Barbara Stanny

As the daughter of one of the founders of H&R Block, having money was never a problem for Barbara Stanny; knowing how to manage money, however, was a different story. She watched her father take control of financial matters concerning their home, so naturally, she assumed that when she married, she too would appoint her husband money manager of the family. And she did, leaving her husband in control of a sizable trust fund. After discovering that her husband misappropriated her savings, no once but twice, Barbara was given the shocking news that she was liable for a back tax fee her now ex-husband had amassed, a fee which almost left her insolvent.

In her first book, "Prince Charming Isn't Coming: How Women Get Smart About Money," released in 1997 and recently reissued for its 10th anniversary by Penguin Press, Barbara urges women to take control of their own finances and stop counting on a fictitious knight in shining armor. In addition to her own story, Stanny has interviewed financially successful women, ranging in means from moderate to wealthy, who also at one time were oblivious on how to wisely invest their money. Like many women, they were hesitant to invest because they thought that they didn't have enough with which to begin.

Barbara has synthesized her own ideas with those from the other success stories into what she calls "the Seven Realization of Financial Enlightenment." These insights are the integral part of each financial success story. Barbara is a writer, speaker, former career counselor, business owner and the and the author of four other books including Secrets of Six Figure Women and Overcoming Underearning which just came out in paperback. Her syndicated career column appeared in newspapers nationwide, and she hosted her own radio show, Job Talk, on KSOL-FM in San Francisco.