The shelf · Ageing alone
Does Smart Women Finish Rich hold up?
Smart Women Finish Rich, by David Bach (1999)
A personal-finance programme aimed at women, built on goals and automatic saving.
The short answer
Yes. The pay gap and the longevity gap it plans around are both real.
The claims, checked
On average, American women earn about 80 cents for every dollar a man earns.
Holds with conditions For full-time, year-round workers the ratio was 80.6% in 2024 and 83.9% in 2025.
Evidence: US Census Bureau, 2026
Women live longer than men, so their savings must last longer.
Holds US women live 4.9 years longer at birth and 2.4 years longer at 65 (2024).