Progressive Pockets: a podcast about the untapped power of our wallets to build the world we want

Send us a text

Here’s today’s letter:
I’m finally doing it! I’m starting my own business. Things are going better than expected and I’ll need to hire people soon. What should I pay?
Link from today's discussion:
https://livingwage.mit.edu/

Support the show

Send us a text

Here’s today’s listener letter:
A friend and I recently got into a debate about whether or not there’s such a thing as an ethical billionaire? What do you think? I don’t think Billionaires should exist but my friend says that innovators should be incentivized to improve the world.
Links from today's discussion:
Walmart and McDonald’s employees are

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/11/18/food-stamps-medicaid-mcdonalds-walmart-bernie-sanders/

Wealth Hoarding in America

https://fortune.com/2020/07/14/billionaires-philanthropy-coronavirus-crisis/

America’s billionaires have a hoarding problem

https://fortune.com/2020/07/14/billionaires-philanthropy-coronavirus-crisis/

Support the show

Send us a text

Here’s today’s listener letter:
Should I try to specify exactly what my donation is used for?
No! End of episode. LOL. OK, I am kidding. Let’s talk this one out. I can see how it would be tempting to try to donate money to an organization and then provide your two cents on exactly how you’d like the money to be used, but I want to caution you against being so prescriptive and trusting the organization that you’ve selected to be a good shepherd of the money you are donating and to better know exactly what your dollars are needed for. You don’t know if their copier is broken and operations are coming to a standstill until they can figure out how to get it repaired. Or maybe they receive funding but it is restricted funding. Sometimes foundations will donate to an organization and then put in some restrictions like it must be used for programmatic funding only, not for any administrative expenses. This can really make it difficult for an organization to be able to run itself effectively.
I guess what I’m really cautioning against is specifying whether your donation is being used for programmatic funding or administrative funding.
But it could be that you’re wanting to specify which program your money goes to, in that case, I think do whatever feels right to you. You might want to support a community organization that provides free medical care to a neighborhood as well as a food pantry and a jobs training program. If you really really really feel strongly about one of those more than the others, then sure, go ahead and specify, if the organization even asks your preference.
But in general, I would suggest that you try to trust the organization to know that ok this month, the health care clinic is running very low on supplies, but they’re actually doing OK in terms of the food pantry and the jobs training course.
This echoes the advice you’ll generally hear on this show about providing donations to individuals as well. Back in Episode 21, I gave some predictions on trends for 2022, in terms of how we as a society are aligning our personal values and our money. One of those predictions is that direct cash transfers will become more popular. In other words, instead of requiring people to queue up at the food pantry, for example, just cutting people checks so they can go to their local grocery store or farmer’s market and get the exact groceries their family needs. When the person you want to help is suffering from poverty, I would suggest that you don’t try to specify where your donation goes. Imagine how frustrating it must be to know that you are late on rent and someone has handed you $100 that has to be used for books. Or clothing. Or food. Let the recipient decide where that emergency cash infusion needs to go.

Support the show

Send us a text

Here’s this week’s letter:
Growing up my experience with giving was giving to my church. My parents would tithe to the church and every week they would give us kids each one dollar to put in the collection plate. To be honest, by the time I was a teenager, I would pocket the money sometimes. I felt like my parents were chumps, and blindly giving instead of really analyzing what was being done with the money. And it wasn’t just the blind faith, I think what bothered me too was that they were giving because they were told to give. Like an obligation or something. Like they were programmed to give. So, now I’m entering my middle age and I’m starting to feel like maybe I need to be more generous. I have broken ties with the church, but there are other things I care about. But whenever I think about donating, I remember my parents and their robotic relationship to giving. I don’t want donating to feel like a chore. Or a reaction to guilt. Any tips?

Support the show

Send us a text

Welcome back to Spend Donate Invest. We vote, we protest, but what about our money? Is there a way we can line up our personal values and our money? This is what I’m exploring on this show. Thank you so much for all of your emails and DMs with all of the questions you’re wondering about.
Here’s this week’s letter:
I got the day off for Juneteenth and I’m trying to think about ways to honor the holiday and incorporate it into my family’s annual traditions. We have a nice tradition in my family of volunteering on Thanksgiving, we love it, it’s fun, it brings the family together, it reminds us to practice gratitude. We usually spend some time that weekend learning more about Native American history as a family and that has felt right for my family. What can we do for Juneteenth to honor the magnitude of this day?
Thanks for your letter. Before I offer some thoughts on honoring the day, I’ll encourage you to do your own research to understand the history and meaning of the day. And really look around at multiple sources. There’s a tendency to gloss over some of our ugliest aspects of our country and an inability to hold painful truths alongside gratitude for our progress. Our best self is one where we can acknowledge where we started, work to improve, and continually check for successes and failures as we evolve. I think your family’s participation in Juneteenth can be a part of how your family does this.
Let’s start with education. When I think about the potential of Juneteenth, the first thing I think of is the potential for education. I’d encourage you to think about your family’s specific relationship to the enslavement of Africans in this country. Were your family members enslaved? Were they enslavers? Do you live on a former forced labor camp? I guess they call those plantations in a lot of places. What’s the truth behind your family’s relationship to the enslavement of kidnapped Africans in America? Are you recent Americans like my family? Maybe you showed up here after the Emancipation Proclamation in the 1800s. Did your family benefit from the anti-Black policies that lingered after slavery? Did your family work in careers where Black people were not allowed the same government protections or benefits? Did your family work in agriculture for example? Did your family buy a home in a redlined area? Has your family benefited from anti-blackness? Exploring your family’s relationship to slavery in America could be one way that you honor Juneteenth in your family.
Let’s talk about celebration. Depending on your relationship to slavery in America, you can be thoughtful about how to celebrate? Are you celebrating your ancestors' survival? Are you celebrating Black joy? Are you celebrating African American culture and history?
And finally, let’s talk about activism. What can you do to be on the side of progress? There’s so much! Find out what the Black activists in your neighborhood are talking about. What do they need? How can you help? Can you advocate for truthful teaching of our history? Can you advocate for reparations? This is a money show, so there’s the first recommendation which is to look for your role in advancing reparations! Other potential areas for advocacy that you might consider include include voting rights and police and criminal justice reform. There are so many advocacy areas, pick the ones that make sense for your family.
In fact, you might put your advocacy efforts towards really ending slavery in America. The 13th Amendment didn’t end enslavement for all Americans. The law very specifically carves out an exception to continue slavery and involuntary servitude for people who have been convicited of a crime. And so today, there is a very quie

Support the show