25 | Should You Get a Prenup? | Phoebe Maxwell

Connect with the Investor Mama Tribe Looking for ways to boost your income? Check out these resources to help you with your money journey. Bio Phoebe is a 39-year-old, child-free, divorced home-owner with no debt apart from her mortgage. She repaid her student loans early. Phoebe has previously invested in shares and had an investment property with her ex-wife when she was married. Having the investment property made the divorce much easier financially because both women left the relationship with the security of a place to live. Currently, Phoebe invests in P2P lending. She is making extra repayments to her mortgage and salary sacrificing 5.5% of her pre-tax salary to superannuation. This is in addition to the compulsory 9.5% company contribution. She would like to invest in property again and is using her mortgage as a savings vehicle. Phoebe is on the average Australian full-time salary. This year, she forayed into drop-shipping. That venture was unsuccessful, so she’s keeping an eye out for the next business opportunity. Phoebe plans to be able to retire at 50. Outside of being a finance geek, Phoebe enjoys spending time with her partner and pets, growing an edible garden, and attending board game meets. She values community and does her best to be a good neighbor. Food for Thought * Getting a prenup for people who are in an uneven situation can be extremely beneficial. *  When you go through a divorce, always treat the other person with courtesy, as a human being. If they don’t extend the same courtesy to you, well, I guess you don’t have a choice, but you have to lawyer up and fight for your rights. * If possible, try to keep things out of the courts. Remember that the person you are divorcing is someone you once loved and thought you’d spend the rest of your life with, someone you share a lot of happy memories with, and someone who has had your back at times. Try to hold onto that and treat them with respect Lightning Round 1. What is one fun fact about you that not that many people know? I worked in Italy for a few years in my twenties, teaching English as a second language class.   2. Who inspires you the most and why? Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, because she’s led that country through a lot of interesting economic and political times. She opened the doors to around 1 million Syrian refugees when all the other countries were turning them away.  I thought, wow, it’s a really brave thing to do. I also admire Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand.   3. What books are you reading now or have read and loved that you’d recommend? The Snowman by Jo Nesbo 4. What is one actionable tip or piece of advice that you can tell our moms out there to help them on their financial independence journey? For someone who has not started out yet, it could seem very daunting. The first thing I would recommend people do is to record their expenses for one month and keep them in a spreadsheet. That will give you a very good idea of where your money’s going so you can begin to make changes once you see how much you’re spending in each category. That’s an actionable step that’s not too daunting. Record your expenses for a month and go from there. Additional Resources * Free SalesForce 5-Day Challenge * Legal Zoom Contact, Jonas DeAnda: [email protected]; (855)-855-5207 ext: 5376 *