My mom thinks that if she had $1,100 a month she’d be able to retire rich. That’s just $13,200 a year. To most people reading this that amount is poverty level. You need millions to retire, right? My mom and I have this tradition: since she can’t read or write, she puts any unfamiliar mail […]
My Financial Map: Exactly How I Manage My Money
If you’re like me, you love reading stories about how other people do money. But have you ever wondered about the actual mechanics of money? How all the nuts and bolts work together to make the savings magic happen? Let’s back up. There are a million articles that show you how to spend less. You […]
Five Ways My Poor Mom Set Me Up for a Rich Life
Compared to today’s parenting ideals, my mom broke every rule in the book, whether she knew it or not. She was illiterate, so there were no books in the house. She didn’t believe in babysitters, and left my sister and me home alone when we were as young as four and six. She didn’t know […]
The Meandering Path of a Financial Late Bloomer
To get around in New York, most days I take the train. But every once in a while I take the bus. Though slower, the bus is like the scenic route, and I notice my day gets a little bit brighter when I take in the sights along the way. Seeing the city in a […]
So What’s the Point of Saving If Life Is Great Right Now?
One of my earliest memories is of my mom and dad at a dealership paying for their first car, a light blue Subaru, producing wads of cash from a kraft envelope. Credit cards made you overspend, so my parents didn’t have any, and stocks were the sure-fire way to flush your money down the toilet. […]
And So It Begins
Hey, I’m The Luxe Strategist, a scrappy 30-something living in tree-lined, brownstone-y Brooklyn with my partner husband. If you haven’t read my ‘About’ yet, check it out. By day, I work in digital advertising, scheming to get creatives to submit their work on time. By night, I’m strategizing how to get clothes I love for less, […]