Tauranga women have been urged to have their own financial plan in place instead of relying on the prospect of meeting "Prince Charming".
And even those who are happily ensconced in relationships should ensure they look after their own needs, financial expert Carmel Fisher says.
Ms Fisher spoke in Tauranga on the topic "A man is not a financial plan - but what is?" at a Her Business Network function on Thursday.
And she told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend there were plenty of women in New Zealand who could use such advice.
"Regrettably there are still women where there's certainly a hope that on a financial level it will be taken care of by their partner or their husband or some other fairy godmother," Ms Fisher said.
Britain's Daily Mail coined the phrase "Cinderella Singletons" - women who have opted out of financial planning in the hope that a man will one day arrive on a white horse and bail them out. And it seems the phenomenon also exists in New Zealand.
"I would never be so mean as to say that women deliberately opt out because they are hoping that somebody is going to save them, but I'm sure there are some people out there," Ms Fisher said. "It's not even as conscious as 'I'm going to opt out', it's 'I'm not even going to think about it'.
"They are thinking about caring for family, their education, paying off a mortgage, until it's unfortunately too late. It's about changing the mindset."
Ms Fisher said there was a difference between the way men and women thought about money.
"Women of a certain generation were brought up thinking money was a little bit grubby, that polite girls don't talk about it, and they are not driven so much by financial issues as more social issues around the family and home.
"Unfortunately women do have to think more along those lines, as women live longer than men."
And she encouraged all women to start thinking about their own finances - the sooner, the better.
You are never too young to start saving, Ms Fisher said.
"A lot of women think 'you can't be talking to me, I don't have thousands of dollars'. Actually, you can start with hundreds of dollars. Instead of buying that extra pair of winter boots, maybe you put that $500 into a savings account and add to it when you can. You will be surprised at how it grows."
Adding to women's financial needs are the fact that women live longer than men - life expectancy for men is 78.4 years and women 82.4 - and continue to lag behind when it comes to pay.
Labour Women's Affairs spokeswoman Carol Beaumont said last week there was a 12 per cent pay gap in the average hourly earnings of men and women. Women also tended to be concentrated in low-paid jobs and there were far fewer in leadership positions.
"There aren't as many women in top paying roles in professional roles compared to social science roles," Ms Fisher said.
"It's gradually changing, we are talking about decades of change. Women are automatically on the back foot. This is coupled with if they have children they don't have as many years in which to earn and save. Any gap in your working life is going to have a significant impact on the ultimate outcome."
Every individual should plan for their own finances, which was why KiwiSaver was an important tool, Ms Fisher said. "We can't rely on a man to be our financial plan even if we are in long standing deep trusting relationships. You still can't rely on a man and nobody should. KiwiSaver is very much a personal investment."
Women-only forums such as the Her Business Network event were ideal, as women tended to ask more questions in such an environment rather than at a mixed event.
"More people have to talk about money, realise it's okay to save, that's it's okay to as questions and it's okay to ask dumb questions, because chances are the person next to you, male or female, will possibly have the same question."
Women had less confidence than men when it came to investing, though they were "no less able than men when it comes to investing and making decisions".
"We have got so many clients who start off small. Ten years on they can have a completely different approach to life because they have some choices. That's what money's about."