Taking Social Stock

Today’s topic of budgeting builds on part 2 of our series, which was focused on tracking spending. Budgeting can feel really messy at times, especially when you’re first starting out building that habit. But doing that work can help you develop systems that result in having breathing room when something breaks at home or on your car unexpectedly. And it can help make paying for gifts for weddings, graduations, birthdays, and the holiday season feel more manageable. We talk about some things that have worked for us over the years, about how to make sure you’re getting a good rate on insurances, and share some thoughts on how to make your dollars go further when paying down your debt. Note: neither of us are certified financial planners, and we are only sharing ideas that have benefited us.   Article: How to Make a Personal Budget in 6 Easy Steps https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-make-a-budget-1289587 Article: Never tried to live on a budget before? https://studentaid.gov/resources/prepare-for-college/students/budgeting/budgeting-tips Article: How to Negotiate Lower Rates on Monthly Expenses https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-negotiate-lower-rates-on-common-monthly-expenses-453942  Music Provided by: Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_Lights Outro - https://audionautix.com/

Last week, part of a glacier fell in Uttarakhand, a state in northern India that is recognized for its beauty. The collapse pushed rushing flood water through a dam,  claiming lives and damaging two hydroelectric plants. At the time of this episode’s airing, nearly 40 people have been confirmed dead and 170 are missing. And while tragic, Uttarakhand residents have been sounding the alarm of flood risk for several decades. In 2013, a devastating flood killed nearly 6,000 people. It hasn’t yet been determined what caused the glacier to break in the most recent flooding, but leading speculation points to global warming and/or continually growing infrastructure that supports increasing numbers of tourists. Article: Famous for its tree huggers, village at center of India glacier collapse warned of impending disaster for decades. No one listened:https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/12/asia/india-glacier-raini-village-chipko-intl-hnk/index.html Article: 140 are missing after glacier breaks in India’s Himalayas:https://apnews.com/article/mountains-floods-india-glaciers-asia-pacific-5c42b2adb9437d4120fdf9de344b198fMusic Provided by:Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_Lights Outro - https://audionautix.com/

Part 2 of our personal finance series focuses on building a spending - or budget - tracker. We discuss three options that we have liked over the years: a pen-and-paper tracker system, a budget tracking app, and a detailed spreadsheet (linked as 2 Google Docs, below). Tracking our spending has helped us see where we spend way too often and way too much (hello, Target!). And it has reminded us to cancel subscriptions--those payments of $5-$20 often fly under the radar, but they really add up over time. And our spending trackers have helped us readjust our spending, helping us pay down our debt more quickly. Do you have tips or tools that help you track your spending? Let us know at takingsocialstock@gmail.com.   Budgeting/spending app: Mint: https://mint.intuit.com/ Detailed Budget Doc: Budget Planner: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HjDCOvkhFxchqAr2bjLZScaHWApenlzq/view?usp=sharingMake a copy of this template and adapt it to meet your goals and needs. Note: We recommend downloading this doc into an Excel file to ensure all formulas work properly. Basic Budget Google Doc: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Xfysm_W8I4dmVjSqtVcKV1Gz0vDKZunS/view?usp=sharingMake a copy of this template and adapt it to meet your goals and needs. Note: We recommend downloading this doc into an Excel file to ensure all formulas work properly. Music Provided by:Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_Lights Outro - https://audionautix.com/

The word privilege carries a weight. It means someone has an advantage. It can also mean that someone has an unearned advantage, which can cause defensiveness. The term white privilege means this: white people are shielded from some significant challenges that Black people and people of color have to deal with because of their skin color. And it can be difficult for white people, who have worked hard for their achievements or overcome adversity, to acknowledge that simply being born white has brought them advantages, or privileges. This week we talk about some of the ways white privilege can be observed in the U.S., and how even the best of intentions can cause negative and harmful impact.  But we can all choose to learn and to do better--we can acknowledge our privilege and our biases in a healthy way. We can make choices to continually learn and do better. Linked below are articles and video clips sharing a few of the many ways white privilege looks in action, and some thoughts on how it can be used to help make the world a just and equitable home for everyone. Video: The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: Trevor Breaks Down Reparations & White Privilege - Between the Sceneshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVa-HAsB-xQVideo: The Late Late Show with James Corden: James Corden Gets a Lesson on White Privilegehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUB3MGWT3xoArticle: Don’t talk about the Capitol siege without mentioning white privilegehttps://fortune.com/2021/01/08/capitol-riot-protest-white-privilege/amp/Article: When Culture Really Began to Reckon With White Privilegehttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/arts/black-artists-open-letters.html  Music Provided by:Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_Lights Outro - https://audionautix.com/

Thinking about personal finances is something most people do, and they are often a stress in a lot of people’s lies. With it being the beginning of the year, Andy’s kicking off a series on some tips of tools and strategies that have worked for us and are user-friendly for everyone. This week we talk about SMART goals and how they help with saving for the things that we really need to have, like an emergency fund, and for the things that we want to do, like going on vacation. Note: neither of us are certified financial planners, and we are only sharing ideas that have benefited us. Article: A No-Resolution Plan for Better Finances in 2021: https://www.kiplinger.com/personal-finance/602008/a-no-resolution-plan-for-better-finances-in-2021(Supplementary resource) Financial Goals Examples and Tips: https://credit.org/blog/financial-goals-examples/(Supplementary resource) Smart Goals: Definition and Examples: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/smart-goals Music Provided by:Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_Lights Outro - https://audionautix.com/

Lisa Montgomery will be one of the four federal inmates executed in the last leg of President Trump’s administration. And she will be their first woman in close to 70 years to be executed by the federal government in the U.S. In 2004, the now 52 year old Lisa Montgomery committed the heinous murder of Bobbi Jo Stinnett. No one defends her grisly actions. But a number of people and groups are fighting for Lisa’s life. Her history of severe and prolonged abuses spans many years: she was a victim of child sex trafficking, gang rape, and incest, with her first exposure to abuse happening when she was a toddler. Her story has been describe as being as being ‘the most broken of the broken’--society grossly failed her at multiple points of her life, and now her life will be snuffed out at the order of Trump, who proclaims to be the most pro-life of the pro-life. Sign a petition for an execution clemency here: https://tinyurl.com/y6buhqvbArticle: ‘A lifetime of torture’: the story of the woman Trump is rushing to executehttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/05/lisa-montgomery-death-row-execution-historySupplementary resource. The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center is one of the groups joining the call for Lisa’s clemency: https://www.instagram.com/niwrc/Music Provided by:Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_Lights Outro - https://audionautix.com/

Episode 16: Getting paid to move to the HeartlandOne of the byproducts of 2020 has been lots and lots of people working from home who formerly worked in an office. And communities that want an influx of professionals are making an offer that may be too good to refuse for some ‘laptop workers.’ Incentive programs have emerged in states throughout the middle of the U.S. to entice people to take up residency in their towns and cities--and programs in Tulsa and Northwest Arkansas are offering $10,000! We talk about some of the potential pros and cons of these programs, with some thoughts on how they could impact communities. And in light of closing the door on 2020 and saying hello to 2021, we also share a little bit about an upcoming series we’ll dig into around Andy’ subject matter of expertise: finance. It can be a really stressful topic for most people, and Andy will be sharing some tips he’s learned along the way. Article: You Want To Move? Some Cities Will Pay You $10,000 To Relocatehttps://www.npr.org/2020/12/20/944986123/you-want-to-move-some-cities-will-pay-you-10-000-to-relocateMusic Provided by:Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_Lights Outro - https://audionautix.com/

A few months ago the term defund the police gained traction. And St. Louis’ infamous and hellish workhouse (that has been called a modern day debtors jail) was defunded. Now close to $900,000 from its former budget will fund a program called Cops & Clinicians, which connects social workers to some 911 callers and some in-person police calls. This isn’t St. Louis’ first attempt at partnering police departments and social workers--a program existed for 3 years in the 1980s. But it isn’t common knowledge. In 2021, Cops & Clinicians will kick off in St. Louis, modeled after a successful program in Houston. Only time will tell the program’s level of success. But the 2021 program will have a unique strength that the 1980s program did not: it’s happening a time when people are demanding that policing is rethought.  Article: In The 1980s, St. Louis Police Partnered With Social Workers — Only To Abandon The Efforthttps://news.stlpublicradio.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2020-11-16/police-regularly-called-on-social-workers-for-help-in-early-1980s-st-louis (Supplementary reading) How Cops & Clinicians Aims To Change Policing In St. Louis, Beginning With Just 16 HiresMusic Provided by:Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_Lights Outro - https://audionautix.com/

In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission began an antitrust investigation against Facebook. And now the federal government and nearly 50 U.S. states are suing Facebook in an antitrust lawsuit. They claim that the social media conglomerate squashes competition, making it a monopoly. Facebook, which could lose ownership of Instagram and WhatsApp, says that people choose to use the site because they place high value on it. Several laws - the Sherman Act, the Clayton Act, and the Federal Trade Commission Act - that were written over 100 years ago (long before social media was a glimmer in the world’s eye) will influence the court’s decision.  We talk about the contentious space Facebook occupies, possible implications of whatever the outcome is, and how this could impact other powerful tech-related companies that have also been accused of having problematic ethical issues.Article: Facebook must be broken up, the US government says in a groundbreaking lawsuithttps://www.cnn.com/2020/12/09/tech/facebook-antitrust-lawsuit-ftc-attorney-generals/index.html  *Audio mix is a bit off this week. Sorry!Music Provided by:Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_Lights Outro - https://audionautix.com/

Food insecurity and hunger has long-been an issue in the U.S., and with the pandemic, as many as 50 million people could experience food insecurity (up to 17 million of food insecure people are children). And across the country, undocumented people - who already experience a disproportionate gap in being able to access needed resources - have to weigh risks of getting food against the risk of being deported.  People are stepping up to the plate in a variety of ways to shine light on the issue and to help--among these stories is an immigrant in Connecticut who has transformed her home into a food pantry to serve undocumented people. Her story is inspiring, but there are other impactful ways to help: Giving food to local pantries is greatly appreciated, and donating money directly to food banks allows them to buy a lot more food than a shopper could buy with it at the grocery store. We’d like to hear from you: let us how you have been or are planning on helping with the hunger crisis this year.Article: Immigrant Woman Starts Food Pantry In Her Home To Help Undocumented Families https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/12/02/940555647/immigrant-woman-starts-food-pantry-in-her-home-to-help-undocumented-families(Supplementary reading) Feeding America: Hunger in America https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america(Supplementary reading)  Key findings about U.S. immigrants https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/08/20/key-findings-about-u-s-immigrants/ Music Provided by:Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_Lights Outro - https://audionautix.com/

This week we share a happy-scary-happy sandwich: unhoused people are getting tiny homes in Portland-a COVID Thanksgiving is here-and a kind kiddo is feeding thousands of people in Texas. First up: unhoused people in Portland are moving off the street and into tiny home pods, a place that they will be able to securely leave their belongings, and be able to peacefully and safely rest. Then, a disconcerting survey indicates COVID is going to be a guest of honor at more Thanksgiving tables than might have been anticipated previously. And last, but certainly not least: a kiddo in Texas is trying to collect 100,000 meals’ worth of food for those who are dealing with hunger in his community.  Article: ‘It’s amazing, man!’ Pods for homeless arise in Old Townhttps://www.koin.com/news/civic-affairs/its-amazing-man-pods-for-homeless-arise-in-old-town/ Article: 1 in 3 parents say family holiday gatherings worth the risk of Covid-19https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/23/health/parents-family-gathering-risk-wellness/index.html (Supplementary reading) Article: My mom is guilting me into going home for the holidays. How do I stand my ground?https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/my-mom-is-guilting-me-into-going-home-for-the-holidays-how-do-i-stand-my-ground/ar-BB1b49Ut Article: North Texas 5th-Grader On A Mission To Donate 100K Meals To People In Need By Thanksgivinghttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/north-texas-5th-grader-on-a-mission-to-donate-100k-meals-to-people-in-need-by-thanksgiving/ar-BB1a6FyW Music Provided by:Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_Lights Outro - https://audionautix.com/

Episode 11: The Occupation of Alcatraz51 years ago, this week, Indigenous Peoples took over Alcatraz. Up to 400 members of various Native Tribes lived on The Rock during this 19 month period (years after the prison had closed). The Treaty of Fort Laramie created a path for this occupation, and it marked a crucial shift from Native people being continually forced to assimilate to their self-determination beginning to be recognized on a broader scale. And then the U.S. government forcibly removed residents. But by this point, the world had seen how Natives had been treated, tribes united to advocate and demand better--and for the first time in modern history, they were taken seriously. Twice a year, celebrations still occur on Alcatraz--on Indigenous Peoples Day and on UnThanksgiving. Article: Native Americans honor 50th anniversary of Alcatraz takeoverhttps://apnews.com/article/470fb9159dc7498bac477388fc37d5fdMusic Provided by:Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_LightsOutro - https://audionautix.com/

A person’s competency may breed confidence. But that person’s confidence may or may not be merited. In the workplace, it’s men who overwhelmingly gain leadership roles through a combination of hubris and incompetence. The effects of this level of arrogance -  that often initially masks as competence - can lead those leaders, their teams, or their businesses into failure. So why does this pattern continue? Because it’s still a man’s world - but it doesn’t have to stay that way. We talk about traits that lead to sustained success, and what group tends to demonstrate them (hint: the answer rhymes with ‘lemon’).  Article: Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?https://hbr.org/2013/08/why-do-so-many-incompetent-men MusicIntro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_LightsOutro - https://audionautix.com/

Lots of people have been working from home over the past few months, and Zoom meetings have meant looking at ourselves - and figurative warts and all - for hours every week.  A recent study shows that nearly half of adults who haven’t had plastic surgery would consider having a procedure. A remote work and video conferencing world has also given people more flexibility with recovery time, to get work done that they’d considered for a while. We talk about our opinions on cosmetic surgery, how the ‘Zoom effect’ has affected us, and some thoughts on how to avoid being self-critical in an already chaotic world. Article: The Zoom effect: Why plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures might be more popular because of the pandemic(Supplementary reading) Article: American Society of Plastic Surgeons Releases New Guidance for Resuming Elective Procedures Amid COVID-19https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/press-releases/american-society-of-plastic-surgeons-releases-new-guidance-for-resuming-elective-procedures-amid-covid19Music Provided by:Intro - Cheery Monday Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Outro - https://audionautix.com/

It’s Spooky Season! Over the past few years costumes have brought a new kind of attention to Halloween revelers: disciplinary action from employers for wearing racist and insensitive garb. What many may intend to be satirical can be cruel, and implications can involve perpetuating a cycle of beliefs that are rooted in especially brutal times in history. We talk about what freedom of speech (and costume-wearing) really means, cultural appropriation vs. cultural appreciation, and having fun without making fun of others’ cultures and identities. Article: Cultural Appropriation, A Perennial Issue On Halloweenhttps://www.npr.org/2019/10/29/773615928/cultural-appropriation-a-perennial-issue-on-halloween(Supplementary reading) Article: JetBlue worker's homeless Halloween costume upsets Puerto Rican communityhttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/jetblue-worker-s-homeless-halloween-costume-upsets-puerto-rican-community-n1075271Music Provided by:Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_LightsOutro - https://audionautix.com/

Over the past couple decades America’s media portrayal of Muslims has transitioned from largely being grossly inaccurate to simplistic (and still sometimes grossly inaccurate). We talk about how we’ve fed into these narratives ourselves over the years--and how this article has pushed us to think more critically when we watch The Boys or Ramy, or even commercials.Article: From mute to menacing: why TV's portrayal of Muslims still falls shorthttps://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/oct/15/why-tvs-portrayal-of-muslims-still-falls-short-ramy-bodyguard(Supplementary reading) Article: A gruesome murder in France rekindles the country’s debate on free speech and Islamhttps://www.vox.com/21523506/france-teacher-attack-terrorism-free-speech-muslimsMusic Provided by:Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_LightsOutro - https://audionautix.com/

Statues of historical figures are toppling - a sign that more and more people are reckoning with our country’s stained past. And people are all over the place regarding which statues they think are free rein and why.  We talk about our opinions, questions, and touch on some of our own biases that inform our current thoughts on the topic.Article: Reconsidering the past, one statue at a time - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/16/us/protests-statues-reckoning.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=ArticleArticle: How statues are falling around the world - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/24/us/confederate-statues-photos.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article  Music Provided by:Intro - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Green_LightsOutro - https://audionautix.com/

The 2020 election is right around the corner, and Andy shares what he’s learned since 2016 that has him voting - FOR THE FIRST TIME - in a presidential election this fall. And we talk about the importance of educating ourselves about all things voting, how overwhelming that can be, and share a resource guide we’ve created to help you navigate that space in a bite-sized way, leading up to election day. Resource Guide: 2020 Voting Resources GuideCheck out our resource guide - and let us know if you’re a first time voter, if you have suggestions for more resources, or if you have questions

TikTok, the social media platform that has 100 million active users in the U.S., is creating a space for activists, entertainers, and entrepreneurs (and people in general) to connect in a socially distanced, pandemic world.  And it’s at risk of being banned in app stores because of alleged security risks. We talk about some of the pluses and negatives of this wildly popular connection tool, its temporary reprieve, and who may stand to gain and lose the most if the app is blocked in the future.  Article: TikTok: US judge halts app store banhttps://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54316992

We’ve all heard the statement, “You do the crime, you do the time.” But many low-income people have to keep paying after they do their time. Monetary sanctions - fees and fines - are often imposed on those who’ve been convicted of crimes and when they can’t pay them back, the debt continues to grow. And costs can include everything from DNA storage to drug treatment to prison clothes to a daily charge for being in prison (and much more). We talk about how laws are driving people deeper into poverty--laws that are disproportionately impacting Black people and People of Color.   Article: Poor People Pay for Criminal Justice System, Rutgers Study Findshttps://www.socialworktoday.com/news/dn_050119.shtml  Linked in the Social Work Today article: Statutory Inequality: The Logics of Monetary Sanctions in State Law

Parts of California, Oregon, and Washington are on fire as a result of climate change. This week we talk about how some pretty diverse voices have come together to speak out about how natural disasters, like these wildfires, could bring financial devastation to people and businesses across the world.  The countdown is on, and we could either win big or lose it all.  Article: Federal Report Warns of Financial Havoc From Climate Changehttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/climate/climate-change-financial-markets.html?auth=login-google1tap&login=google1tapLinked in the NYT article: Managing Climate Risk in the U.S. Financial System

The pandemic didn't end this summer and now students are returning to campus. Our first article discusses the unique challenges being faced by educators of students with additional educational needs. Our second article discusses the closure of college campuses and the impact of students returning to their home communities after a short stay on campus.Article 1: https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2020-08-28/for-special-needs-students-online-education-exposes-dividesArticle 2: https://www.wsj.com/articles/colleges-send-students-home-as-outbreaks-worsen-are-they-creating-a-new-coronavirus-threat-11599471000?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=16Also mentioned - Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. Highly recommended bookPlease send comments, questions, and suggestion to takingsocialstock@gmail.comThanks for listening!

Welcome to Taking Social Stock! This is a weekly podcast hosted by Andrew and Heather. In this show we introduce ourselves and share our vision for the podcast.  Questions, comments, and suggestions welcome - takingsocialstock@gmail.com