CENTS & NONSENSE:"Keep the diamonds, darling. I'll take the dividends," says Sinead as she pushes her glossy blonde hair from her face with perfectly manicured fingers.

"That's what's important to you?" he asks.

"Yes, it is. I don't like taking risks," she says firmly.

"Okay then, I'll remove the mining companies and add some steady blue-chip shares to your investment portfolio today, Ms Fitzpatrick."

This excerpt from Dream a Little Dream, an imaginary romance novel, might not be the most compelling but it's realistic, according to the findings of a much discussed Irish Times' recent Women Today poll.

Women love money more than love. More precisely, "65 per cent of women rank financial independence as a very important item in their lives, followed by personal care such as skin or hair (57 per cent) and female friends (54 per cent)".

So, Cinderella woke up, realised that Prince Charming wasn't real and started buying her own glass slippers. Or did she? A closer look at the figures shows that the women polled are actually living in dreamland with the rest of the sisters. On average, these women said they had a disposable income of between €35 and €60 a week or about €2,000 a year. Since they also prioritise their looks, they'll definitely need a good cut and colour every six to eight weeks. At up to €250 a pop, their extra cash is gone in a flash.

If they go out for drinks and dinner once a week with friends, it'll set them back about €100.

Women who prefer fashion to hair care and nights on the town will easily spend €500 on a few key wardrobe items every season. The numbers just don't add up. If having their own money is really the most important thing to women, then why do most still suffer from the Cinderella complex?

Let's take a look at Cinderella's world. When the white gown passes over Cinderella's head on her wedding day, she knows she is destined for a place of endless enchantment. Prince Charming gives her a castle, gorgeous kids, sparkling jewels, exotic holidays, servants, a stunning wardrobe, a hair stylist, personal trainer, fashion consultant, skin specialist and a spa allowance.

He never tires of her family or girlfriends' visits or her obsession with the comely maidens in the kingdom she believes are giving him the eye. Yes, they live happily ever after.

Snap out of it, girlfriend. Here on Planet Reality the statistics tell a different story. Women live much longer than men but make less. We are more likely to be in low-paid or part-time work without legal protections or pensions. We are also notoriously bad about saving for old age.

Marital breakdown often leads to poverty for women. Credit cards help many women from one pay cheque to the next. The good news is that the female of the species displays some positive money behaviours. For example, when we manage to save and invest we do it quite well. Studies of successful investors find that women are not risk-takers and tend to meticulously research and plan investment strategies. Why then do we take a ridiculous leap of faith by expecting others to sort out our finances for us?

Women must stop abdicating financial responsibilities to men. The days of hen/ pin/running away money and begging for a personal allowance from your husband are over. It's time to take control, ladies.

We need to go out and get the tools that allow us true financial freedom. When it comes to hunting down a job, bargain, or a man, we're pretty confident. Why not take these existing skills and use them to get your financial act together? Here is a simple three-step plan:

Step one: check it out. Study budgeting strategies on the dozens of personal finance websites (www.askaboutmoney.ie and www.fool.co.uk) that discuss money in an easy and often entertaining way. Buy any of the following titles: A Girl's Best Friend is her Money by Jasmine Birtles & Jane Mack; Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach; Love is Not Enough by Merryn Somerset Webb.

Step two: talk to your girlfriends. Women are comfortable working in teams. Most of us are in book clubs so why not start an investment club that regularly invests small amounts of cash in stocks, bonds and cash? Sharing your research can be a laugh. For a bit of fun, add art and wine investments.

Step three: do something about it. Dreaming about financial independence won't make it happen. Gently tell Prince Charming, or your dad, that you don't believe in fairy tales any more. Then sit down and create your own financial success story.