The Fairer Cents

It’s 2019, and women are still being judged for jobs on whether we’re likable enough, whether we’re strong enough (but not too strong), and all the same old patriarchal bullshit. That’s why we’re kicking off the new year and the new podcast season with one of the strongest women we know of: personal finance author, TV personality and all-around unapologetic woman Suze Orman. She’s got a new book out, but we mostly don’t talk about that. Instead, we talk about her origin story, including how she earned the respect of the first boss in finance who hire her – with the intention of sleeping with her, not promoting her – what it means to her to be gay, and her advice for young people coming up in careers today. Women & Money by Suze Orman, reissued in 2018

We're days away from the midterm elections, and we have an unprecedented opportunity to elect more women than ever before. So let's talk about why that's important -- and why it's good for our money. Also on the show, Kara talked to Lily Herman, founder of Get Her Elected, about why women do and don't run, and what it will take to get more of us in office. Links mentioned in the show: Vox piece on representation of women around the world Legitimate rape spoof Washington Post piece on women running Milestones for women in politics  PRRI stats on young people’s views on the world today

Today we’re reflecting back on season 2 of The Fairer Cents, and share a bunch about what’s to come in season 3, and even sooner than that! From our favorite episodes to this season to the tough moments, we dig into all of it. We give a preview of what’s coming in a few months (HOUSEHOLD NAMES, y’all!), and share our plans for in between the seasons. Be sure to stay subscribed so you don’t miss some of the special surprises we’ll be throwing at you this fall! We can’t wait to talk to you again soon. In the meantime, stay rad!

Society puts a lot of pressure on all of us to couple up, but what about those women going it alone, either temporarily or long-term? Or going it alone with a child? That’s right. Today we’re discussing all the single ladies and their financial landscape. (And no discussion of single ladies is complete without some Beyonce references, though she’s done some more progressive, feminist work since that song came out.) Join Kara and Tanja as we talk to two single women, Canadian personal finance blogger and single mom Bridget Casey, and single child-free Austin babe Maria B., and rundown the stats on the much larger obstacles single women face in our economy.   This is the last full episode of season 2 of The Fairer Cents, but tune in next week for our season 2 wrap-up, including lots of news on the future of The Fairer Cents, and some special episodes we’ll be dropping this fall, in between seasons. Be sure to subscribe or stay subscribed so you don’t miss a thing! Until season 3, stay rad!

Some people face more challenges than others when it comes to earning money and navigating the work world, many for reasons that are apparent to all of us. And then there are those of us who look completely "normal" in the eyes of the world, but face struggles that others can't see that limit our ability to do even the most basic tasks. We're talking about invisible disability, a concept that's only starting to be recognized in our society, but which directly affects a billion people living on the planet today. Yes, billion with a "b." Whether that's you, or someone (or probably many someones) you care about, let's dig into the realities of invisible disability for women and our money, and what we can all do to create a more inclusive (and productive!) work world for everyone. Today we're hearing from JR Thorpe, who has written a series of articles on invisible disability for Bustle, and from friend of the podcast Kate, who has the same invisible disability as Tanja, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome hypermobility type

We’re picking up where we left off last week in our two-part series, talking about women breaking into fields that have historically been male-dominated. Today we’re talking to two women scientists from across the pond – Dr. Jess Wade, a physicist in the U.K. who’s on a mission to tell the stories of women scientists in history by authoring Wikipedia pages about them, and Kim Tomy from South Africa, whose experience trying to climb the ranks in academia also has the history of Apartheid and violence against women to contend with. Along the way, we explore research on girls-only education, the history of the Nobel Prize and what actually happens to pay when women break into male-dominated fields. If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review and tell a friend about the show! Then share your story with us on Twitter @fairercents or via email. And you can always find us at TheFairerCents.com. 

Women have achieved gender parity in a large number of professions. (Whether they have parity in leadership is a whole nother question, but let’s not even get into that today.) But there are still plenty of them, from tech, to science to the outdoors industry, where the boys are still in charge for the most part. Today’s show is part 1 of a two-part series about women breaking into professions that are still male-dominated, whether that’s by working within the system, or going outside the system to do their own thing. This week we hear from Felicity of the blog Fetching Financial Freedom, and Danielle Rees, co-founder of Coalition Snow, the world’s only women-owned ski and snowboard company making products by women, for women. These badass women have completely different stories about getting ahead in their fields. Next week, we’ll hear from two scientists across the pond, one in the UK and one in South Africa.

Sometimes we take for granted on The Fairer Cents that everyone shares the same understanding of the term “feminism,” but of course that’s not true. So today we’re digging into the term a little bit – what it is, and what it most certainly is not. And then we go a step farther, coining a term that you can expect to hear a lot more around here: “Financial Feminism.” We bring the boys back (what up, T-Bone and Mark!) and hear a clip from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TEDx Talk, as well as hearing from some friends of the podcast, to create a full and inclusive definition of financial feminism, as well as a case for why we need it so badly.

We’re getting spicy today. (No really. Lots of spicy language in this one. Definitely don’t listen around kids or at work. For real.) Featuring Sam Donovan, a two-time “reality show loser,” and Kitty and Piggy from one of our favorite blogs, Bitches Get Riches, we’re not holding back as we dig into all the ways that traditional gender roles harm women AND MEN, especially the most extreme version of that: toxic masculinity.

Today we’re taking on the first topic in which neither of us has a direct stake: motherhood! But recognizing that most women are not child-free by choice, as we both are, we wanted to take on this critically important issue that affects women and our money. We’re talking to Jamila Souffrant, creator of the Journey to Launch financial independence podcast, and Corina Frankie, founder of the Brand Besties event staffing service, about their experiences with maternity leave, taking time off, and how they manage work and motherhood. Plus, you know we have plenty of bleak motherhood wage gap stats to talk about.

The question we (Kara and Tanja) get more than any other from listeners is: “Do you two agree on everything?” Because when we talk about money and feminism, we share views on a lot of things. But turns out, we don’t agree on everything! Not even close. And today we’re getting into just a few of the things we disagree about, some light and fluffy, and some big and heavy. From white feminism and the best ways to make political change happen to the British royals, join us in this bonus discussion of things where we don’t see eye to eye. Welcome to the Thunderdome!

We often go deeeeep into the societal forces that make it just a little harder for women to get ahead financially, and we know that can feel depressing. So today we’re getting granular on what we can all do about it! Guest Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, founder of Moms Rising, a speaker at the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., and author of the new book Keep Marching, shares lots of tips for how we can each take action in our own ways, and Kara and Tanja each share additional ideas for fighting the good fight in whatever ways feel right to you.

We’re going deep into the girliest of topics: beauty. And we’re tackling it all: makeup, clothes, hair, weight, class, and the different standards for people of color. But most of all, how all those things affect our money, both our ability to earn it, and how much we can actually earn in the end. With our guests Sanetra, a model, and Amanda Holden, who writes the Dumpster Dog Blog, we look into the – no joke – HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS that beauty will cost many women in the course of their careers, both from the direct cost of looking a certain way, and from the lost earnings we get as a reward for all that effort. Oh, and did you know there's a fat wage gap, too? There sure is! 

The Fairer Cents is back for Season 2! (Only 25 seasons to go until the patriarchy is officially smashed.) And we're here to talk about women, money and our fight to break even. Because we give a shit, and so should you.  To kick things off, we're getting super practical, talking about the money things we wish we'd learned at a younger age, and some of the financial things most women are never taught. Our guest this week is Kristin Wong, author of the book Get Money, and a long-time contributor to the New York Times, Glamour, and Lifehacker. And she's got lots to offer about why women aren't taught this stuff, and what we can do to learn it and change social norms. Then we hear from friends of the podcast about some of the things they wish they'd learned earlier, like how to money as a stay-at-home mom, how to negotiate effectively and how not to let limiting beliefs stand between you and your money.  Oh, and we kinda have a little ranting to do about manifesting, coaching and multilevel marketing. 

It’s International Women’s Day! This year as we all #PressForProgress, we’re taking a little time to celebrate some of the great women from history, and the rad ladies making things happen now, who’ve changed things for the better for women and our money. We’ve got shoutouts to ladies you’ve definitely heard of, and to plenty you might not have. Make sure you’re subscribed so you’ll automatically get Season 2 episodes when they drop in a few months!

We made it to the end of season 1 of The Fairer Cents! Today we’re reflecting on what inspired us to start this podcast (we're not superheroes but we do have an origin story!), on the notes we’ve received from listeners and friends, and on what’s next for TFC. (Not to worry – we’ve got at least 27 seasons in us before the patriarchy is officially crushed.) Be sure to subscribe so you get bonus episodes as they drop, as well as new episodes in season 2 in spring 2018. Thanks for listening! 

This episode's heavier than usual, so if hearing about depression, anxiety and mental health is a trigger for you, please skip this one. Today we're sharing some super personal stuff: our own stories of mental health challenges and how we've handled them, specifically how our mental health has been impacted by money and how we've let money dictate how we take care of our mental health. (Whew! What a paradox.) We also hear from author and blogger Cait Flanders on how she finally decided that therapy was a worthwhile investment of her hard-earned money, and from psychotherapist Casey Lepper on how we can move forward in spite of money anxiety. Women may be more in touch with our emotions, but that doesn't make any of this stuff easy. But investing in your mental health is worth it. YOU are worth it. Season 1 of The Fairer Cents is sponsored by FreshBooks, the cloud accounting software for business rockstars. Go to freshbooks.com/tfc and enter "the fairer cents" in the how did you hear about us box to get a one-

Today, we’re hearing from the guys. Our partners Mark and T-Bone, specifically. (Remember them from episode 2? They're baaaaaack.) And today they’re talking among themselves, not to us. Why? Because while it’s crazy important for women to talk money together, if we want to change the way things are, men have to be a part of that. And we wanted to get some insight into how they think about stuff like money equality in relationships and the wage gap when we’re not pressing them on it. Also, why we’re so stoked about prominent women speaking up, not just making empty gestures. Women crushes of the week: Debra Messing, Natalie Portman, and Oprah… always Oprah. Season 1 of The Fairer Cents is sponsored by FreshBooks, the cloud accounting software for business rockstars. Go to freshbooks.com/tfc and enter "the fairer cents" in the how did you hear about us box to get a one-month free trial of the accounting software we both use and love. 

This week, Kara and Tanja dig deep into goals, resolutions and self care, but not in the usual way. This isn't a rundown on suggested new year's resolutions, or the latest tips for rocking that bullet journal. This is about the potential darkside of goals, and how when we fall short of a goal, we might perceive what is 99% success as failure. And how goals sometimes support self care, while other times goals push us to be unhealthy. And of course we talk about the positive side, too -- how empowering it is to achieve goals, and how each of us achieved our greatest financial successes. Plus audio essays by Kara and Tanja on our feelings about goals and resolutions. Season 1 of The Fairer Cents is sponsored by FreshBooks, the cloud accounting software for business rockstars. Go to freshbooks.com/tfc and enter "the fairer cents" in the how did you hear about us box to get a one-month free trial of the accounting software we both use and love. 

We all feel the urge to compare ourselves to others (no, it's not just you), including the absolutely most successful among us. But is that actually good for us? And are the images we're comparing ourselves against even true? Kara and Tanja talk about comparison, competition, and what it's like to accidentally be the one others are comparing themselves to (and what to do about it if that happens). And today we've got an interview with money blogger J. Money (J$), who started the Rockstar Finance net worth tracker, inspiring radical transparency across the personal finance blogosphere.  Season 1 of The Fairer Cents is sponsored by FreshBooks, the cloud accounting software for business rockstars. Go to freshbooks.com/tfc and enter "the fairer cents" in the how did you hear about us box to get a one-month free trial of the accounting software we both use and love.