Reporter asks: Wives educating themselves about retirement/family finance

[Christine2007]

Hi, everybody,
I'm a reporter who often writes about retirement for the New York Times, US News & World Report and other publications. This forum seems to have extremely smart and articulate people, so I wanted to introduce myself and ask for help.

I am writing a story now about financial honesty, and I'd like to talk to wives who have not previously been involved in running the family finances, but who are now getting educated about their family's financial arrangements as retirement approaches (or, has passed). I know that in some families, wives leave those arrangements to their husbands, and I think my readers could learn a lot from a woman who decided to get more involved in the family finances.

Please feel free to email me offline at cmlarson@cmlarson.com or post to me here if you might be a good source for this story. i'd be grateful for your help and you could help a lot of people. Thanks!

Christine Larson
author, THE FAMILY CFO: THE COUPLES' BUSINESS PLAN FOR LOVE AND MONEY
Note: You may find my article on retirement communities in this Sunday's New York Times of interest.

 

[Sam]

Hello Christine. Helping others is a noble act. So is helping oneself. How much do you pay?

 

[Nords]

Hello Christine. Helping others is a noble act. So is helping oneself. How much do you pay?

Unfortunately we've trained the media to believe that we're giving it away. Better chase down your 15 minutes of fame before someone else takes it...

Speaking of financial responsibility, I remember 20-some years ago when my spouse and I sorted out the marital tasks. She said "Honey, could you take care of the investing and just let me know how we're doing?"

I puffed up my chest with pride and said "Dear, I'd be delighted. Thank you for showing so much trust in me, and I'll try to live up to your faith."

As she smiled & turned away I'm pretty sure I heard her mutter "Sucker!"

 

[dex]

Hello Christine. Helping others is a noble act. So is helping oneself. How much do you pay?

Sam,
Very good point. Do you know of any other industry that doesn't pay anything for its raw material or in this case content. Unless you are selling something; I never understood why people expose their lives to the media. You loose control of the story once the people get into the edit room.

Christine,
This is 2007 and you are only asking about "wives"! The definition of a family has changed - living together; same sex union etc. Challenge your assumptions and you might present some new insights to your public.

 

[Sue J]

Sorry, we are the opposite of what you are looking for. Money, finances, banking, taxes, bill paying, etc. make my husband itchy and uncomfortable. I run everything and he likes it that way. All he wants to know is that he has cash in his pocket, the bills are paid on time and that he'll be able to retire.

Once or twice a year I give him a brief update on our status. If I make a change somewhere and he has to sign something I always explain what it is and keep him updated. I'd never do anything sneaky or dishonest. I'm not someone who shops for entertainment so I have no need to hide purchases.

I had a minor health scare recently and one of my first thoughts was, Does he know the password to the online bank account?, Does he know where the password notebook is and can he read my writing?

 

[ash]

Apparently never ask from people as a reporter that which they are willing to discuss all day long for free otherwise.

 

[frayne]

Someone should teach her to use the search function as I'm sure we have beat this horse to death, individualy and collectively.

 

[LOL!]

Someone should teach her to use the search function as I'm sure we have beat this horse to death, individualy and collectively.

C'mon frayne, she has a job to do and needs real people with real names to put anecdotes in her piece. I can already see what will appear:

Judy Frayne was worried that her husband Jim was spending too much time on financial message boards. She wondered if anyone could really plan their retirement based on advice from pony-tailed Hawaian surfers. That's when she decided she had better spend more time on the family finances.

Etc.

 

[TromboneAl]

LOL!







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