Money Talks

We started our Money Talks column to take a closer look at people’s relationships, their money, and their relationships with money, all of which intersect in unexpected ways. We’ve heard from dozens of people in conversation with their business partners, friends, loved ones, and the not-quite categories in between, on topics ranging from how they handle splitting bills when one person makes more money than the other to what it’s like running a 55-year-old coffee shop with your elderly father.

We’re looking for small-business owners who are willing to get candid with a reporter about the financial and emotional realities of running or working at a small business. Are your best friends or family members trying to make a business work? Perhaps a pair of exes putting their differences aside for the company? What’s it like working for yourself and with your business partners? What inspired you to start your business? How have you been affected by economic uncertainty, or technology, or cultural shifts? What are the best parts of your job, and the hardest parts? We want to know!

Jocelyn Newman is 32 years old. She’s a mom, a nomadic traveler, and the founder of First Peak, a line of sustainable adventurewear for babies and toddlers. Her husband, Gage, is also 32, and the two of them are working together to support each other, their 2-year-old son, and Jocelyn’s nascent business.

First Peak launched in spring 2022, and in the first eight months it had sales in the low five figures. We talked while Jocelyn, Gage, and their son were traveling in New Zealand — and the toddler slept, happily, through the entire interview. The conversation has been condensed.

Jeff and Randy Vines are 44-year-old identical twins. They’re also the creators and co-owners of STL-Style, a St. Louis apparel store that has become a destination for locals and tourists alike. STL-Style has been in its Cherokee Street storefront since 2010, with no plans to expand into a bigger location — even though the business has annual sales of just over $1 million.

Here’s how the Vines brothers turned a love for their hometown into a thriving small business, creating not only T-shirts, but also a gathering space for St. Louis residents.

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationship with money, their relationship with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Meredith Artyukhina is 31 years old and lives in Washington, DC. Julia Beaumier is 27 years old and recently moved from DC to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Meredith runs CapitalStitchCo, an embroidery kit business, and Julia runs a handwoven home decor business called Jetta&Jules (Jetta is her dog).

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationship with money, their relationship with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Nia Brown is the 30-year-old founder of PrincessMe, a Black-woman-owned small business that offers parties and services like spa packages for children. Her husband, Brandy, is a 34-year-old freelance accountant who is putting his skills into co-running the family business.

In April 2020, we reached out to screenwriters Ryan and Julie (not their real names) to learn how the entertainment industry was dealing with the still-nascent pandemic. Ryan was earning $18 an hour prior to being laid off; Julie was earning $16.50 in a union-protected job. Now that Hollywood is effectively back in business, we got back in touch with Ryan and Julie, now aged 41 and 34, to learn how Covid-19 changed the industry — and how these changes have affected their lives and finances.

Ryan: I was on unemployment until October 2020, right when the end of the extra government unemployment money went away, and I got a call for a job. It timed out perfectly for me. I got hired as a showrunner’s assistant for my old boss, and I ended up being on that for a year. It was a year of income, and I ended up getting promoted to writer. I ended up getting 14 weeks of a writer’s paycheck, which was literally five times what I was making as an assistant.

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationship with money, their relationship with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Bennie Covington and Krystal Covington live in Denver, Colorado with their toddler son. Bennie is 38 years old and works as an HR leader; Krystal is 36 and runs her own public relations business.

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationship with money, their relationship with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Jessica and Sebastian (not their real names) work in communications and marketing, respectively; their annual salaries are $125,000 and $135,000. However, Jessica, 37, grew up with a very different socioeconomic background than Sebastian, 36. When they met 14 years ago, Jessica had both student loan debt and credit card debt; Sebastian, whose college was paid for out of a trust fund, had yet to open his first credit card. Many of their early financial experiences were still influencing their spending and saving decisions — and not always for the best.

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationship with money, their relationship with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Kai, 19, is finishing their second year of college and works at PetSmart. April, 52, is Kai’s mother (and a single parent) — she works as a third-party reseller on both Amazon and eBay, and she also runs the personal finance blog Midlife Sunshine. They live in an East Coast suburb, and April’s total household income is in the mid-five figures.

Doug and Kat (not their real names) live in the rural Midwest and, during most years, earn a combined low six figures. Kat, 31, earns around $50,000 a year as a freelance writer; Doug, also 31, earns just under $90,000 as a development engineer. Both Kat and Doug reduced their working hours and their income after welcoming their first child last year — and they are currently trying to decide how to balance their long-term savings, their charitable donations, and the money that might go toward their son’s education someday.

Doug: We’re both very goal-oriented. The first thing we did together was pay off our house, which meant we were both debt-free. Then we had this cash flow, and we started asking ourselves what we wanted to do with it.

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationship with money, their relationship with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Henry Kalebjian, 79, is the owner of Henry’s House of Coffee. His son Hrag, 43, joined as co-owner in 2013 — and although the father-son collaboration required a little more understanding and empathy than either Henry or Hrag had been expecting, business has more than tripled since Hrag came on board.

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationship with money, their relationship with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Lin Jerome and Alexandra Lourdes have been in the hospitality business for the past five years. The Las Vegas-based entrepreneurs met while they were both working at the University of Nevada Las Vegas — Alexandra was working in the provost’s office and running all of the major on-campus events, and Lin was the associate director of admissions for UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law — and after collaborating on a charity event to raise money for Make-A-Wish, realized that they worked very well together.

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationship with money, their relationship with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Evan is a 33-year-old blogger and parenting writer at Dad Fixes Everything. His wife, Sarah, is 31 and is the director of customer strategy and success at a software company. They live in Atlanta, and their annual household income is around $200,000.

Kim Steins and Geoff Marshall have been together for 15 years, but they don’t ever plan to get married. The pair met at the College of Idaho when Kim needed a car to report on a college newspaper assignment at a cemetery and Geoff offered to drive her.

Post-college, they continued to live in Idaho, but when Geoff was diagnosed with cancer, they moved in with Geoff’s parents in Oregon. He was in treatment for two and a half years and racked up close to $15,000 in medical debt. At the time, Kim was facing her own debt: $50,000 in student loans.

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationship with money, their relationship with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Linda Freyer founded the Freyer Academy of Ballet in Wilton, Connecticut, in 1988; she now co-owns the studio with her two daughters Heidi Freyer and Petra Freyer Heinzinger. The business grosses around $134,000 annually, roughly $80,000 of which goes toward teacher pay. Linda, Petra, and Heidi pay themselves when they teach ballet classes; if there is net income left over at the end of a given month, they also pay themselves a small bonus.

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationship with money, their relationship with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Ryan and Julie (not their real names) live in Los Angeles and work in the entertainment industry. Ryan, 39, just got laid off from his second temp job this year; prior to his most recent layoff, he was earning $18 an hour. Julie, 32, is a writer’s assistant on a popular network show and earns $16.50 an hour with a 60-hour guarantee and overtime built in. Julie has a union job with benefits and protections; Ryan just filed for unemployment.

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationships with money, their relationships with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Running Balance is a newsletter about a family of four living at 200 percent of the poverty line. Mrs. Running Balance is bringing in the family income, Mr. Running Balance is a stay-at-home dad, and they have a 3-year-old and an 18-month-old. The Running Balances recently declared bankruptcy and are sharing their income and expenses online so people can understand what it’s really like to raise two children in Houston on $47,000 a year.

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationships with money, their relationships with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Walt Disney World is poised as a once-in-a-lifetime visit for most families, but for others, it’s home base. With new rides opening, seasonal food abounding, and hotels debuting constantly, there’s always a reason to return — and if you’re a fan, it can be a slippery slope toward becoming wholly obsessed.

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationships with money, their relationships with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Meet Dan Weissmann and Devorah Heitner. Dan is the host of An Arm and a Leg, a podcast about the cost of health care that’s now in its third season. Although the podcast brought in more than $50,000 in 2019 from Patreon supporters and a partnership with the nonprofit newsroom Kaiser Health News, those funds went to paying editors, engineers, and other expenses — and independent podcasting, even when it’s about the health care industry, doesn’t come with health insurance coverage.

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationships with money, their relationships with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Megan and Logan Wolf, both 34, have been married for 11 years and live in the Bay Area with their two children — and four dogs. Logan works in law enforcement and Megan stays at home to manage the household. Logan lovingly says the two of them juggling it all is like “managing a small business.”

Welcome to Money Talks, a new series in which we interview people about their relationships with money, their relationships with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Tanja Hester and Mark Bunge achieved financial independence and early retirement in 2017, when Tanja was 38 years old and Mark was 41. Prior to retirement, they were political and social cause consultants who went from entry-level salaries in the low five figures to six-figure salaries during their final earning years. They started saving for early retirement around 2011 and got really serious in 2013.

Welcome to Money Talks, a series in which we interview people about their relationships with money, their relationships with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Meet mother and daughter pair Bema, 65, and Berna Anat, 29, who live together as roomies in South San Francisco. Bema, an airline customer service agent, immigrated from the Philippines to the Bay Area when she was a teenager, where she met her husband and had three children, all while saving money where she could and never paying full price for, well, anything.

Welcome to Money Talks, a new series in which we interview people about their relationships with money, their relationships with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Vanessa and Peter are a married couple in their 30s who live in New York City. Vanessa is the director of strategy and copy at an ad agency, and her combined income from work and real estate investments is in the low six figures.

Welcome to Money Talks, a new series in which we interview people about their relationship with money, their relationship with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Meet Meryl and Chuck from Williamstown, West Virginia. Meryl is 33 years old, works in marketing, and earns just under $51,000 annually (plus another $2,000–$4,000 in freelance income). Chuck is 35, works as a database administrator, and earns around $77,000 a year. They live together in a house Chuck had purchased prior to the relationship; Chuck also has 40 percent custody of his 5-year-old son, who spends three nights a week with them.

Welcome to Money Talks, a new series in which we interview people about their relationships with money, their relationships with each other, and how those relationships inform one another.

Meet Caroline and Nick, a married couple in their 30s who live in a metropolitan city on the East Coast. Nick works in finance, and Caroline is self-employed. Their differing relationships with money (Nick’s family had it; Caroline grew up middle-class) came up early in their relationship. When Caroline graduated from grad school, she had $60,000 of student debt, and she proudly chipped away at it for years. Nick had none, and a few years into their relationship, he inherited eight figures — that’s multimillions — of family money. One month after their wedding, Nick paid off the remaining $21,000 of Caroline’s debt with a single payment.