Send us a text 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 e...
May 30, 2022•12 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Send us a text 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.n...
May 23, 2022•10 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Send us a text 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_Ed...
May 16, 2022•8 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Send us a text 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...
May 09, 2022•7 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Send us a text 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...
May 02, 2022•13 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Send us a text 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 monthlyis...
Apr 25, 2022•2 min0
Send us a text 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
Apr 18, 2022•10 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Send us a text 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 ht...
Apr 11, 2022•11 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Send us a text 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 sh...
Apr 05, 2022•9 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Send us a text 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...
Mar 29, 2022•11 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Send us a text 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 ...
Mar 21, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Send us a text 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 [email protected] Support the show at buymeacoffee.com/spenddonate More episodes at: http://spenddonateinvest.world Support the show...
Mar 15, 2022•5 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Send us a text 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.np...
Mar 07, 2022•6 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Send us a text 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 advantag...
Mar 01, 2022•6 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Send us a text 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 ...
Feb 22, 2022•9 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Send us a text 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 fin...
Feb 15, 2022•8 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Send us a text 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 outf...
Feb 07, 2022•11 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Send us a text 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...
Jan 31, 2022•7 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Send us a text 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 scru...
Jan 18, 2022•7 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Send us a text Welcome to Spend Donate Invest! Check out the trailer to meet host GG and learn more about the show. To submit a question or topic for the podcast, please email [email protected] To support the show, visit buymeacoffee.com/spenddonate Word of mouth is the best way to help the show spread, please share an episode with someone who might enjoy it! http://spenddonateinvest.world Support the show...
Jan 17, 2022•1 min
Send us a text Today’s letter is about where to start with donating. Here’s the letter: What to do if I feel overwhelmed by donating? It’s natural to feel overwhelmed, I don’t think most of us learned anything about donating as kids, except for maybe some kids grow up with the practice of giving to their religious institutions. And even then, I think what kids tend to learn is more about the practice and benefits of giving, not as much about how to make decisions related to giving. So here are s...
Dec 20, 2021•6 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Send us a text Today’s letter is about convincing others to shop responsibly. Here’s the letter: I can't seem to convince my family to shop responsibly. Any ideas? This is a tough one. You can’t really control what anyone else does, so let’s focus on what you can control, which is what YOU are doing. So here are some ideas. Model the behavior yourself. So, when it is time for you to buy them gifts, give them the type of gifts that you’d like to receive. Shop locally, or buy from fair trade compa...
Dec 13, 2021•4 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Send us a text Today’s letter is about investing in the underinvested. Here’s the letter: I'd like to invest in some underinvested entrepreneurs. How can I do this? In today's episode, we discuss 3 approaches: Equity crowdfunding for example through Backstage Capital, Arlan Hamilton’s VC. Microlending, for example through an organization like Kiva Keep some of your money in a CDFI bank or credit union so people who have historically been locked out of our country’s financial system can have acce...
Dec 06, 2021•9 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Send us a text Today’s letter is about a listener who wonders about giving money to a person with a cardboard sign. Here’s the letter: Last weekend, my partner and I were out walking our dog and I gave a guy $20. He had a sign that said he'd had a bad year and needed help. He was in pretty bad shape and the way I saw it, we would've just wasted the money ordering lattes on Postmates, but my partner flipped out. He said the guy would 'blow the money on alcohol and drugs' and that twenty bucks won...
Nov 29, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Send us a text Today's letter is about where to start with socially responsible shopping. Here's the letter: When I think about all of the harms created by all of the products I buy, I get overwhelmed. Where can I start with socially responsible shopping? I often feel the same way too. If there’s one change to start with, I would suggest looking for more opportunities to shop locally. This can reduce a few different harms at once. For one, it can reduce the environmental impact of ordering somet...
Nov 22, 2021•4 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Send us a text Here's today's listener letter: One thing I realized pretty quickly during the pandemic is how much I was relying on my housekeeper and my kid's nanny. It has left me feeling a little uneasy about that, especially as I learn more about inequality in our country. According to the Economic Policy Institute, there are probably many more than the recorded 2M domestic workers, 90% are women, more than half are Black, Hispanic, AAPI and they are 3x more likely to live in poverty compare...
Nov 15, 2021•12 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Send us a text Today's letter is about donations that aren't quite stacking up. Here's the letter: I feel like I donate all the time, but when it is time for me to do my taxes in April every year and I gather up all my receipts from the year before, I'm always surprised the total isn't actually that much. How can I do better? This happens to a lot of us, we overestimate how often we do good things and underestimate how often we do bad things. But you’re right, the truth is in the accounting at t...
Nov 10, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Send us a text Here's today's letter: How do I find charities that have low administrative overhead expenses? Let's begin by discussing a less common question: why do we hold nonprofits to a higher standard of scrutiny than other organizations? There’s less scrutiny on silicon valley startups and 90% of them fail. And they are trying to sell apps and websites. They aren’t trying to undo hundreds of years of structural inequality and oppression. Why do we hold nonprofits to a higher level of rigo...
Nov 07, 2021•6 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Send us a text Today's letter is about how to find socially responsible investments if you are a busy investor. Here's the letter: I don't have time to make sure companies are on the up and up, is there a way to quickly pick socially responsible investments? There are some quick options. If you are busy and not the type to pick individual stocks, you may want to choose from some socially responsible mutual funds that have already been bundled together. They tend to perform well, just as well, so...
Oct 25, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Send us a text Here's today's letter: I'm a gentrifier and I feel guilty about it all the time. Is there a way to spend my money in the neighborhood in a socially responsible way? Your question isn’t about whether or not you should move into a gentrifying neighborhood, your question is, now that you’re a neighbor, how can you spend your money in your new neighborhood in a socially responsible way? Well, for one thing, shop at the corner stores! Shop at the little mom and pop restaurants. Read th...
Oct 18, 2021•5 min•Season 1Ep. 11
