How Much Do YOU Know?

How much do you know about your personal finances? In the March 2013 edition of the Reader's Digest, a popular literary magazine in the United States, comedian Heather McDonald learned that the answer was not much. In the article Suze Orman Thinks I'm a Slacker, written by the traumatized comedian, McDonald learns about the importance of knowing one's assets. Financial guru Suze Orman gave financial advice to the writers at Chelsea Lately, where McDonald works, and learned that McDonald knew practically nothing about anything. After a stern talking to, she decided that it was time to have a chat with her husband about their financial affairs.
     A rhetorical device used in this article many times is hyperboles, which were used for comedic effect. For example, she writes, "[Suze Orman] 'I can't tell you how many women have rolled over in the middle of the night to feel their husband's icy-cold deceased body lying next to them, and they don't even know where the key to the safety-deposit box is." Although this is indeed an overstatement, it gets the point across that a woman cannot depend on her husband to handle their assets, because he might suddenly die.
     The author's purpose in writing this article is to stress the importance of women understanding their own money situation. Like Suze Orman said, your husband isn't going to be around forever, and if he were to suddenly drop dead and you knew nothing about insurance policies, mortgage rates, or current debts, your husband can't exactly take care of it when he is six feet under. I think that Heather McDonald is able to achieve her purpose in the text by relating her own wake-up call for the readers. Although women have come a long way in the workplace and in the home, there still is a lot that they need to learn in order to no longer be dependent on men.