Here’s this week’s letter: I’m wondering how I can be an ally at work. I heard that there’s a new pay transparency law coming into play, in the past what always made me uncomfortable was thinking about the nondisclosure form I had signed promising that I wouldn’t share my salary with anyone, but over the past few years as I’ve become educated about pay discrepancies particularly for women, I have started to think that what my employer is asking me to do is unethical. So my question is, do you re...

Welcome back to Spend Donate Invest. We vote, we protest, but what about our money? Is there a way we can line up our personal values and our money? This is what I’m exploring on this show. Thank you so much for all of your emails and DMs with all of the questions you’re wondering about. Here’s this week’s letter: I got the day off for Juneteenth and I’m trying to think about ways to honor the holiday and incorporate it into my family’s annual traditions. We have a nice tradition in my family o...

Here’s this week’s letter: Should I wait until I am financially well off before I give? No. Please don’t wait until you are “rich” before you take your giving seriously. We’ve talked about this before on Episode 24, you might never feel rich. In my observation, nobody hoards money more than a wealthy person. Give what you can when you can. Especially because people need help now. As of the end of 2021, 20 million Americans reported living in households without enough food. In America! If you'r...

Here’s this week’s letter: Is there any way I can contribute towards helping parents who are facing the baby formula shortage? Links from today's discussion https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/us/abbott-baby-formula-sturgis-regulation.html https://greaterdcdiaperbank.org/the-monthly/ Support the show

Here’s this week’s letter: Watching the news lately has felt like watching the Handmaid’s Tale. I have to admit I wasn’t paying attention to the gradual erosion of how secure I thought the right to abortion was in the US. It felt like I woke up one day and all of my group chats were talking about the leaked document from the Supreme Court. I had no idea there was a real threat to Roe v Wade. I live in the DMV so I was able to travel to the Supreme Court to protest. I vote in all elections, not ...

Here’s today’s letter I’ve heard that crypto is bad for the environment, but I have to be honest, I don’t see how. And I’d like to understand a little about this as I’m thinking about getting into investing while the market is down. Links from today's show: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/22/technology/bitcoin-miners-environment-crypto.html?searchResultPosition=3 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/03/climate/bitcoin-carbon-footprint-electricity.html https://digiconomist.net/bitcoin-...

Here’s today’s letter I mentioned to my brother that I started trying to buy certain brands and shop at certain stores because I’m worried about climate change and he said that all of that marketing is greenwashing. I didn’t want to give him the smug feeling of knowing I have no idea what he’s talking about. So, I’ll ask you, what is greenwashing? Links from today's show: https://www.twosides.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Terrachoice_The_Sins_of_Greenwashing_-_Home_and_Family_Edition_2010.p...

Here’s today’s letter One interesting thing I've seen with this Ukraine thing is how people are sending money in untraditional ways. So I heard people are buying things from Ukrainians on Etsy (like digital products) or booking Airbnbs. It's not quite mutual aid, but it's innovative. I don't have a question just a comment about how interesting it is. Support the show

Here’s today’s letter: I am lowkey stressed about Elon Musk and Twitter. At first when he said he wanted to buy Twitter I thought he was just trying to get the attention that he craves, but it turns out he was serious and I just read that he’s going to buy Twitter. I know on a rational level that he’s not the first billionaire to buy a media company, if that’s what Twitter is, but I feel stressed because I see Twitter as having been instrumental to some of the social causes that I care about. A...

Welcome back! This is a podcast that sits at the intersection of social justice and money. Usually we talk about ways to line up our personal values and our money. Every week, I take a question that a listener has sent in, about something that’s keeping them up at night and how they might use their money to help, and provide some gentle and realistic suggestions. This week though, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for all of the support for this podcast and monthlyish newsletter. ...

Here’s today’s letter: I’m finally doing it! I’m starting my own business. Things are going better than expected and I’ll need to hire people soon. What should I pay? Link from today's discussion: https://livingwage.mit.edu/ Support the show

Here’s today’s listener letter: A friend and I recently got into a debate about whether or not there’s such a thing as an ethical billionaire? What do you think? I don’t think Billionaires should exist but my friend says that innovators should be incentivized to improve the world. Links from today's discussion: Walmart and McDonald’s employees are https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/11/18/food-stamps-medicaid-mcdonalds-walmart-bernie-sanders/ Wealth Hoarding in America https://fort...

Here’s today’s listener letter: A few recent episodes of the show have made it clear to me that I want my money to be put into banks with community minded values, however, I am stuck. My money is currently at a very large and very shady national bank along with my wife’s money and she does not agree that we should move it to a values aligned bank. How can I convince her to move our money? Links from today's conversation: mightydeposits.com renegadecapitalpodcast.com Support the show

Here’s today’s listener letter: I heard the recent episode about banking and I have more questions! I’m not 100% ready to cut the cord with my big bank, but I liked your advice about moving some of my savings to a bank that lines up with my values as a first step. My question is, how do I find the right bank for me? Links from today's episode: https://mightydeposits.com/ NYT article about Black homeowner suing Wells Fargo Support the show

Here’s today’s listener letter: Should I try to specify exactly what my donation is used for? No! End of episode. LOL. OK, I am kidding. Let’s talk this one out. I can see how it would be tempting to try to donate money to an organization and then provide your two cents on exactly how you’d like the money to be used, but I want to caution you against being so prescriptive and trusting the organization that you’ve selected to be a good shepherd of the money you are donating and to better know e...

Here’s today’s listener letter: Recently I heard someone mention a "giving circle." It sounded like a way to give money with my friends. What is it and how do I know if I should start one? Link from today's episode: The Philanthropy Connection https://thephilanthropyconnection.org/ Send your questions to spenddonateinvest@gmail.com Support the show at buymeacoffee.com/spenddonate More episodes at: http://spenddonateinvest.world Support the show

Here’s today’s listener letter: Where should I bank? On the one hand, I am lazy. On the other hand, the world is on fire and traditional banks don’t lend to Black and brown people. Help. Links from today's discussion: Nerd Wallet on Community Development Financial Institutions to check out in our area https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/banking/what-is-community-development-financial-institution-cdfi NPR A Forgotten History of How the US Government Segregated America https://www.npr.org/2017/0...

Here’s today’s listener letter: Staying home during the pandemic gave me a lot of time to think about the travel I used to do. I’m glad I don’t have to take work trips anymore, but I miss going on vacation with my family. I think I’m ready to start getting out there again, so my question is, how do I take a sustainable vacation? I’m wondering things like: How can I make sure that the money I spend ends up in the local economy? Doesn't destroy the environment? Doesn't take advantage of the local...

Here’s today’s letter: I’m looking for some reading material to learn about how I might better walk the talk in my own life. Like, I have all these strong beliefs about things, but I’m not always sure I’m living in alignment with those values. Do you have any recommendations for where to start? Today we discuss books for adults and kids, including: Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance by Edgar Villanueva Winners Take All: the Elite Charade of Changing th...

Here’s today’s listener letter: Should I donate even though I’m broke? Or should I wait until I’m financially stable? In this episode, we define what it means to be "broke" and then talk about how to decide if donating makes sense for you. We also discuss: * the legacy of Oseola McCarty * the wealth gap in America and counter intuitive findings on who donates the most * why you might be donating even if you don't feel like you're donating * a caution about waiting until you're financially set...

Here’s today’s letter: Coming out of last year’s holiday season, I started to wonder if my kids are getting a little spoiled. My partner and I both grew up in working class families, our parents often lived check to check and we learned to be grateful for what little we had. I really think those tough times pulled us together as a family. My partner and I have been very fortunate to have more disposable income as we raise our children. What that means is they usually have new outfits at the beg...

2021 Most popular episodes If you sent in questions, thank you for that. If you have questions you’ve been pondering, send them over! You can send in the big existential questions like should I pull all of my money out of banks that don’t loan to Black and Latino communities or it can be a really specific question like how to get your employer to offer socially responsible 401k plans. In 2021, a mix of broad and narrow questions came in. I'll cover them today. Support the show

As we start a new year, it can be fun to try to predict what will happen. On this podcast we talk about how to line up what we’re doing with our money and our personal values in terms of the world we’d like to see. So let’s talk about predictions for 2022. In no particular order: (1) Wealth guilt will grow among the 1% (2) It will become easier to donate crypto and easier for financially insecure families to receive donations of crypto (3) Donations from the mega-rich will be scrutinized a lit...