About Helaine Olen

I am a columnist for the Washington Post. My work on politics, economics, workplace culture and women’s issues has also been published in numerous other print and on-line publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Salon, Pacific Standard, and The Los Angeles Times, where I wrote and edited the popular “Money Makeover” feature.

I’m the author of the critically acclaimed book Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry, and The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn’t Have to be so Complicated, which I co-wrote with Harold Pollack.

What else? I’m a passionate bibliophile, a fan of 1970s pop music and a lover of rummage sales. I divide my time between Los Angeles and New York City.

Helaine at the Washington Post

Helaine is an opinion writer for the Washington Post’s Opinion section

Read Helaine's commentary

Praise for Helaine’s Books:

“A highly readable antidote to the snake oil of the personal finance industry. Suze Orman, watch out!” –GREG CRITSER, author of Fat Land

“This thought-provoking book alerts us to important issues in today’s postrecession economy.” –Mary Whaley, Booklist

“The most notable personal finance writing of 2013 . . . was a handwritten 4 × 6 index card.” –MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

“In a world of relentless financial noise, Helaine and Harold are here to help. This is the best and most important financial book of the year.” –Zac Bissonnette, author of Debt-free U and The Great Beanie Baby Bubble

“The most important financial advice is stunningly simple and fits on an index card. The newbie investor will not find a better guide to personal finance.” –Burton G. Malkiel, author of A Random Walk Down Wall Street

“The world of personal finance is an economic sideshow filled with illusionists, conjurers, and snake-oil salesmen of every stripe. Thankfully, Helaine Olen has spent enough time inside the circus to be able to guide us wisely and wittily through the hall of mirrors—and come out smarter on the other end.” –JAMES LEDBETTER, opinion editor, Reuters, and author of Unwarranted Influence

“As Helaine Olen shows in this powerful exposé, ‘personal finance’ is the ultimate oxymoron. The financial challenges that most Americans face are not simply personal—they reflect the failure of our polices and our leaders to tackle growing middle-class insecurity. And the advice that self-proclaimed money experts provide is far from sound finance. Too often, it’s snake oil that only adds to the problem.” –JACOB S. HACKER, director of the Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Yale University, and author of The Great Risk Shift

“In this gripping account, Helaine Olen pulls out the rug from under the finance industry, and does so in time for at least some of us to find alternative solutions to financial security.” –DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF, author of Life Inc. and Present Shock

“The cult of ‘personal finance’ sells itself—and preys on pocketbooks—with a wildly false message: that American middle class families only have themselves to blame for their economic troubles. With wit, simple math, and relentless sleuthing, Helaine Olen shows how the personal finance industry has led savers and investors astray, and what you can do to avoid its traps.” –ALYSSA KATZ, author of Our Lot

“All parents should buy The Index Card for their children. If they refuse to read it, consider disinheriting them.” –Robert H. Frank, Professor of Economics, Cornell University

“Pound Foolish is a fabulously well-reported, lucid, and witty tour of the train wreck that American finance has become. Olen has the rare ability to demystify the countless swindles and frauds that lately comprise the basic operations of the investment scene. As a kind of bonus, she depicts with verve and intelligence the panoramic freak show of personalities who infest the money scene.” –JAMES HOWARD KUNSTLER, author of The Geography of Nowhere and Too Much Magic

“Ten simple, amazingly effective rules unencumbered by the agendas of fee-sucking fund managers or reckless business-media pundits. Highly recommended.” –Nomi Prins, author of all The Presidents’ Bankers

“The Index Card offers engaging stories, persuasive explanations, and fascinating data. It’s realistic, honest, wise, and compassionate, as well as socially and politically astute.” –Joe Conason, Editor in Chief at The National Memo

“Helaine Olen explains in simple language why most Americans are never going to understand the myriad complexities of investing and borrowing, leaving us all vulnerable to being ripped off in oh so many ways. Combining thorough research with passionate writing, Pound Foolish tells us what to do to protect ourselves and our hard-earned money.” –DAVID CAY JOHNSTON, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Fine Print

“Wow, does personal financial advice need debunking. And Helaine Olen does it like an old master. Clear, witty, takes no prisoners, and right as hell. Olen will wake you up. There is no financial trick to make you rich.” –JEFF MADRICK, author of The Age of Greed and senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institute