$avvy

$avvy, written and directed by Robin Hauser, is an important documentary about one of the most vital subjects every person needs to take seriously. At the same time, I was taken aback by many of the underlying claims. Why? Well.. I’ll admit it is because I’m a man, and this issue should not be one of gender, but it is and has been that way for a long time.

$avvy is all about empowering women to take responsibility and control over their personal finances. For millennia, women have abdicated their financial security to the men in their lives, specifically their husbands and partners. Wives and daughters were expected to sit there and do their wifely and daughterly duties while the men took care of everything else. The problem is when the men left the picture through death or divorce, the women were left in a deep financial pit, not knowing their bank account balances, or worse, the mounting debt that had been accrued.

“…women have abdicated their financial security to the men in their lives…”

The film lays out the harsh financial realities, guiding its viewers through the horror stories associated with credit cards and student loan debt. It also preaches the importance of solid financial planning, the need to monitor one’s credit rating, the economics of divorce, and the value of that all-important prenup. One of the executive producers, Haley Sacks, gets in on the act producing several viral videos, including how simple it is to talk down your APR with the credit card company.

We follow the journeys of women who worked hard to get out of debt and help others do it too. Some women found themselves in abusive relationships and were bullied into handing over their money and assets to their abusers. Hauser even explores the financial exploitation of members of the LGBTQ community.