The New York Times has an article today on “The Extra Hoops Gay Parents Must Jump Through” in terms of legal and financial protections. Three experts, a lawyer, a financial planner and an accountant (which sounds like the start of a joke, but it’s not), offer their advice to a lesbian couple in Michigan with two children.
Like many of us, my thoughts have been much with the people of Japan over the past few days. If your personal circumstances allow, you may want to consider giving to relief efforts through the Rainbow World Fund, a “an all-volunteer international humanitarian service agency based in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and friends community.”
The Boston Globe this Sunday published an article titled, “Learning to adjust,” with a sub-heading explaining, “For millions of middle-class Americans, the recession has forever changed spending habits and forced a reconsideration of basic expectations–like retirement.” It’s a nice article about personal finance in our times. What makes it noteworthy, however, is that the two spouses profiled in the article are lesbian moms Liz Page and Marianne Stravinskas. The fact that they are a same-sex couple is incidental to the main thrust of the article, which is not about “gay” finance per se.
Ready to open a 529 college savings account for your child? My spouse Helen has been looking into options for ours. Truth is, he already has 529’s in two states, but as we’ve both moved and learned more about 529’s, the options we’ve preferred have changed. (For the uninitiated: you are not required to open
Here’s a great resource for those of you with kids nearing college age. HRC has created a database of scholarships for LGBT and allied students. (Even though many straight children of LGBT parents consider themselves straight members of the LGBT community rather than “allies” per se, I assume they are eligible for many of these
Same-sex parents are used to the routine of crossing out “Mother” or “Father” on various forms and writing in whatever applies to our family. What happens, however, when this is asked on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, used by most colleges and universities to determine a student’s contribution towards the cost
Helen and I tackle financial literacy for kids and the origin of piggy banks. We then explain why indie rock band They Might Be Giants is becoming the Schoolhouse Rock for a new generation—and why the band has a special connection to LGBT families. On a somber note, we mourn the death of Brendan Burke,
Pointing out another fine post by my spouse at her blog. (Hey, Valentine’s Day is coming up. Gotta do what I can.) Want to know how to keep your disapproving Aunt Sally from ending up with your money? Read what Helen wrote the other day about The ABC’s of IRA Inheritance for LGBT’s.
I was going to write a post about donating to Haiti, but my spouse Helen did it instead. She’s pulled out a list of all the organizations providing relief in Haiti that are rated four stars by Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator also has some useful tips on evaluating who should get your money. We’re going
Helen and I discuss shopping for our new car and Helen shares her thoughts on why shopping “green” isn’t always as easy as it seems. (Helen also goes into more detail over at her place about our car purchase.) We also bring news of more lesbian birds trying to incubate eggs, and a project to
