Erin Lowry

Do You Know How Much a Kid Will Cost You?

Kids are expensive. Full stop. No matter your level of frugality, it’s certainly costlier to have kids than to opt to be child-free. And yet, there’s a particular kind of societal pushback in the US when you attempt to speak bluntly about the financial concerns of having children. The prevailing…

Anxious About a Recession? Start Thinking Like a Freelancer

Although freelancers have been around for ages — the English word originally referred to a “free lance,” or a medieval mercenary willing to fight for the highest bidder — working independently is often considered unstable. It certainly can be, but it also forces one to learn how to navigate…

Should People Combine Their Money After Marriage?

There is one way a married couple is supposed to handle money: jointly. Well, that’s how it used to be — after all, women needed a male co-signer to access credit until 1974. Today’s married couples have more options when it comes to how to manage their money. The classic of being completely…

The Best Gifts for Kids Who Aren’t Your Own

A common reaction to hearing about a pregnancy is to say congrats and perhaps send a onesie. But there are other ways to celebrate and support newly expecting parents. When my sister-in-law announced her pregnancy last fall, my brain leapt to how my husband and I could save and invest for our…

The Pandemic Changed the Renting Vs. Buying Game in NYC

$68,750: That’s how much my husband and I will be paying in rent over the course of our two-year lease in New York City. It was startling to see the total amount on our agreement — this could buy a home (albeit a fixer upper) in some places in the US or constitute a hefty down payment in others. …

How I Wish I’d Prepared for Catching Covid-19

On Dec. 31, my husband came home with news we’d both been dreading for months: He’d tested positive for Covid-19. A seemingly a run-of-the-mill seasonal cold actually turned out to be the virus. Three days later, a doctor confirmed I too was a New York City Covid statistic. Somehow, even after nine…

Millennials, It’s Time to Talk Estate Planning With Your Parents

Despite years of being seen as self-involved, over-indulged children who can’t get it together, Millennials have been growing up. In fact, some Millennials are aging into their forties. This means that our parents, many of whom are Boomers, are reaching an age at which we’ll need to have some…

Best Reason to Join a Startup? Not to Get Rich

The US has such an infatuation with startup culture that many have wondered: Do startup employees earn more in the long run? The answer: No. Or so says a recent study that analyzed the long-term consequences of startup employment in Denmark from 1992 to 2012. It found those who joined a startup…

Recessions Lead People to Make Big Money Mistakes

After relishing one of the longest bull markets in history, millions of millennials and young investors, myself included, are getting our first real taste of a severe recession — a scenario that often leads to costly, knee-jerk financial decisions. A global pandemic has made it unclear when…