Money and Finance Archives - Page 4 of 12

Taxing Questions — and Some Answers

March 7, 2014

I dislike filling out tax forms, and am lucky to have a spouse who actually kind of enjoys it. (She was a financial advisor for a while.) This year is tricky for us, however, since we are married in our state and must now fill out federal tax forms as “married” for the first time. In a way, it’s easier than doing the three federal forms we had to fill out in previous years — one for each of us as “single” and a “dummy” married one that we used to complete our state (married) form — but it raises its own set of questions. For same-sex couples married but living in states that don’t recognize their marriages, the questions may be even more complicated. Luckily, there’s help out there.

Effects of DOMA Ruling for Same-Sex Parents in All States

September 3, 2013

Several announcements last week made it clear that same-sex couples who are legally married will be recognized as married by the U.S. government — even if they do not reside in a state that recognizes same-sex marriages. That’s generally good news for same-sex parents — although there are still a few things to keep in mind.

Give OUT to LGBTQ Nonprofits Today!

May 9, 2013

Today is the first national Give OUT Day, an event to encourage people to make charitable donations on a single day in support of the LGBTQ community. Any day is a good day to give, of course, but doing so en masse like this helps show the power of our community and allies.

Good News or Bad News for Children of Same-Sex Parents Applying for Financial Aid?

April 30, 2013

There was good news and bad news yesterday for same-sex parents of children in or soon-to-be in college: Starting with the 2014-2015 federal student aid form, the U.S. Department of Education will ask for information about a dependent student’s legal parents regardless of the parents’ marital status or gender, as long as the parents live together. That’s good news, in that it will be the first time the form reflects the actualities of same-sex parents’ families (and those of unmarried, opposite-sex parents). It’s bad news, in that some students may receive less aid now that both parents’ contributions will be recognized—or will they?

Give OUT to LGBTQ Organizations on May 9

April 12, 2013

May 9 is the first national Give OUT Day, an event to encourage people to make charitable donations on a single day in support of the LGBTQ community.

Wanda Sykes Gives $15K to LGBTQ Youth Center

September 24, 2012

Comedian and lesbian mom Wanda Sykes surprised her audience last Thursday by announcing a $15,000 donation to the Ruth Ellis Center in Detroit. The Center provides short- and long-term residential safe space and support services for runaway, homeless, and at-risk LGBTQ youth.

Discrimination Means Children with LGBT Parents May Face Extra Economic Hardships

January 27, 2012

There’s a myth that LGBT parents are all affluent—a myth perpetuated by many in the media, who tend to focus on upper-middle and upper class families when they do LGBT family stories. The reality is much different. Children being raised by same-sex couples are in fact twice as likely to live in poverty as those being

How to Apply for Financial Aid if You Have Same-Sex Parents: New York Times

October 14, 2011

The federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form asks applicants to list their “mother/stepmother” and “father/stepfather.” But applying for aid, if you have same-sex parents, isn’t just a matter of crossing one of those out and writing in the correct term, says Tara Siegel Bernard of the New York Times in her piece, “How to File for Financial Aid if Your Parents Are Gay.”

TD Bank Responds About New Survey on Parents and Financial Literacy

March 31, 2011

If there’s one thing I like as a consumer and erstwhile marketing professional, it’s a responsive company. I posted yesterday about a survey sponsored by TD Bank that explored how parents teach their kids financial literacy, but clearly focused only on opposite-sex parents. This morning, I received the following e-mail from Jimmy Hernandez, a media relations officer at TD Bank. I repost it here with his permission:

New Survey on Parents and Financial Literacy: Where Are the Same-Sex Parents?

March 30, 2011

April is Financial Literacy Month, and I’ve been receiving a number of related press releases, some silly and some less so. While I didn’t think many of you would really be interested in a talking piggy bank, I did think you might have some thoughts on a new survey from TD Bank. It’s titled, “TD Bank Financial Literacy Poll Reveals the Role of Parents in a Fiscally Fit Family”—although it really should be titled, “TD Bank Financial Literacy Poll Reveals the Role of Parents in a Fiscally Fit Heterosexual Family.”