The Purse

When Lindsey Stanberry and I started discussing what it would look like for me to join her in building The Purse, one of the things we were so aligned on was the power of community and our love for events/holding space for incredible women to come together. Creating these opportunities for connection is a big part of our vision for The Purse, and I am SO excited to share that our first event is in just 2 weeks! We're teaming up with Lindsay Dorf and the brilliant Astor team to host an intimate evening of conversations around important money-adjacent topics like new parenthood, career changes, etc. If you're interested in learning more, DM for details (and of course, space is limited etc!)

I started writing about money because I didn't like the stereotypes about millennials and money. A decade later, the old tropes still hang around, and they always paint such a negative picture. It sort of drives me crazy! And that's why I was inspired to create Home Economics on The Purse. It's a chance to tell individual stories, to highlight our wins, and to show that we are so much more than a mono culture who spends all their money on lattes and avocado toast. I love interviewing the women who share their stories. They aren't famous, they're rarely rich, and most of the time they have pretty ordinary lives. But there's something about asking people to talk about their financial situations that's just so interesting to me. And the growing Purse audience who tune in twice a month for the series! But my biggest takeaway: The stereotypes are rarely true. Maybe on the surface, but dig a little deeper, and you can see just how complicated our financial stories really are. Take tomorrow's Home Ec for example: It features a teacher and a carpenter* who earn over $100k a year and own their home. They both have pensions. And yet they're still worried about having enough for retirement. Tell me: What's a trope about millennials (or boomers, Gen X, or Gen Z) and money that drives you crazy? (*At 45 and 47, they aren't millennials. But I think you can probably make the same argument for Gen X.)

After a weekend of solo parenting, I've been thinking a lot about how much easier life is when you've got a good partner to help you do all the things. Household management never ends. There's always another load of laundry to do and dishes to be washed. (Needless to say I missed my husband, and I was very glad when he came home and resumed his job of prepping the coffee each night before bed so it is ready when I wake up.) I love to edit The Division of Labor series on The Purse because I get a peek at how other couples make it work. Some rely on elaborate systems to divide up tasks; others are more relaxed. I don't think there's one right way as long as everyone feels good about the system. Tomorrow's edition of DoL is particularly interesting because it features platonic life partners who are not married but do live together. You'll have to subscribe to see how that dynamic changes the equation! In the meantime, how do you make it work at home? Do you rely on a complicated division of labor with spreadsheets and calendar invites? Or are you more relaxed? (Here’s a photo of us from our pre-kid days! We look so well-rested!)

When I was a journalist at CNBC and Fortune, I wasn't allowed to publicly share my political opinions or donate to political campaigns. In the summer of 2020, I worried that people would question my silence as complacency. When everyone is yelling online, it can feel like you need to join in the noise. Behind the scenes, I worked with an amazing team at CNBC Make It to cover the struggles facing real Americans: student loan debt, the childcare crisis, the racial wealth gap, and the impact of Covid on the personal economy. And so so so so many stories about stimulus checks. (A big shoutout to Alicia Adamczyk, Megan Leonhardt, Emmie Martin, Courtney Connley, AJ Hess, and Hanna Howard for being the best people to work with during that dark time!) Leaving traditional media has allowed me to once again talk openly about my politics. It feels good and scary at the same time. This is a polarizing time, and I don't want to just add to the yelling. As my kid said this morning, I have sensitive ears. (He's pictured below, when he was much smaller, sleeping through my trip to vote in the NYC primaries, circa 2017.) But I also want to continue to use my platform for causes I care about. So today, I launched a Giving Circle via The States Project on The Purse alongside Katherine Goldstein. We're hoping to raise $5,000 for progressive politicians in North Carolina. I hope you'll consider donating! At the very least, please vote this November! https://lnkd.in/e4YhFE4E

One of my favorite parts about working on The Purse is when I get to team up with other writers I admire. I've long been a fan of Katherine Goldstein's work, first her podcast, and now her excelled newsletter, The Double Shift. She does a really good job reporting on the many, many, MANY struggles facing American families, with a focus on childcare. It's a topic that's been near and dear to my heart for a long time. Naturally, I was thrilled when Katherine suggested a newsletter swap, and I was so glad to share her essay on the mental load of feeding a family. Figuring out how to get dinner on the table *every single* night is no easy task, and I love how Katherine's essay has sparked a really great conversation in the comments. (As always, The Purse readers have a lot to say! I love that about them!) https://lnkd.in/eup-zkrJ How do you handle dinner every night? Is it a join effort? Or a one-person operation?

Engagement > scale, always... A little story: We're running a survey for a Tactile client who is currently in stealth mode. We've promoted the survey in a few places, but by far saw the most participants come in when we ran in The Purse yesterday.  In fact, about 10% of yesterdays readers filled it out (not just clicked, completed the full survey!). The reason: The Purse has cultivated an extremely engaged community instead of chasing growth for the sake of growth! Trust from subscribers is our priority, and by making that our priority our brand partners actually receive a pretty significant upside! Feeling so lucky I get to help grow this incredible thing Lindsey Stanberry created and having a blast working on both sides of the desk with Tactile clients getting access to these brand partner opps!