I say "take her," Leonidas. Most women--and I R one so I've talked to many--have no clue about what's going on outside their little sphere of interest...particularly if they have been housewives. And, frankly, I say that with some sadness....
I understand perfectly - especially the sadness. My wife, who was commercially successful as an artist in her teens, and was a banker when we married, basically turned over the family financial responsibilities to me after the kids came along.
That was against my wishes, but I just couldn't get her interested in the subject. Can't say that I blame her - if there was someone I really trusted to handle my finances I would love to let them take it off my hands in a moment.
Now that the kids are grown she's starting to come back around a bit and has expressed an interest in learning. It has been a small blessing mixed in with tragedy that her father's death last year has resulted in her receiving a decent bit of money to invest on her own. She's been forced to stretch herself a little in the education process - something that I've helped along as best I could.
So, in a timely manner, tonight's mail included an invitation for a seminar on IRA and 401(k) laws and strategies on distributions and investments. Since she is inheriting an IRA and a 401(k), I recognized a good opportunity. It's at a middling-decent steakhouse that I crossed off my personal list years ago, but it's really close to the house, and for free it can't be
that horrible.
She liked the idea and had only one question: "Are you hoping that the education is on IRAs and 401s, or how to pick apart the sales pitch for a bad investment?"
I told her that I hoped for both.
My desire is that this will be something to really fire up her interest. But I'm also looking to put a little scare into her, to get her serious about what she needs to learn. Not to the point that she's afraid of dealing with anyone in the financial industry, but to help her use knowledge to develop the self-confidence to say "no thanks" to a bad deal.
Anyway, there are three available dates in the middle of next month and she's going to take care of getting us registered. I will report back sometime later about our experience for all to enjoy.