This angers me (Narcissism 101)

[Rasputin_Vol]

I shouldn't have left the finances to my husband - Divorce - Salon.com

2 things I took away from this...

1. Seems like her husband wasn't such a bad guy. He had money for her to live an above average lifestyle and there is not any mention of cheating/beating going on. What more could she want???

2. She's a financial writer for the NYT, yet has no idea how to do basic home financing.

A year ago I got my first American Express card. This might not seem particularly monumental, but in my case it is. I'm a 47-year-old mother of two, a professional journalist who writes about business -- entrepreneurs, careers and the workplace. I have a monthly column in the New York Times Sunday Business section. It's not a stretch to imagine I would be savvy about the business end of my own life. And yet I wasn't, until very recently. I had never seen a 401K statement, never made a mortgage payment, never bought or sold a car or stock in a company and didn't know anything about mutual funds.

Yet 25 years later I had managed to become almost completely dependent on someone else for my survival. I felt more like my husband's child than his wife. At the beginning of each year he gave me a certain amount of cash (we were both too politically savvy to call it an allowance), which, combined with my comparatively low earnings as a writer, funded my life throughout the year. My expenses were all the things that made daily, upper-middle-class family life possible: piano lessons, organic strawberries, martial arts classes, soccer fees, swimming lessons, birthday parties.

Yet the distraction of family life alone doesn't account for my level of ignorance. I'm clearly responsible for choosing not to learn about any of these things -- especially egregious as I make a living, for the most part, writing about business...

My earnings as a writer were about one-tenth of my husband's salary, making me a financial footnote, and what I lost as a result of that was leverage in my marriage and the confidence to ask for the things I needed -- like sleep or time alone or the freedom to travel for my work.

After my ex moved out, I began a reeducation program that included a female financial advisor from Charles Schwab, a new accountant and a mortgage broker. On my own I was able to negotiate a financial settlement with my husband. I opened an investment savings account and -- with the help of that new advisor -- determined how I wanted my money invested (conservatively -- I'm not much of a risk-taker).

You are a financial writer, but don't want to take any risks while investing?

I wound up with faith in myself. It might seem silly to think that determining what percentage of my savings to invest in bonds would also give me the confidence to buy a new kitchen sink or install a smoke alarm, but it did.

A smoke alarm? Really?

Eilene Zimmerman is a journalist based in San Diego whose work has been published in national magazines and newspapers including The New York Times, Glamour, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Christian Science Monitor, CNNMoney.com, CBS MoneyWatch.com, Crain’s NY Business, Wired, Harper's, Slate.com and others. She writes the "Career Couch" column monthly in the New York Times Sunday Business section.

[crusse10]

She needs to go back to the kitchen

[NEOCON]

I like the part where she says he gave me money but were are too PC to call it allowance.

This sums up PC. We know what it is but let's not call it what it is.

I hope shes a good cook.

[g8terh8ter_eric]

So, she basically didn't take part in learning where their money was going and how much they were making, because she was too busy getting piano lessons and buying organic strawberries?? Wow, just wow.

[Rasputin_Vol]

If this guy would have laid a hand on her or cheated on her, trust me, she would have mentioned this in the article.

Also, how can any of these magazines hire her as some kind of financial or career columnist when she hasn't even paid a mortgage or had a credit card until 18 mos ago?

Sounds to me like this guy would make a good husband (no homo).

[utvolpj]

actually my wife and I have discussed doing the same (the "allowance" thing). She just doesn't want to be bothered with the finances but also doesn't want to just blow through her money. Funny that my wife still sounds more money-educated than this business writer

[salutethehill]

My wife and I sit down and plan our finances every 2 weeks. She's the frugal one, I certainly am not.

[tri_vol]

this shows how smart talking or writing heads really are.

[Volst53]

Right now I'm saving 50% of my checks and paying bills/spending money the other 50%

[81Bubbavol]

Originally Posted by tri_vol

this shows how smart talking or writing heads really are.

This !

[Rasputin_Vol]

I lied. This is the ultimate form of narcissism.



YouTube Link

[Yankee_Vol]

The fact that she is/was a business writer is the most disturbing part

[AJeray4TN]

Originally Posted by crusse10

She needs to go back to the kitchen

I bet she makes a killer sandwich.

[95 Vol Alum]

Originally Posted by Rasputin_Vol

I lied. This is the ultimate form of narcissism.



YouTube Link

Can she file jointly now?

[OrangeEmpire]

F all yall, Lex Luger rocked!