money
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Teri Williams, president and chief operating officer of OneUnited Bank. It has been edited for length and clarity.Growing up in Indiantown, Florida, I used to follow my great-grandmother around, whom I called Ma Honey. Ma Honey owned a penny candy store,…
“Congratulations on graduating, Andrea, now you’re off the payroll,” my dad not-so-jokingly declared on the steps of the Milwaukee convention center outside Marquette University. I barely had time to take off my cap and gown before they dropped me off in Chicago so I could start my first job at…
A majority of Americans hear themselves in Dolly Parton’s “9-to-5.”Sixty percent of Americans identify as working class, according to a Pew Research analysis of a January 2026 survey. That’s up from 54% in 2024.And the label, historically applied to lower-earning workers, resonates across earnings levels. Middle-income families, who make between…
For Kelan and Brittany Kline, improving their finances came down to a simple idea: widen the gap between what they earned and what they spent.The couple, who once worked traditional jobs as a jail deputy and elementary school teacher, were newly married and carrying roughly $40,000 in student-loan debt when…
Vivian Tu spent her first years out of college on a trading desk. While working at JP Morgan, she noticed something about the wealthy people she worked around: they didn’t dress like it.”Nobody really had that fancy of stuff,” Tu, who got our attention as our “Rich BFF” thanks to…
I never thought I’d live with my mom again.But in 2024 — as my husband and I struggled to find a house in Connecticut that we could afford, and my mom was looking for a way out of Florida — I had an idea: What if the three of us…
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Teagan Trapp, 24, a Canadian based in Kelowna, British Columbia, who buys and sells real estate in the US through his company Blue Peak Ventures. The following has been edited for length and clarity.I grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan, all my…
When I was planning my move to Brooklyn and touring a 410-square-foot space, the first thing I noticed was the lack of, well, space. The place looked small in photos on StreetEasy, but this was something else altogether.Every section of the studio — from the bed area to the kitchenette…
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Chris Astrella, a recent car buyer in Las Vegas, Nevada. It has been edited for length and clarity.When my grandfather died, he left money for all of his grandchildren. I knew I would eventually need a new vehicle, so I put…
Somewhere between “when you have a job, you can buy whatever you want” and “you’ll never have to worry about money” are the money lessons every child needs to hear to build their own money skills.As a certified public accountant, I’ve spent a career watching the end results of money…
