Real Life Stories

According to money expert Jean Chatzky, one of the most common excuses women make for not taking control of their money is "my husband takes care of our finances." It's an excuse that's all too familiar for 48-year-old Kerry.

Kerry was a single mom working two jobs and going to school full-time when she met her husband. About six months before they married, Kerry says her husband-to-be took responsibility for the bills and finances. She thought she hit the jackpot and would never have to worry about money again. "I felt like I had been rescued," Kerry says. "Who wouldn't want someone to just ride in and make things easier and better?" Kerry says she gave all the bills and statements to her husband without looking at them.

The family moved to St. Louis after her husband received a promotion, and they decided that Kerry could stay home full-time. "[I] kind of felt like I'd paid my dues and now it was going to be my turn to maybe smell the roses a little bit," she says.

Then, Kerry's world was completely shattered when she says her husband asked for a divorce without warning. The couple had been in deep debt, and Kerry was left with no money and nothing to call her own.