Webinar of Thursday, October 9, 2025-summary and conclusions

Organized by Global Wo.Men Hub

Introduction

This webinar organized by the Global Women Hub brought together Lady-Grâce and Pitou Valestin, an entrepreneurial couple who share their personal experience of financial management as a couple.

The story of the couple

The starting point

• Married 10 years ago, they were soon faced with financial difficulties.
• Lady-Grâce, Swiss, lost her job after moving to France 
• The couple lived on a single salary in a region with a high cost of living (Haute-Savoie, near Geneva).
• Their finances were out of their control, with the constant frustration of not knowing where their money was going.

The click

Faced with the risk of their relationship exploding (remember: 30% of divorces are linked to money problems), they made a fundamental decision: to regain control of their finances rather than suffer from them.

The key principles of their method

1. Communication and transparency

• Breaking the couple’s money taboo
• Sitting down together to analyze bank accounts
• Teamwork: when we lose, it’s together; when we win, it’s together
• Avoid pointing the finger at others in the event of a mistake

2. A shared vision

• Aligning with shared objectives
• Think long-term: their children and even their grandchildren
• Giving their money a direction

3. Planning and anticipation

• Plan next year’s budget as early as September
• Plan vacations and expenses in advance
• Create emergency savings for the unexpected
• Avoid impulse buying (challenge: write down your desires and re-evaluate them at the end of the month)

4. Training and self-investment

• Learn about financial management (not taught at school)
• Learn about real estate, the stock market and investments

Their concrete achievements

Real estate investments

• First property purchased 2 years after marriage on a single salary (less than €100,000)
• Renovation and Airbnb rental → income equivalent to one minimum wage (SMIC)
• 4 properties acquired in 10 years
• Creation of a family holding company

Diversification

• Stock market investments (long-term)
• Private equity in start-ups
• SCPI (paper real estate)
• Car rental at Geneva airport

Fundamental principle

Reinvest earnings rather than spending them immediately, creating a snowball effect.

The Cash and Love method

Tools created

1. A card game with questions, challenges and exercises for :
   • Facilitating communication about money
   • Challenge spending habits
   • Encouraging planning
2. A book: “5 steps to boost your finances as a couple”.
   • Practical exercises at every stage
   • Support via a fictional couple (Emma and Lucas, inspired by their own story)
3. Accompanying couples based on their own experience

Life/money balance

Important point: Their lives are not boring or restrictive

• Regular vacations with their 2 children
• Couple’s weekends
• Activities (skiing, discovering Switzerland)
• The difference: everything is planned and budgeted in advance

Key messages

For women

Lady-Grâce encourages women to :

• Taking an interest in household finances, even if you have no income of your own
• Taking their place in financial decisions
• Don’t think their word doesn’t count

For couples

• Money is not taboo, it’s time to talk about it
• Making concessions together
• Accept mistakes and failures as learning opportunities
• Diversifying risks rather than doing nothing out of fear

General philosophy

• “What you don’t control, controls you” (Dr Murielle Thézenas)
• The real risk is not to invest, but to do nothing and suffer your future situation.
• Giving your money a direction rather than letting it disappear

Conclusions

1. Money affects much more than finances: it influences relationships, moods, children’s education and even the health of a society.
2. Communication is the key: 30% of divorces are directly linked to money, but many other causes (violence, stress) are indirectly linked to it.
3. Entrepreneurial vision of the home: Treat your home as a business with budget, planning and objectives
4. Nothing is impossible: on a single salary, in an expensive region, they have built up significant assets in just 10 years.
5. Financial education is essential: schools don’t teach it, you have to teach yourself.
6. Societal impact: Changing couples’ approach to money conveys a different message to children and contributes to a healthier society. Dr Murielle Thezenas emphasized the societal importance of this subject, noting that financial problems underlie many tensions in couples and in society (e.g. poverty, inadequate pensions). She criticized education, which looks down on money and fails to prepare people to take control of it, thus limiting opportunities, especially for women.

The final message is clear: take control of your finances now, no matter where you are. It’s about your decision and vision, not your current situation.

The opinions expressed by the authors of videos, academic or non-academic articles, blogs, academic books or essays (“the material”) are those of the author(s); they do not bind the members of the Global Wo.Men Hub, who, among themselves, do not necessarily think in the same way. By sponsoring the publication of this material, the Global Wo.Men Hub believes it contributes to useful social debates. As such, this material may be published in response to others.