I'm a big reader of financial books and think Invest Like a Girl is an important guide for everyone interested in investing to learn about the ins and outs of an industry that often feels exclusive. We're not taught investing in school for a meaningful period of time that allows us to actively practice the art of investing, budgeting, and saving for retirement or an emergency. Invest Like a Girl lays out why women should actively work on their financial future--from a death in the family to unemployment. I've been trying to learn how to invest and it's taken me 50 years to learn the ins and outs, thinking I couldn't do so without it being tied to retirement. This book helps break down the process and how to take charge of your financial future.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great book for teaching financial literacy. I’ve already recommended it a few times to friends who don’t know where to start.

An approachable book for the first-time investor, Jessica Spangler speaks to her audience like the confused adult they are, but not in a condescending way because learning personal financial is just that, personal, and everyone starts somewhere so they shouldn't be mocked or shamed if they end up in the game "late". With that said, I found her to be a reassuring, knowledgeable voice that I returned to after reflecting on each chapter, I found myself less scared and frustrated with understanding, and entering, the stock market as a regular investor.

This is a great book for those who have mastered the budget and are ready to move on to the next steps. I do follow the author on Instagram so was familiar with her information. I would like to share that she is not a financial advisor and does mention that at the beginning of her book, but this might make some a little taken aback since they otherwise might be thinking she is. These types of books do help break the wall of investing for many, so it is worth taking a look. There is more depth in this one than others I have read which stop a tad too soon. Do know that anything taken from the book has risks so as she advises be willing to lose money if you plan on investing. Pair this one with I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Sethi or Financial Adulting: Everything You Need to be a Financially Confident and Conscious Adult by Ashley Feinstein Gerstley

This book provides fantastic resources and improves the reader's understanding of basic investment terminology and strategies while still being entertaining to read. A must read for many young adults to empower them to feel more confident making financial decisions and improving general understanding of being financially healthy in a changing financial environment. I agree with many other reviews that I do not think this book is specific to women as a sole audience and feel anyone beginning or refining their financial portfolio or that wants to learn more can benefit from this. The content is comprehensive and sound and there are tangible actionable steps catered to readers depending on their financial targets. Overall, a great read on a challenging topic and a good book to have for reference.

Thank you NetGalley and Rodale for this ARC in exchange for my personal opinions/review.

I am a super newbie so this book was good but still wanted more about specifics tools like Roth and traditional IRA in comparison to my 401K. Still it was a well rounded understanding of financial term and how to put together a balance portfolio. Would definitely recommend this book.

I really wanted to like this book, but I found it far too simplistic. Perhaps "like a beginner" would have been a more fair assessment as women are not necessarily new to investing. That said, there was some helpful information and I'd recommend it to a beginner, regardless of their gender. Kind of disappointing that titles like this are still a thing to be honest.

Everyone woman should read Invest Like a Girl by Jessica Spangler as she explains everything in relation to investing super clearly. This book sparked my interest as I wanted to learn about investing so that I could be more informed of my work 401k and personal IRA. I've never taken a finance class so going into this book I would consider myself to be a newbie, Jessica Spangler breaks every topic down to where it can be understood clearly. I liked that she gave examples of the different investing terms and how these terms fit together with real world investing plans. I walked away with a better understanding of investing and how to put together a well-rounded portfolio. This book I would recommend to any woman over the age of 18.

Ahhhh, investing! Did I jump scare you? Before this book, that would have been enough to scare me. People talk about investing like a club most don't have access to. That is, until, this book. Finally there's something that makes investing make sense. Do I feel like a pro? Not yet, but this book gave me more confidence than all of the hours I've lost doom-scrolling for investing ideas on YouTube. I'm grateful for the read! 5.

Introduction

Dr. Jessica Spangler is an award-winning money educator, emergency medicine clinical pharmacist and online business owner. With more than a million followers across social media platforms, Jessica aims to make personal finance easy to understand and accessible to all. Her work has been featured on CNBC and Yahoo! and in Finance and Insider, among other publications and websites. Invest Like A Girl: Jump Into the Stock, Reach Your Money Goals and Build Wealth (March 2024, Penguin Random House) is Jessica’s first book and it is all about getting your finances in order and how to invest smartly, or like a girl.

Plot Summary and Key Takeaways

Summary

Jessica Spangler first explains how she got into the finance world for women, it’s the story of her mom unexpectedly being thrown into the work world after the death of her father. She also explains some of her own financial journeys, including her own adult journey. She also goes over the difference between men and women, not only in the investment world but also the employment standard world.

The book is then broken down into two sections Building A Solid Foundation and Building Experience and Wealth. The book also includes worksheets, quizzes and a glossary.

In Building a Solid Foundation you go over:

Investing prep work

How to get out of debt and into the game

Explaining Investing vs Saving

Explaining all of the types of investments

Your Financial Goals, Management Style and Risk Tolerance

How to Create an Investment Portfolio

In Building Experience and Wealth, you are given 6 different types of investment profiles and who they work for. They are:

The Full Autopilot

The Lazy Luxury

The Fun Money

The 50/50 Split

The Dividend Queen

The Mega Mix

The Custom-Made

Key Takeaways

Having a handle on your basic finances is a prerequisite before starting the investment game

Being educated about the risks allows you to play the investment game smartly

Always take inflation into account when planning your financial goals

Pros and Cons

Pro
Formatting of the book
The book is formatted to cover the theory before the practical. Spangler makes sure that you have a firm foundation before going into more practical applications.

Language
The language used in the book is everyday language with large financial terms broken down into everyday use.

Connections
Spangler uses her own real-life examples throughout the book to help us connect with the topics we are discussing

Cons
American Context only
Spangler is American so the context and so not all of the topics apply to those outside of the country, alternate examples could have been mentioned.

Overall Assessment

Jessica Spanglers’s Invest Like A Girl: Jump Into the Stock, Reach Your Money Goals and Build Wealth was well put together in formatting, language and connections from life to the overall topics. The only drawback was the American context only, with no international examples given, though understandable. The book would be good for anyone who is really looking to get in on the ground floor of investing, regardless of gender. I would recommend this book to anyone who may be interested in getting started with investments or are looking to brush up their skills on it.

I wonder why in this day and age there are books with titles like this.... why isn't just invest like someone who is smart and want's to grow their money and create wealth.? Thanks for the opportunity to read.

This book introduces readers to investment terminology and strategies. I wish I had this years ago. I do not think this book is specific to women; anyone beginning or refining their portfolio can benefit from this. The content is comprehensive and there are options for actionable steps depending on the reader’s financial goals.

Thank you NetGalley and Rodale for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

With her empowering new book "Invest Like a Girl," Dr. Jessica Spangler provides women everywhere with an accessible entry point into the wealth-building power of investing. Blending sound financial advice with supportive encouragement, Spangler delivers a comprehensive guide tailored to helping women overcome common obstacles and take control of their financial futures.

Spangler, an experienced finance professional, packs the book with key definitions and practical tools for investment success while still maintaining an engaging voice. From clearly outlining how to calculate net worth to providing personalized quizzes and worksheets, Spangler creates a judgment-free zone where readers can safely enrich their financial literacy. Vital topics like managing risk, diversification through assets like stocks and bonds, and goal planning allow women to create fully customized strategies matching their needs and risk profiles.

While market volatility and the gender pay gap unfortunately still hinder some women from investing, Spangler provides a patient hand to help even novice readers confidently leap in. Through her simple yet profound guidance on concepts like starting small and taking advantage of company matches, she makes attaining investment returns feel wholly within reach. "Invest Like a Girl" inspires by revealing the transformative compounding effects consistent investing can bring over time.

Approachable yet packed with expertise, "Invest Like a Girl" belongs on the shelf of any woman seeking to shore up her financial foundations or anyone assisting them. Spangler has gifted women everywhere with the perfect primer for unlocking better futures through wiser money management. This book earns 5 stars for already impacting many fortunes for the better.

How much ever you know about investing, its good to keep reviewing your financial knowledge, take stock of your assets, liabilities, your investing approach and adjust as needed. Financial literacy has become more important than ever with inflation. This book is a good and accessible introduction as well as a long time companion as you have many stages and flavors of investing that will hange with your age, income profile.

Unfortunately there was nothing in this book that hasn't already been written a thousand times in a thousand other finance books. Not much specifically "for women", unless you count random facts about women's earnings over the years or the gender wage gap. Good book if you know absolutely nothing about finances. Not so much if you do.