Our experts answer readers’ investing questions and write unbiased product reviews (here’s how we assess investing products). Paid non-client promotion: In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners. Our opinions are always our own. Rachel Rodgers, author of “We Should All be Millionaires” says women are constantly told that they are not good with money. She completed a survey that concluded with 90% of high-earning, successful women saying they do not feel confident making decisions about money. There are steps that women and everyone else can take to establish financial confidence and security. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. download the app Self-made millionaire Rachel Rodgers‘ community of “thousands of women entrepreneurs” have a median income over $100,000. But when she asked if they felt confident in making money decisions, she was shocked to learn that 90% of those surveyed said no. Rodgers found that even smart, accomplished women earning six figures they had still internalized what society told them about women and money. In her book, “We Should All Be Millionaires,” Rodgers found that men and women receive totally different messages about money through media and society in general. She writes, “in media geared towards men, the messages assume financial success and encourage men to invest, spend, and take financial risks in order to achieve power.” Women often receive the exact opposite message. “Women are encouraged to maximize their economic contributions through forms of thrift like saving small sums, earning small amounts, or finding a means of financial support, like women can’t support themselves,” she writes. Everyone should be confident in how they handle their money, but women even more so. According to AARP, women are 80% more likely to find themselves living in poverty during retirement — so it’s especially important that women gain control of their money and consistently build wealth. Here are three tips to feel more confident in your money and building wealth: 1. Focus more on investing, not just saving Women have always been savers, but there needs to be an increased focus on investing. The difference between the two is that investing has the ability to compound and grow your wealth over the long term. Women have come a long way, but there are still challenges: the gender pay and retirement gap, increasing costs around child and elder care, and even the pink tax (yes, this is still a thing). Investing can be a key step in overcoming these challenges. It is OK to start small with investing; the important part is to get started. Make sure that you are contributing to your employer 401(k) and work your way up to investing 15% to 20% of your gross paycheck overall. If you are not attached to a corporate employer, start investing in an IRA. With a Roth IRA, money is allocated for retirement after taxes, so your investment grows tax-free. 2. Build that emergency fund I cannot stress this enough. Having a well-funded emergency fund is the first step in building financial security and confidence. Start with any amount that you can, with a goal of accumulating six to nine months of expenses that will protect you in the event of a job loss, unexpected illness, or family emergency. A high-yield savings account is a good place to store this fund, so it can earn interest while remaining liquid. Living paycheck to paycheck is the No. 1 way to bring about financial anxiety. The probability of facing some kind of financial hardship for most of us is pretty high, so prioritizing emergency savings is crucial. 3. Get out of debt Being in debt with credit cards, personal loans, student loans, or anything ese is what makes you feel like you have more month than money. Paying down debt is the first step to paying yourself first and immediately putting more money in your bank account. A good strategy is to pay down high interest debt first, then tackle lower interest rate debt. This is called the “debt avalanche.” The “snowball” method is another strategy, where you clear your lowest balance debt first to build momentum, then focus on the next lowest-balance debt until all of your debt is paid off. Jennifer Streaks Senior Personal Finance Reporter and Spokesperson Jennifer is a Senior Personal Finance Reporter and Spokesperson for the Personal Finance vertical at Business Insider. She started her career covering personal finance at Black Enterprise Magazine, went on to CNBC where she covered personal finance, women and money and tech and then Forbes, where she reported on personal finance, business, tech and money matters related to the economy, investing, credit and entrepreneurship. Jennifer is also the author of Thrive!…Affordably: Your Month to Month Guide to living your Best Life without breaking the bank. The book offers advice, tips and financial management lessons geared towards helping the reader highlight strengths, identify missteps and take control of their finances. In addition, she has extensive experience as an on-air financial commentator and has been a featured expert discussing credit and savings, investing and retirement, mortgages and all things money and personal finance. She has an ability to discuss and simplify complex financial issues and make them easier to understand. Follow her on Twitter @jstreaks. 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