Posts filed as “Obama administration”
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.
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.
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.
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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