'The Smart Money Woman' is a book written by Arese Ugwu, a financial expert. The book navigates the life of five urban Nigerian women who live in Lagos. It is a unique tale of five different women and their relationship with money and each other.
The main protagonist is Zuri, a 26-year-old who earns six figures monthly but somehow manages to be broke before she can pay important bills. Zuri is a bag addict who spends recklessly on her wants, instead of her needs. She realizes the errors of her ways and embarks on a 'money-cleansing' journey to break out of the vicious cycle.
Tami is Zuri's extroverted best friend and a flighty fashion designer with a rich father. Unlike Zuri, who is independent-minded, she believes in a soft life funded by her daddy dearest and rich suitors. She is an engineer-turned-fashion designer against her father's wishes and she proves him right by failing to show a concrete profit in her business, despite having celebrities and important persons as her client.
The third friend in the circle is Lara, a tough oil and gas executive, who manages money smartly. She is a tough nut to crack and seems to have everything figured out. She lost her father at a young age and had to live for her mother and siblings since then. She spends so much on her family that she has nothing left to pamper herself with. Her family, unfortunately, is not appreciative enough and keeps sucking her dry.
Adesewa is a conservative lawyer who is one of two married friends. She is the typical patriarchal wife who believes she is better than her single friends and exaggerates her husband's goodness to massage his ego and present a make-belief to outsiders. She is a badass at work but at home, she is a pushover who allows her irresponsible husband to walk all over her. She keeps a joint account with her jobless husband.
The last friend is Ladun, a pampered housewife, who spends her husband's money lavishing without saving or buying assets. She is the epitome of the soft life geng, who believes in 'my money is my money, his money is our money.'
Ladun sees the corporate world as a life of suffering and looks down on the mainland and mainland things, even though she comes from humble beginnings. Her husband is the sole provider of their immediate family unit. She has a loving husband, however, her father-in-law's death put a huge strain on their finances and they have to start from scratch.
The book explores themes of love, family, financial growth and friendship. Each character experiences a unique journey. Female friendship, sisterhood and solidarity are displayed, which is refreshing.
'Smart Money Woman' is financial literacy in the form of prose. One amazing feature of the book is the fact that the author explains some financial terminologies and gives free financial advice at the end of each chapter. That way, the readers learn efficiently and jot down points they deem necessary. It is, indeed, a must-read.
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