Money may not buy you love but it certainly helps with life's other little luxuries. From shopping sprees to pension plans, ISAs to investments, money plays a crucial role in our present and future comfort. We may not like to admit it, but diamonds - or cold hard cash - really can be a girl's best friend.

So why, when women have much to celebrate, are we reluctant to talk about it? Why, when we have more wealth in our own names than ever before, do women take less interest in money than men? And why do we still feel that demonstrating an interest in finance is somehow... unfemenine? Because lets face it - for most of us, Prince Charming and his bank balance just aren't coming. If we want to secure our futures we're going to have to do it ourselves.

The good news is that it's not hard to do. Dealing with our personal finances is much, much easier than the financial industry would have us believe. Women tend to make better investors than men too - our instincts, so to speak, are on the money. All we need is a bit of know-how and the confidence to put it into practice.