DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR MONEY? * If your husband died, could you keep living in your current home? * Do you know how much money you have for retirement? * Are you afraid of becoming a "bag lady"? Many smart, competent women feel insecure about dealing with money. They delegate authority to their spouses or an adviser, or they pretend financial issues simply don't exist -- and at the same time they fear they will suddenly be left without money. But ignoring your financial safety can lead to disaster. Here, in plain English, are all the answers you need to feel secure about your future. The Money Club contains the lessons of a group of successful women who, despite their personal and professional achievements, didn't know enough about their finances. They joined together to learn what they needed to know, and now they share their knowledge with you. Here are all the answers you need for saving, investing, and planning for your future -- plus advice for every major financial transition in your life, from getting married to coping with widowhood -- presented in clear, easy-to-understand writing. Don't let your "bag lady fears" overwhelm you -- take control of your finances today with The Money Club! Publishers Weekly The book covers seemingly everything one needs to know to become secure financially. Meredith Kahn Harper's Bazaar Straightforward chapters give you all the info you need to keep your cash flow heading in the right direction. Marilyn Crockett is a First Vice-President, Investments, at Paine Webber in New York. She specializes in working with women business owners, and is an expert on retirement planning and estate management. CHAPTER I GETTING IT TOGETHER Founding The Club My husband confessed that he was having huge financial problems and hadn't been paying the mortgage. We were in danger of losing our home. We needed new advisors to replace the lawyer and accountant who'd let us slide into a financial chasm, and I wasn't sure how to use my own money to protect the two of us. Thank God I'd joined the club. I had networks to reach out to, people to consult. Best of all, when we got advice, I understood the issues. I had a confidence I'd never had before, and to my lasting pride, I'm the one who got us out of trouble. Every woman should have a club like this one. -- Anonymous From 1985 to 1995, the all-female investment clubs in America -- about 41 percent of the total number of clubs -- outperformed the all-male clubs (13 percent) by three to one. Today's women aren't meeting to make quilts. They're weaving financial safety nets. There are many investment clubs in America, but ours is unique. Thought at the beginning we spent most of our time on investments,that was simply to lay the foundation. We intended to branch out and educate ourselves about money and everything else that affected our financial lives. And that's just what we have done. When the women who would become The Money Club gathered in a Manhattan apartment for the very first time, there were eighteen people in the room -- married and single, widowed and divorced. Most were linked only through their friendship with Diane. On the jacket of the book are some of the charter members and others who became important to our success. They are: Top row, left to right: Vivian Serota, a glamorous, earthy, effervescent patron of the arts, has a diverse management and theatrical production background. She serves on the board of Daytop Village International addiction treatment centers and the Guggenheim's "Learning to Read Through the Arts." She is married and the mother of a married son and married daughter. Carol Levin, a women's activist, brings the pixie charm of Liza Minnelli, an offhand humor, and tremendous vitality to her beloved Women's O.W.N. (Optimum Wellness Now) and many other projects. She and her husband, the CEO of Revlon, have one daughter in high school and a married son and daughter-in-law who have followed them from Minneapolis to New York. Carol Safir, like her husband, Howard, the New York City Police Commissioner, former Fire Commissioner, and onetime Associate Director of the U.S. Marshal Service, has worn many hats, among them real estate agent and international business consultant. An auburn-haired "girl next door," she has a son fresh out of law school and a daughter who is a newly minted FBI agent. Carlyn McCaffrey has a wry wit and sharp mind that have earned her an exalted reputation among trusts and estates attorneys while her genuine concern has earned her the gratitude of her clients. A partner in the New York law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, she has a bicontinental relationship with her husband, who presently works in Europe. They have four adult children. Second row, left to right: Diane Steiner, with a dazzling smile and great determination, blends empathy and intelligence with a passionate commitment to her clients' rights that make her a top mat