very woman should ask herself the following questions:

• If my spouse came home today and said, "I'm filing for divorce," could I survive financially on my own?
• If I lost my job today, could I survive financially if I was not gainfully employed for three months?
• Am I listed in my spouse's will as the beneficiary, or is there a first spouse listed because no one made the necessary changes?
• Am I prepared financially for retirement?
• Am I expecting Social Security to be my sole financial retirement support?
• Do I have sufficient savings and investments to maintain my retirement?

Any woman who answered any of those questions with a resounding "NO" should list "Wealthy Woman - Wise Choices" as the next book on her "to read" list.

As Mark Twain said, "The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one."

According to personal financial expert and author Mary Grate-Pyos, the road toward financial fitness consists of small steps. For millions of women in America, it is a road less traveled. A large percentage of women either choose to do nothing, ignore the steps or believe myths about their position until faced with a financial crisis.

Grate-Pyos has written "Wealthy Woman - Wise Choices" with the hope of being the catalyst to empower women and move them toward financial freedom and out of confusion, complacency and frustration.

Through her own experiences, she has found that prosperity, abundance and wealthy living are goals that are achievable - by men as well as women. Yes, many women have been raised on the notion that the man will provide, and while the notion of chivalry is admirable, Grate-Pyos believes it is no longer realistic.

According to "Wealthy Woman - Wise Choices," a woman needs to know the whys, where, how and when about money management, no longer leaving it up to husbands, the government, her company, her parents or any other source. Why? Multiple reasons - such as divorce, widowhood, single marital status and bankruptcy - that women must deal with more and more. The first step is acknowledgement. The next step is to act and act now.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 75% of the elderly poor are women. Women make up 85% of occupants in nursing homes. Between 80% and 90% of women will be divorced or widowed in their lifetime. Women are living longer, but their retirement savings are not stretching to cover those additional years.

Grate-Pyos believes that women still remain unprepared for their financial future. Many believe they lack the necessary skills. This book offers an alternative to that uncertain future. It also articulately and intelligently breaks down myths like, "My husband will care for me," "Social Security will provide for me," "I can't afford to save and/or invest," and "I don't need to personally know all that much about money."

Its message is clear - women need to save and invest more than men because:

• Women live longer.
• Women tend to invest more conservatively, and their portfolios tend to earn less.
• Women leave their jobs more frequently than men.
• Women earn less than men.

How should they meet these challenges? Grate-Pyos' answer is all about choices and making the right ones. Wise choices build a foundation. Unwise choices chip away at that financial foundation with the burden of debt.

In the book, she defines wealthy living as having enough of all of the essentials in life - love, health, loving friends and family, spirituality and, of course, money. Enough is based on what you require. According to Grate-Pyos, the dollar amount is not key. The keys are discipline and having a financial plan.

Since choices are limited by knowledge of options, "Wealthy Woman - Wise Choices," serves to inform women of their options. It's for the novice saver as well as the seasoned investor.

Grate-Pyos introduces the "P.R.I.D.E. concept," a strategy for women that focuses their attention on five areas of money management:

• Planning and Preparation
• Retirement
• Investment
• Debt Management
• Education and Excellence

This play on words was inspired in part by the fact that most women take pride in their appearance, their family, their careers and their accomplishments. Managing their money wisely should be included as one of those accomplishments.

The author takes each of these five areas, devoting a separate chapter to each area's definition and the challenges each area presents to women, and offers viable solutions to mastering those challenges. It's an easy read, 90 pages from start to finish, with each chapter introduced by apropos quotes - some famous, others infamous.

Specific steps are suggested, and the steps are clear and concise and doable, no matter what your age or occupation. Grate-Pyos is clear about one point in particular: It's not one's income that determines one's fiscal status in life. Rather, it is how much one saves and invests on a regular basis. The key is recognizing there is a major difference between net worth and income.

Financial vocabulary is explained in lay terms, from mutual funds to dividend-reinvestment plans, from a front-end load fund to a back-ender. Grate-Pyos suggests other books by financial experts to support her recommendations and guidelines. The chapters devoted to investing, debt and education are especially informative.

Another key component to Grate-Pyos' success strategy is having the appropriate attitude about wealth. One insightful chapter of her book deals with an interesting approach to the psychology of wealth: how you think about money and how your expectations of it will manifest itself. Because of that belief, Grate-Pyos encourages women to make a mental shift as to how they view their finances and not underestimate the power of their minds. "Always speak in terms of prosperity, from the first step."

One message resounds throughout "Wealthy Woman - Wise Choices:" No matter the career or age or ethnicity of a woman, certain financial rules of wealth creation remain constant. If you spend less than you earn, you are beginning the first step toward financial empowerment.

Debt is bondage, and the borrower always will be servant to the lender. Make wise choices today to improve your financial situation tomorrow. If whatever you're doing isn't working, the time is now to make significant changes. Money may not cure all ills, but it does open the mind to creative solutions. And money with no vision is pure madness.

For many women, it's time to step off the sidelines and stop listening to their financial fears. It's time to stop allowing their finances to manage them. For a timely tool, invest in "Wealthy Woman - Wise Choices." As Mary Grate-Pyos says, "God bless the woman who has her own."

About the author:

Mary Grate-Pyos is a personal finance writer, a columnist for the Capital Spotlight newspaper in Washington, D.C., and a contributing writer for a number of newspapers and magazines. Her work has appeared in Today's Christian Woman, Ebony, the Milwaukee Times newspaper and the Coalition of Black Investors Newsletter. She has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Newberry (S.C.) College and a master's degree in business administration from Syracuse University and is pursuing a Certified Financial Planner license. She lives in Burke, Va., with her husband and son. "Wealthy Woman - Wise Choices" is her first book.