first book, "Prince Charming Isn't Coming: How Women Get Smart About Money," and embark on a lifetime of teaching women to manage their own financial lives.
"When you take charge of your money," she said, "you take charge of your life."
That doesn't mean you have to go it alone. You just have to change Prince Charming's job description, Stanny said. "He's no longer our rescuer or our savior. He's our partner."
Continued: Growing richer together
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