Let The Smart Cookies show you how to eliminate debt, spend smarter, save better, and achieve financial freedom—without sacrificing your social life or your sanity!

They were five dynamic young women: smart, successful—and secretly drowning in debt. Inspired by an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show on personal finance, Andrea, Angela, Katie, Robyn, and Sandra formed a money club, together developing strategies for turning their finances around. Just one year later they had dramatically improved their financial situations—and had made major developments in their careers, relationships, and life goals to boot. Their proven recipe for success has since been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, MSNBC, and in the New York Daily News.

How did they do it? These five women—with varied careers in marketing, public relations, social work, and TV production—joined forces to create a fun, simple, effective strategy for achieving financial success, forming a money club and supporting each other every step of the way. Now, in this extraordinary hands-on guide, the women, who soon dubbed themselves The Smart Cookies, share the secrets of their success.

Weaving anecdotes from their own lives with practical, how-to advice, The Smart Cookies offer strategies that cut across the financial spectrum, whether you’re deeply in debt or just want to manage your money better. Tackling the unique financial challenges facing women today, they offer easy-to-follow advice on everything from creating a spending plan to boosting your income to starting your own money club.

"In 2006, a group of 20-something women saw an episode of Oprah that featured financial experts offering advice on paying down debt. Though all five were outwardly confident in their careers and goals, they were secretly drowning financially; between them, they had a combined $35,000 in credit card debt and barely any savings. Inspired by what they'd seen, they started a money group and took responsibility for educating themselves about spending (and saving) habits, goals and investments. Within a year they made great strides: they'd added thousands to retirement accounts, paid off more than $15,000 in credit card debt, saved more than $15,000 and had all bought or were well on their way to buying homes. The enterprising authors address the nitty-gritty of goal-setting, negotiations for raises, debt management and mortgages, and their plainspoken, encouraging style and helpful breakdown of information make this the perfect gift for recent grads — or anyone who needs convincing that financial health is attainable." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Anyone who's afraid to take hold of her financial life should grab this inspiring book with both hands. These five women, who started as a 'collective financial mess,' turned their situations around in less than a year. They can show you how to do the same."—Liz Pulliam Weston, MSN Money columnist and author of Deal With Your Debt and Easy Money

"Smart Cookies is a great motivator for anyone looking to sharpen their financial skills and shine a bright light on their financial life. Witty and insightful, this book shows people how they can band together and achieve their financial wishes by getting those dirty little money secrets out in the open and working in concert with one another. It's a great read."—Howard S. Dvorkin, founder of Consolidated Credit Counseling Services, Inc., author of Credit Hell: How to Dig Out of Debt

“A perfect gift for recent grads—or anyone who needs convincing that financial health is attainable.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

This fresh, accessible guide shows women how they can get a grip on spiraling finances and manage their money--without sacrificing a fabulous lifestyle.

The Smart Cookies have been meeting since March 2006. As five fabulous women who appeared to have it all, each shared a major financial problem she was hesitant to reveal. When The Smart Cookies created the money club, they barely knew one another but today have become close, committed friends and business partners. With support, accountability, and simple strategies for attracting more money, they managed to turn their financial picture around in under a year. Andrea, Angela, Katie, Robyn, and Sandra reside in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are passionate about helping women everywhere start money clubs and begin talking about money.

Jennifer Barrett has written about financial issues for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Newsweek, where she is currently a general editor. She lives in New York City with her husband, Victor Ozols, and their son.