Queercents

Andrew Tobias lives and breathes money. He’s the author of The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need, the well-known manual that puts in plain words how to hold on to money and make more of it. As treasurer of the Democratic National Committee, he’s the DNC’s highest-ranking openly gay official. These days, he’s one busy guy and yet, he took precious time to talk money with us. Of course, we think that makes him The Best Little Boy in the World. Read on and learn more about this personal finance rock star.

1. You turned sixty not too long ago. How will you define retirement?
It will be synonymous with either senility or cremation, both of which I hope to avoid.

2. If you had to boil down how to build a “vast fortune” into a few simple tips, what would they be?
Start with the tongue-in-cheek quotation marks around “vast fortune,” so it’s actually within grasp, and then: (a) always live beneath your means, saving/investing as much as you can; (b) keep your transaction costs low; (c) read my book. (To save money, get it at the library.)

3. What money lessons did you learn from your parents, both directly and indirectly?
Waste not, want not. Give to those less fortunate than you. Putting kids through college is very, very expensive. Read the rest of this entry »

Chrysler’s latest incentive to reverse faltering car sales is fascinating. Car and Driver reports (via Yahoo!) that Chrysler will guarantee $2.99 gas to customers who purchase a new Dodge, Jeep or Chrysler vehicle from May 7 through June 12.

Here in San Francisco, the average cost of gasoline is $4.05 per gallon. (You can check prices for your location at MSN Autos.)

Sounds like an amazing deal for those of us in pricier metropolitan areas. However, looking at restrictions that apply and doing some number crunching makes this program look a bit… shrug inducing. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes I think if I am confused and concerned by what little legal protections are available to me and my partner, I can only imagine how stressful it must be for LGBT couples with kids. Every time I hear a news story about this or that legal disaster that befalls a gay or lesbian couple who has kids it makes my head spin.

I recently received a copy of the book “Wear Clean Underpants” by Alexis Martin Neely. It is described as a “A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents” and endorsed by a number of people I respect. While it is not specifically geared toward the LGBT family, in many of the examples the author does not assume parents are (or can be) married. And, you have to love her preface of terminology:

If you are in an unmarried relationship, either by choice or because the law does not allow your marriage, please know that I respect your circumstances, and substitute the word “partner,” “ex-spouse,” “life partner,” “baby-daddy,” “baby-mama,” or whatever other term you use, where appropriate.

Wow - validation in a mainstream book. That always makes my heart sing!

One concept I liked right off the bat was her re-framing of the notion of estate planning. Read the rest of this entry »

Martinique Haller lives in Chicago with her partner and works at a University. Like most grad school graduates, she has student loan debt that she’s trying to chip away at and pay off within the next two years. At the same time she still tries to live a full life and is building a life with her partner by making smart money choices. Recently, she started a personal finance blog with her older sister, called Sister Thrifty as a way to stay on track and spur each other on with paying down their debt. These are her words…

I have friends that have cashed in their 401(k) when they transferred jobs – to buy a mattress! I was in disbelief when a friend told me he did this. Not dismay, mind you, but actual, stone-cold disbelief. I thought the likelihood of someone cashing in a 401(k) for a mattress was on par with the likelihood that there is actually a boogie monster or that our next president would be a gay atheist that rides her bike to work. I might come off as sheltered, you might be thinking, “Um…some people need money, we’re not all rich”. But I’m not rich either, and the people that really need money are not the same group that cashes in 401(k)s for mattresses; they don’t have 401(k)s, which is another topic altogether. My disbelief stems mostly from one place, my childhood. Read the rest of this entry »

As I’m sailing toward finals week in school, I figured this is a good time to wrap up my Bliss Chronicles series. Soon I’ll have lots of time on my hands during the summer break to think about where my career is going. Heck, I’m already thinking about it now, even though I should be focused on finals.

I’ve found that it’s easy to get caught up in distracting thoughts of the future when you’re in the thick of a career transition. At least when I was an undergrad many years ago, my anxiety about life after college actually helped me focus on my schoolwork. Studying kept me from dreading about what I will do after graduation.

Now I’m older. All my friends are moving along in their careers; those annoying alumni reception newsletters I get in my inbox make me wonder how I’m doing compared to everyone else I graduated with; my mom and dad always find some way to communicate their worry that they failed me in life because I’m 30 and don’t have an official job. It’s easy to feel behind in these shoes.

However, I feel surprisingly patient and more in control of my career than ever before. What gives? Read the rest of this entry »

“Wealth buys leisure, but not wisdom.” – William George Plunkett

So last weekend it was my birthday. Sound the trumpets! Actually, they sounded last year when I turned forty. Since we spent a small fortune on that party and then on Jeanine’s fortieth in March, we decided to scale back and be a bit more low-key with this one.

Jeanine suggested a weekend in Big Sur but I didn’t want to drive that far and take off Friday from work. So we started looking around Southern California at some of our favorite get-a-way spots. Santa Barbara, the Santa Ynez Valley, Ojai, Palm Springs, Palm Desert and a few places in between.

But as we were planning this last minute jaunt all the hotel rooms either had a two night minimum, were in the $400 - $1000 range or sold out. When on god’s green earth did all the hotel rooms become so expensive? Pre-9/11, I remember many a weekend for less than $200 a night in places all over Southern Cal. Read the rest of this entry »

Here are a few updates that might be useful to those of you who have been reading this column.

In a previous post, I expressed my angst about having purchased onesies from Steve and Barry that were made with child labor.

The good news is that you can go buy those Steve and Barry/Sarah Jessica Parker-inspired onesies that I told you about. According to this report, they do not rely on child labor. And they’ve lowered their prices! So snatch up some of those groovy green and purple stripey onesies I told you about with a clean conscience. And maybe pick up some of SJP’s latest designs for yourself, if you’re so inclined (her dresses are a bit too Desperate Housewivesy for me, but I did pick up some cute metallic ballerina flats and relived my high school bunhead days).

In another post, I talked about the potential hazards of BPA leaching from plastic baby bottles. Read the rest of this entry »

I heard on NPR last week that some financial analysts are officially using the word recession to describe the state of the American economy. Finally, the suits are understanding what those of us in the trenches have been feeling for quite some time!

Recessions are stressful. Massage helps with stress. And for people with chronic pain, massage can feel less like pure indulgence and more like a medical necessity. I know for me, I’m happiest and most productive when I’m receiving regular bodywork.

But the going rate for massage where I live is around $65/hour, with at least one massage therapist I know charging $85/hour. (That’s the discounted rate, if you don’t have workman’s comp insurance to cover her normal cost.) I don’t know about you, but I can’t afford that every week or every other week. If you value massage therapy like I do, it’s still important even if you can’t scrape together the change because you’re too busy buying beans and rice.

Here are some ways you can get free, or extremely inexpensive massage. Read the rest of this entry »