Five Common Financial Traps for Transsexual Women
Unfortunately, it's a lot easier to find examples on how your career might fail as a post-transition TS woman than it is to share success situations. However, matters are improving.
Success with a gender transition is a lot like building a tall office building. The most time-consuming projects are in the creation of a proper foundation. Similarly - to the casual observer - it appears no real progress is being made at that time. Thus, success is rooted in focus, patience and ignoring uninformed commentary from others.
There’s a handful of common traps you’ll want to watch out for as you move forward. These can get your success mired down in a hurry. Sadly, I committed more than one of this mistakes during my own journey.
Additional chapters in This Section include:
Financial Success for MTF Transsexual Women
The Working Transsexual Woman
Surviving the Financial Downturn from a Gender Transition
Financial and Career Traps for Transsexual Women
Overcoming Financial Devastation
How NOT to become a Transsexual Economic Victim
Business Success as a Transsexual Woman
Transgender Millionaires
Financial Success to TS Women
The Promising Future of Transsexual Women
Transition Trap #1: I'll make “the change” - then restart my career as a new and beautiful woman
This is the probably the most common trap - at least from a first-plan basis. Why's that? Because it's just about every beginning trans-woman's Cinderella fantasy to be able to pull this off. Alas, reality rarely works in this manner.
Transition to full stealth invariably takes a lot longer than any gal first anticipates. Surgical changes are helpful but even the most effective extreme makeover won't get you flawless in a hurry. There's another side to this prolonged "time". Let too much time pass? You're faced with a gaping hole in your work history that adds confusion.
Time isn't the only problem with this approach. There's the issue of work history & job references under a new identity. If this process occurs too quickly, you can sometimes lose a great deal of your merit on paper.
Even when these issues are resolved you face another hurdle. Your work history as a trans-female is unproven. Employers are more aware than ever that transition is a pretty tough process. They need to know you're emotionally stable & balanced. How can they know this? They need to see it.
Transition Trap #2: I'll receive a bunch of money soon
Another common trap is beginning transition in earnest - even leaving your present field of occupation - based upon the fact you'll receive a large sum of money soon.
If you start transition before the money is received? Every delay weighs you down. Also, what happens if your big payout falls through? It can be devastating as you eat away at savings.
If that lump sum never arrives? The depression is overwhelming.
If you’re confident you’ll receive a consequential payout soon that will majorly help with funding your transition? Don’t change anything until it is received: words of wisdom!
Transition Trap #3: Being Obstinate
Obstinance is often considered an ingredient of success in many circles. However, to succeed at transition? You must become The Queen of Change. Your initial plans for FFS might require you cut the budget in half. Your hopes for GRS might get delayed for three more years. Delays and changing plans are common factors in a gender transition. Don’t let that affect your self image or progress. In time, with patience and adaptability, you will succeed.
Transition Trap #4: Skipping Steps for the Sake of Progress
Another common trap we sometimes get into is skipping important steps for the sake of what feels like progress.
Examples include getting a name or gender marker changed before you’ve developed an economically viable means to fund your new life. When we do this? We usually make our economic situation even worse.
Don’t get tripped up because you get frustrated by slowed progress. Skipping a step often makes a bad situation even shoddier.
Transition Trap #5: My wealthy boyfriend is going to pay for my transition
Every trans-woman I know had a rich guy that offered to fund her transition somewhere along the way. However, I only know of one case where that plan played out successfully - and those two had been together for almost a decade before her transition.
A guy might help fund some aspect of your transition: breasts, FFS, etc. However, most of those offers are just veiled attempts to get you naked. It's a lot cheaper to offer to promise to write a check in the future than pay cash today.
Even if your dream guy takes steps up to make your dreams come true? You’re starting in a highly vulnerable situation that might leave you with few options if things turn south.