Posts filed as “Editorial”
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.
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.
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.
NYU’s loans for summer homes highlights student debt injustice | Helaine Olen
Why is NYU loaning money to star academics to buy vacation homes, at a time when its students are struggling to pay?
As is quite well known to many who follow the student loan foibles, New York University has, as they say, some problems.
NYU is one of the most expensive undergraduate institutions in the United States. Tuition, room and board will cost more than $64,000 for the 2013-2014 year. Financial aid,...Read more.
NYU’s loans for summer homes highlights student debt injustice | Helaine Olen
Why is NYU loaning money to star academics to buy vacation homes, at a time when its students are struggling to pay?
As is quite well known to many who follow the student loan foibles, New York University has, as they say, some problems.
NYU is one of the most expensive undergraduate institutions in the United States. Tuition, room and board will cost more than $64,000 for the 2013-2014 year. Financial aid,...Read more.
Retirement savings: the million-dollar myth
Conventional wisdom in the 1990s told people saving $1m would be enough for retirement – today, that's not enough
When I got my start writing personal finance in the 1990s, it was conventional wisdom to tell people that if they could save and invest their way to $1m – via their 401(k) and other retirement accounts – their golden years would be a glorious event. They could travel, indulge in a hobby,...Read more.
Retirement savings: the million-dollar myth
Conventional wisdom in the 1990s told people saving $1m would be enough for retirement – today, that's not enough
When I got my start writing personal finance in the 1990s, it was conventional wisdom to tell people that if they could save and invest their way to $1m – via their 401(k) and other retirement accounts – their golden years would be a glorious event. They could travel, indulge in a hobby,...Read more.
America’s silent freelance army
The US last calculated the number of contingent workers in 2005 – how can we structure better policies without hard data?
What kind of job do you have?
No, I don't mean what do you do for a living. Do you have a job, a regular position with set days and hours? One of those old-fashioned things that comes with – at least we hope – health insurance, retirement benefits, vacation and sick...Read more.
Cyprus is no reason to hide your money
Right-wing pundits are scaremongering over fears the US will be the next Cyprus, which is is totally out of the question
My late Tante Bessie had a bank account. In fact, she had more than one. Like a lot of people who lived through the Great Depression as adults, she didn't really trust the banks. She liked to spread her Social Security and pension checks around.
Just in case all those...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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