Why do so many women delegate their financial security to a spouse or signficant other and allow divorce or death to plunge them into poverty? Why do so many women spend more than they earn and become mired in debt?

A National Center for Women and Retirement Research (NCWRR) study showed a direct correlation between a woman's personality characteristics and her financial habits. Assertiveness, openness to change, and an optimistic outlook are the qualities that tend to lead to smart money choices.

Financial Planner, author, and TV host Suze Orman believes our problems with money are manifestations of problems in our life and relationships. Work on the money issues and many of the other problems will take care of themselves; or, work on the other problems and the money problems will take care of themselves.

For many people, money is an emotionally charged issue. It may represent power, or love, or control, especially in relationships. Our beliefs about money and our emotional attachments to it strongly influence the way we spend and handle money.

If you aren't where you should be financially, examine what drives you emotionally when it comes to money and try to figure out the psychological stumbling blocks that keep you from becoming financially independent. Here are ten of the most important things women can do for themselves and their financial future:

1. Don't rely on someone else, like a husband or boyfriend, for your financial security. Educate yourself about money management and investing. See Ovecoming the Financial Gender Gap.

2. Set goals - it's key to financial success. See Building a Balanced Financial Plan and Setting Financial Goals.

3. Don't use money to make yourself feel good. That type of high is fleeting. Instead, do things that promote self-respect and creativity so you don't have to seek those feelings through spending money. See The Urge to Splurge and The Psychology of Spending Money.

4. Spend less than you earn - it's the secret to creating wealth. See Budgeting 101.

5. Get an education. People with college degrees make on average significantly more money than those who don't have degrees.

6. Build an emergency fund. Without one, losing your job or incurring a large unexpected bill could force you to take on heavy credit card debt, and could put you into a financial hole that will be difficult if not impossible to dig your way out of. See Emergency Funds: Why You Need One, How Much You Need, and Where to Keep It.

7. Be involved in the day-to-day management of your family's finances, and talk about money with your spouse. See The Family CFO and Couples and Money: How To Talk the Talk.

8. Don't take on your partner's or spouse's debt when you marry. Wait until you're both out of debt before tying the knot, or protect yourself with a pre-nuptial agreement. They're not only for the rich. See Tying the Financial Knot.

9. Don't let the fear of losing money, fear of failure, or fear of the unknown stop you from investing. See Start Investing With Very Small Amounts of Money.

10. Learn from your money mistakes. Don't let them hobble you.

Your financial security is dependent on your attitudes and beliefs about money and your willingness to take your financial future into your own hands.