Gay marriage: fall of Doma leaves many financial questions unanswered
Edith Windsor's tax bill led to the recognition of gay marriage, but same-sex finances are still clouded by uncertainty
History is not often made through a married couple's tax bill, but it was last week. In 2007, Edith Windsor married Thea Spyer, her partner of more than 40 years. Spyer died in 2009 and, like almost any married person, attempted to leave her property to her significant other. But it...Read more.
Gay marriage: fall of Doma leaves many financial questions unanswered
Edith Windsor's tax bill led to the recognition of gay marriage, but same-sex finances are still clouded by uncertainty
History is not often made through a married couple's tax bill, but it was last week. In 2007, Edith Windsor married Thea Spyer, her partner of more than 40 years. Spyer died in 2009 and, like almost any married person, attempted to leave her property to her significant other. But it...Read more.
What caused the subprime mortgage crisis? Not our math skills
A paper published this week claims that the less competent at math, the more likely one is to default on mortgage in 2006-2007
There's a new culprit to blame for the subprime mortgage crisis.
Math – specifically, our lack of ability in it.
This news comes courtesy of a paper published earlier this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A group of researchers determined that the less competent...Read more.
What caused the subprime mortgage crisis? Not our math skills
A paper published this week claims that the less competent at math, the more likely one is to default on mortgage in 2006-2007
There's a new culprit to blame for the subprime mortgage crisis.
Math – specifically, our lack of ability in it.
This news comes courtesy of a paper published earlier this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A group of researchers determined that the less competent...Read more.
Unemployment is killing America’s economically vulnerable women early
Americans are living longer than ever but average lifespan of white, female high school drop-outs has plunged dramatically
Is a lack of jobs killing some of America's most economically vulnerable women?
That's one of the provocative conclusions of Jennifer Karas Montez, a researcher at Harvard University, and author with Anna Zajacova, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Wyoming, who set out to explain why the average lifespan of a...Read more.
Penny Pritzker not a hit with the 99% | Helaine Olen
Hyatt heiress worth $1.8bn with checkered past dealings is top pick for secretary of commerce. What was that about change?
Here's why Americans get cynical about politics: they think they are voting for hope and change and, instead, they find themselves confronted by Wednesday morning's congressional hearings starring Hyatt heiress and Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker, President Barack Obama's pick to be the next secretary of commerce.
Pritzker has appeared Zelig-like...Read more.
Saving for retirement: the key is to start small
If the powers that be want people to save more, they first need to encourage them to save for smaller splurges
When it comes to convincing people of the need to save money, it might be time to downplay the pressure to set aside retirement savings and the need to fund a 401(k).
What? We know we're in terrible fiscal shape for our retirements, and the younger we are, the worse...Read more.
Occupy hedge funds: when private investment funds and the public collide
In a dangerous move, the SEC is expected to soon allow hedge funds to advertise themselves directly to the general public
I'm sure you've all heard Groucho Marx's famous explanation for why he resigned from a club that solicited his membership: "I don't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member."
It's looking likely that many investors are soon going to have reason to remember Marx's...Read more.
Student loan debt is stealing our future
The current student loan set-up is not good for our long-term financial health, as a generation in debt weakens our economy
Last week, Senator Elizabeth Warren debuted her inaugural legislative effort, a bill intended to stop the cost of federally subsidized student loans from doubling from 3.4% to just under 7% on 1 July. Warren's solution? A one-year temporary fix that would allow students and their parents to borrow money for...Read more.
Attend your lavish wedding? With what money?
The average cost of a 2013 wedding is up 5% from last year to $28,427 – and that's not counting the $539 guests pay to attend
• Guests, tell us: Have you ever been a victim of the Wedding Industrial Complex?
Last year, I wrote an article speculating that maybe, just maybe the low-key backyard nuptials of Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan had driven a stake through...Read more.
About Helaine Olen
I am the voice of The Bills, a column about the intersection of money and life, at Slate. At Inc., I contribute to the Spread the Wealth personal finance column. My work on politics, economics, workplace culture and women’s issues has been published in numerous other print and on-line publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, 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 live in New York City.
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