Emily’s Favourite Money Stories-February 2021 Edition

"The Case for Reparations" by Ta-Nehisi Coates in The Atlantic This is an older and much lauded piece that I have been meaning to read for years. Woweee does it live up to the hype. Coates is an extraordinary writer. In this article, he makes a case for reparations for Black Americans based on a thorough investigation of history and interviews with those who lived through it. The audio version is also available. "How American CEOs Got So Rich" from Vox This video explains stock buybacks, which I had never heard of before watching this video. Vox has done ...

What Do You Want From Your Money in 2021?

Emily Nixon is an actor/writer/director/filmmaking Swiss Army Knife. She is also a big money nerd and Community Outreach Coordinator for Rags to Reasonable. She came to this work after becoming completely fed up with living paycheque-to-paycheque and being too afraid to look in her chequing account. She is passionate about empowering other artists and variable income earners to keep doing what they love and feel confident about their finances. Email Emily at emily@ragstoreasonable.comWant to start getting control of your money? How can I help? ...

2020 In the Rearview-Financial Takeaways

Emily Nixon is an actor/writer/director/filmmaking Swiss Army Knife. She is also a big money nerd and Community Outreach Coordinator for Rags to Reasonable. She came to this work after becoming completely fed up with living paycheque-to-paycheque and being too afraid to look in her chequing account. She is passionate about empowering other artists and variable income earners to keep doing what they love and feel confident about their finances. Email Emily at emily@ragstoreasonable.comWant to start getting control of your money? How can I help? ...

Kids in Capitalism, Parents in Communism Part 2

This is the continuation of the interviews with peoples who grew up in a capitalist system and were raised by parents from a communist society. Click here, to read part one. 6. When did you feel most wealthy? Vika (Russia): When I gave my grandmother some money that I earned myself for her birthday so that she could buy a couch for her apartment. Victoria (Poland): When my grandmother would win small amounts of money from the lottery, she would get very excited and take us out on a trip to the dollar store. What was probably about $10-$20 dollars ...

Kids in Capitalism, Parents in Communism Part 1

At Rags to Reasonable, I get to hear stories about what money was like in different childhood homes. What discussions were had (or not had) about money. What the recurring tensions were. I get to see how significantly our parents’ financial beliefs and habits influence our own. I started getting curious about what it might look like for people whose parents had lived in a different economic structure than the one they themselves grew up in. If someone’s parents were raised in a communist system but they themselves grew up in a capitalist country, would there be discord between the ...

Svelna the Magnificent-Writer, Actor

1.What were you doing for work before the pandemic? freelance writing, editing, acting. Work has been affected mainly in that substantial acting possibilities are almost non-existent and theatre writing possibilities are mostly deferred into an indefinite future. Non-performance writing opportunities seem less directly affected (e.g. magazines are still publishing), but then some book publishers are delaying making offers on new manuscripts and delaying releases, so there’s lots of uncertainty there too. 2.What do you miss spending money on these days? I wish it felt more possible to travel safely, and to go for drinks with friends. 3.How do you think ...

Haran the Distinguished-Actor, Camp Counsellor, Disability Activist

1.What were you doing for work before the pandemic? I was teaching mainly and being a camp counsellor, those jobs have either  gone or adapted in a way I can’t work with (being far away and I don’t have a car) 2.What do you miss spending money on these days? I don’t spend a lot of money but I do miss going to the book or music stores and hanging out and buying music! 3.How do you think your spending will change after the pandemic? Yes I just don’t know what’s going to happen as I often like to work ...

Jade Douris-O’Hara-Actor, Choreographer, Studio Director at Shakespeare by the Sea

1.What were you doing for work before the pandemic? [My husband I] were both working for a theatre company here in Halifax on a contract basis. Part of our work is administering and running the education programs, the tuition from which is almost entirely where our pay comes from in the budget. We had to suspend classes, so that income no longer existed, and so we had to do an EXTREMELY reduced, part-time contract for the Spring. Then, we were set to take the acting contract for the Summer, 15 weeks of Equity work (enough to have full insurance for ...

Margie Scherk, DVM-Veterinarian, Freelance Speaker

1.What were you doing for work before the pandemic? I travel internationally to give lectures and visit clinics. This is completely curtailed by the pandemic. Conferences have been postponed or gone virtual. I have had to learn to video record my presentations, which sadly removes all aspects of interaction for some organizations, especially if they have to be translated. Other events are live virtual lectures, i.e., webinars. The honoraria I was being paid have decreased dramatically.  2.What do you miss spending money on these days? Travel, eating in restaurants, training at the gym with a personal trainer. 3.How do you ...

Thomas McKechnie-Playwright, Bike Courrier, Union Organizer

1.What were you doing for work before the pandemic? I was working for Foodora which has now left the city. I was also working for Uber. I'm organizing and writing full time these days.  2.What do you miss spending money on these days? Nothing really, maybe sitting in a bar together with friends. Seeing plays I guess?   3.How do you think your spending will change after the pandemic? I'll be back at work so I'll be eating out more as I get while I'm working. I'll spend money on seeing plays and bands  4.What are your tips on how to ...

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