Money Crashers: Men, Women & Money

In our household, I've always been the one to handle money matters. When we go shopping together, I whip out my card and pay the bill while Brian bags up the purchases. I always pay the monthly bills; even when Brian uses his own credit card that he had before we were married, he passes the bill on to me. And naturally, I'm the one to manage our budget sheet and handle all our investments.

The reason for this is simple: Brian just doesn't like dealing with money. He's happy to do all the cooking and scoop the litter box if it means he never has to worry about paying a bill. And I'm happy to handle all the financial matters if I don't have to cook, so that works out well.

Yet apparently, few men feel this way. Studies usually show that men are more interested in managing their money than women, and they're also more confident about their financial skills. Yet that confidence is often misplaced; men tend to invest more aggressively than women and, as a result, suffer bigger losses in the market. So overall, the less confident women actually earn marginally better returns than the men.

This is just one of the many ways men and women differ in their approach to money. In my latest Money Crashers article, I explore the differences between men and women on money matters of all kinds: spending, saving, investing, borrowing, and attitudes toward money. This article doesn't provide a once-and-for-all answer to the question of which sex handles money better—but it does show what they have to learn from each other.

Men, Women & Money – How the Sexes Differ With Their Finances