Living Not So Fabulously

Since most people know a teacher, it's no surprise that an episode of Living Not So Fabulously about teacher salaries will address the invariable underpayment of educators. "Teachers don't make very much money," education director and advocate Cam Lieberson told hosts David & John Auten-Schneider, frankly. Though 2024 has seen the largest year-over-year teacher pay increase in over a decade, when adjusted for inflation, teachers actually make 5% less than they did 10 years ago on average, according to the National Education Association.

But after switching to public from private school teaching — because people recommended the better benefits and pay — Lieberson "felt that there was a major trade-off," in mental and physical health. "I was a theater teacher and so I would see multiple classes a day. I saw almost 800 students."

Lieberson further explained that salaries in public schools will be dictated by unions, while in private schools, they will be determined based on what's in the budget and what's negotiated. Meanwhile, the benefits of private schools are that they will have smaller classrooms and strict hours, whereas public schools have pensions and bigger class sizes.

However, Lieberson pointed out that, on average, private school teachers will make less than public school teachers, surprising Living Not So Fabulously hosts. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, private school teachers earn an average of $15,000 less than their public school counterparts.

So as future educators weigh the pros and cons of different institutions, Lieberson has some advise: "For someone entering education, I would say they probably should check out public schools; teaching somewhere where there's a union and there's protection of what your salary is.... I think know what you're worth."

Hosts and husbands of Living Not So Fabulously, David & John Auten-Schneider, dive into real money stories with activists, allies, artists, tech-gurus, and trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ community to give you tangible takeaways to tackle your wallet woes.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Living Not So Fabulously at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/living-fabulously/.

Have a money story of your own? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected].

00:00-Cam Lieberson joins Living Not So Fabulously

01:30-Why teachers struggle to make ends meet

06:20-How being underpaid drains teachers

13:00-Focus on benefits and savings

18:15-Advice for new teachers

Yahoo Finance's Living Not So Fabulously is hosted by David & John Auten-Schneider, and created and produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

Cam Lieberson is an education director and advocate focusing on early childhood education and arts.

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Sitting in his home on a lazy Saturday morning, listening to an economics program, UBS Wealth Management Chief Economist Paul Donovan found himself absolutely appalled at the coverage he was hearing on the economics of marriage equality. "I was choking on my cup of tea. It was that bad a set of arguments," he told husbands and hosts David & John Auten-Schneider on Living Not So Fabulously. "It was all about, 'we'll make more money doing gay marriages—think of the lavish ceremonies that'll be held.' And I was like, no, that's not it. It's all about equality and rights and people feeling valued."

It's a shame that justifying equality to the world's power-holders and policy brokers has to be rooted in why prejudice is good or bad for economies rather than achieving equality for one's fellow human beings serving as enough of a reason in itself. However, Donovan's research and work focus on translating the data and economics of equality to cultivate chance and make a difference for the LGBTQ+ community.

"As somebody who is gay and is in a position of some responsibility in a large organization, I have a role as a role model," he explained of his efforts. "I think there's a duty for those of us who have some kind of platform to try and make sure that we can educate and improve the understanding overall."

Throughout the episode, the conversation also addressed why LGBTQ+ investors are different. Donovan shared some helpful guidance for the community on the nuances they should consider as they build their wealth.

Hosts and husbands of Living Not So Fabulously, David & John Auten-Schneider, dive into real money stories with activists, allies, artists, tech-gurus, and trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ community to give you tangible takeaways to tackle your wallet woes.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Living Not So Fabulously at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/living-fabulously/.

Have a money story of your own? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected].

00:00-Paul Donovan joins Living Not So Fabulously

01:55-Why finances are unique for theLGBTQ+ community

05:00-LGBTQ+ exclusion can hurt economies

07:30-For leaders: why prejudice is bad for business

09:18-For investors and financial advisors: consider global discrimination's impact on investments

13:23 responsibility for those in power to make a difference

16:00-Trumponomics around the world

18:30-3 things LGBTQ+ investors can prepare for Trump 2.0

20:30-global upheaval around the world for LGBTQ+ people

Yahoo Finance's Living Not So Fabulously is hosted by David & John Auten-Schneider, and created and produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

Paul Donovan is the Chief Economist of UBS Wealth Management, and self-describes his focus as 'economics without jargon, but with sarcasm.'

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Legendary musician Shira Yevin solidified her place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame when her band Shiragirl crashed their hot pink bus into Vans Warped Tour in 2004. With no money in the bank and a lot of spirit, the bus was a DIY mobile stage built to offer a literal platform for women-fronted bands at—what was then—a de facto men-only-fronted-bands tour.

"I was working on the tour the summer before, and I noticed no female musicians on stage. And coming from New York and the whole Riot Girl scene, I just didn't understand it. 'cause I knew a lot of women in music. And so we just decided to crash the tour in our pink RV that we were traveling in, which was literally color-matched to a Barbie doll box," Yevin described. "I was feeling nervous. I was feeling excited, and I was ready to start a revolution."

Yevin didn’t stop there; she shared with hosts David & John Auten-Schneider on Living Not So Fabulously. She’s continued her career fighting for equality and equity in the industry as the founder and CEO of Gritty In Pink. The company, with their INPINK marketplace, is a community of diverse female creators working in the music industry providing connections, access and opportunities through an inclusive network.

Whether she’s busting down fences or shattering glass ceilings, Yevin’s success as an entrepreneur and musician is not without hurdles. There’s still work to be done, she says, explaining that women bands are "only one in five artists played on the radio, which it doesn't seem that way because you have Taylor Swift and Beyoncé and these big act playing, right. Like touring at stadiums. But you know, even these women talk about these challenges. So if Taylor and Beyoncé are having these issues, like what does that say for the rest of us?"

Hosts and husbands of Living Not So Fabulously, David & John Auten-Schneider, dive into real money stories with activists, allies, artists, tech-gurus, and trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ community to give you tangible takeaways to tackle your wallet woes.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Living Not So Fabulously at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/living-fabulously/.

Have a money story of your own? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected].

00:00-Shira Yevin joins Living Not So Fabulously

02:00-Busting barriers (literally and figuratively)

08:00-Meeting the demand for women in music

11:30-Inequity in gig economies

15:20-Role of confidence in the wealth gap

19:00-Start your rock star journey

Yahoo Finance's Living Not So Fabulously is hosted by David & John Auten-Schneider, and created and produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

Shira Yevin is an entrepreneur, artist, activist, and founder of Gritty In Pink. After forming her all-female band Shiragirl, Shira became known for advocating for women in male-dominated spaces; Shira and her band crashed the Vans Warped Tour and created the Shiragirl Stage for female artists, which hosted 300+ artists including rock icons Joan Jett and Paramore. In January 2020, Yevin launched a new female-led platform to empower women within the music industry, called Gritty In Pink. With the mission to achieve gender equality in the music industry

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Engaging with money on a regular basis can be tricky, even for those who are well-versed in the nuances of personal finance, let alone for folks who have the added struggle of growing up in poverty. For NBC News and MSNBC correspondent Steven Romo, the money trauma that came from climbing out of childhood poverty stayed with him in life, he explained to Living Not So Fabulously hosts David & John Auten-Schneider. "[My parents] did not hide their money problems from my siblings and me; that we had two homes foreclosed on. We got kicked out of rental homes. And we were always very aware of what was happening like that we couldn't afford this. We couldn't pay for this. So that's one of the reasons why it's been hard for me to engage with money and learn about money," he said.

As Romo climbed out of poverty, he developed new money skills—with immense help from his husband, he added—and he held on to a green rule of thumb, per se. "Sometimes life is short, but sometimes it's not," he said, which means you have to prioritize financial decisions. Otherwise, "you're gonna look back at your 28-year-old self and be pretty upset about the decisions you made."

For queer people especially, he added, the community struggles with over-consumerism as a way to feel secure. "So many of us have to suppress who we are, and we don't get to fully live these lives where we're our authentic selves. So once we really do come out and start having friend groups, we go maybe a little too far... Maybe we're putting trips on credit cards and not really fully planning it out."

Hosts and husbands of Living Not So Fabulously, David & John Auten-Schneider, dive into real money stories with activists, allies, artists, tech-gurus, and trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ community to give you tangible takeaways to tackle your wallet woes.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Living Not So Fabulously at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/living-fabulously/.

Have a money story of your own? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected].

00:00-Steven Romo joins Living Not So Fabulously

03:00-Unlearning childhood money trauma

05:30-Climbing out of of poverty is about your whole family

08:00-Marrying into a family that deals with money in a healthy way

12:30-Double edge sword of credit card points

16:00-LGBTQ+ people struggle with using capitalism as success symbol, even if it means taking on debt

20:00-Life is shor; focus money on priorities that matter

Yahoo Finance's Living Not So Fabulously is hosted by David & John Auten-Schneider, and created and produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

Steven Romo is a news anchor, correspondent and writer, currently New York City-based, for NBC News and MSNBC. He also works as a contributor for HuffPost.

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For those of us who have practically lived on LinkedIn, Indeed, and the like as we've hunted for our next career opportunity, it might be a little deflating to discover that we could have been doing more, specifically with a mentor.

LinkedIn Career Expert Andrew McCaskill joins Living Not So Fabulously hosts David & John Auten-Schneider to shed light on how jobseeker's can approach finding the right mentor and how your wallet might suffer without one.

"I think that one of the things that mentorship has taught me is that I don't think about my compensation as just like the cash," McCaskill explains, suggesting people look at bonuses, salary, and equity on top of total compensation; as well as, what he called, "off the offer letter benefits." This includes financial benefits like your employer paying off student loan repayment, funding continued education like certificates, and even fertility care. And it's mentorship that can help you get there.

"So many of those things are when we can, when we leave money on the table, if you have a mentor inside of the machine, inside of your organization... if they've been there longer, they will tell you about it," McCaskill says.

McCaskill further emphasizes that mentors add value to your life in a multitude of ways, and that, at the end of the day, "the number one rule of mentorship is this person rooting for me to win."

Hosts and husbands of Living Not So Fabulously, David & John Auten-Schneider, dive into real money stories with activists, allies, artists, tech-gurus, and trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ community to give you tangible takeaways to tackle your wallet woes.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Living Not So Fabulously at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/living-fabulously/.

Have a money story of your own? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected].

00:00-Andrew McCaskill joins Living Not So Fabulously

02:00-The pros and cons of having a mentor that looks like you

06:00-What are the benefits of a mentor?

10:00-How a mentor affects your wallet

14:36-Finding the right mentor for you

18:00-Corporate culture's impact on you

Yahoo Finance's Living Not So Fabulously is hosted by David & John Auten-Schneider, and created and produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

Andrew McCaskill is an accredited marketing, communications and crisis management executive with 20 years of experience delivering award-winning communications and brand campaigns at Fortune 500 companies and highly successful technology startups.

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Though the legendary Project Runway mentor Tim Gunn needs little introduction, his story does. Gunn wasn't always the celebrity we know him to be today; he was a career educator for 29 years. Gunn shared with Living Not So Fabulously hosts David & John Auten-Schneider that teaching is more of a calling than a job. He identified as a ‘pauper educator,’ with more of a focus on serving students than his own personal finances. Though that is surely noble, it left him living paycheck to paycheck. “I really did think if I lose my job, what am I going to do? Move in with my sister?” he said.

Then came the ground-breaking Project Runway, where this ‘pauper educator’ mindset stayed with him. Gunn wasn’t paid for the show's first two seasons; he loved mentoring the designers. Gunn didn’t even realize that wasn’t typical, with his first agent describing saying upon reviewing his TV contracts, “‘These are the worst contracts I have ever seen in my entire professional career. Wow. You just sign these things?’” to which Tim said, “what am I supposed to do? I don't know. I assumed that they're boilerplates, what people sign.”

At the end of the day, it wasn’t about the money for Gunn. “It didn't bother me not to be paid.” Learning from his financial faux pas, Gunn recommends to his students that they seek help, as Gunn received from his lawyer, “because there may be someone who says this whole thing is completely out of whack and just unsustainable.” You simply don't know what you don't know. Read Gunn's story in his latest book, "Tim Gunn: The Natty Professor: A Master Class on Mentoring, Motivating, and Making It Work."

Hosts and husbands of Living Not So Fabulously, David & John Auten-Schneider, dive into real money stories with activists, allies, artists, tech-gurus, and trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ community to give you tangible takeaways to tackle your wallet woes.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Living Not So Fabulously at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/living-fabulously/.

Have a money story of your own? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected].

00:00-Tim Gunn joins Living Not So Fabulously

01:00-A pauper educator

04:00-Being a teacher is like being in the clergy; it's a calling

05:30-How he got involved with Project Runway; unpaid

14:25-Origin story of 'make it work'

16:57-Biggest mistake of many young designers: happy hands

19:45-Financial advice for young designers at the start of their career

21:34-Finance advice for everyone else

Yahoo Finance's Living Not So Fabulously is hosted by David & John Auten-Schneider, and created and produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

Beloved pop culture icon and New York Times bestselling author Tim Gunn is best known as the Emmy Award–winning host of Project Runway. He also hosted two seasons of his own Bravo makeover series, Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, and was the host of the reality TV series Under the Gunn.

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While most teenagers concern themselves with the latest social media trends, surviving middle school, and running around with friends, Michael Sayman was focused on building apps to support his family.

Living Not So Fabulously hosts David & John Auten-Schneider speak with Sayman about his unique experience becoming Meta Generative AI Software Engineer & Friendly Apps Founder, which started as his family's breadwinner at just 13 years old. This forced his family to confront unique dynamics and money conversations when talking about money is already hard enough without the addition of teenage hormones. "I myself was an inexperienced 13-year-old generating, you know, hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue and trying to help my parents figure out how to [manage money]," Sayman explains.

Sayman's unique journey continued when he became Facebook's youngest employee instead of attending college after graduating high school, as his peers were pressured to do so: "I remember just sitting in class and seeing my teacher tell us, 'If we don't go to college, then we won't get a degree... and end up under a bridge.'"

But then Sayman realized that the fundamental point of college is to prove trust to a potential employer. He said to himself that to get a job coding, "I can either compete with everybody else in my school to get the best grades in computer science, or I could just build apps, put them on the internet, put my name on it, and have that be my resume. Have that be the trust that can be built by a company in knowing that I'm able to do the job that they're hiring for."

Sayman's story of navigating success, self-doubt, and finding his place in tech is an inspiring tale of how an atypical path career path can still bring success.

Hosts and husbands of Living Not So Fabulously, David & John Auten-Schneider, dive into real money stories with activists, allies, artists, tech-gurus, and trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ community to give you tangible takeaways to tackle your wallet woes.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Living Not So Fabulously at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/living-fabulously/.

Have a money story of your own? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected].

00:00-Michael Sayman joins Living Not So Fabulously

02:46-Learned to code as a kid to "avoid homework"

04:14-Became breadwinner at 13 by building apps and small business

06:11-Navigating reversed power dynamic with parents

09:39-Alternatives proof of experience than college

Yahoo Finance's Living Not So Fabulously is hosted by David & John Auten-Schneider, and created and produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

Michael Sayman, is a Peruvian–Bolivian–American mobile application entrepreneur, software engineer, political activist, and author. He is best known for creating top-charting apps as a teenager to provide for his family during the Great Recession, as well as his subsequent work at Facebook.

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Imagine having a brick thrown through the window of your small business, which you worked so hard to build after the pandemic. Now imagine that happening four times in just two months. That is the story for VERS LGBTQ+ bar co-owner and Give Lively CEO David DeParolesa. Opening the bar wasn't just about the bottom line — he had a mission to create a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community as similar venues close around the country, with more than 45% shutting their doors between 2002 and 2023.

DeParolesa shares his experience with vandalism along with higher-than-expected operating costs, saying, "I quickly realized that building a queer space meant dealing with unexpected challenges." Despite the struggles, he emphasizes how the power of community brought a wave of added business to the bar, adding, "Seeing the community rally behind us made it all worth it."

Don't miss this episode, filled with insights on financial planning, resilience, and the power of building inclusive spaces.

Hosts and husbands of Living Not So Fabulously, David & John Auten-Schneider, dive into real money stories with activists, allies, artists, tech-gurus, and trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ community to give you tangible takeaways to tackle your wallet woes.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Living Not So Fabulously at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/living-fabulously/.

Have a money story of your own? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected].

00:00-David DeParolesa joins Living Not So Fabulously

02:22-Opening a community bar post-pandemic

06:30-The importance of a third space

09:40-The hard dollars and sense for small businesses

15:20-A brick that changed it all

18:20-Better business with community support

Yahoo Finance's Living Not So Fabulously is hosted by David & John Auten-Schneider, and created and produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

Davud DeParolesa is the CEO of Give Lively and the Co-owner of VERS, a 'new kind queer bar.'

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Wage disparities across industries are stark, especially for LGBTQ+ folks where only 1 in 25 LGBTQ+ men hold high-paying jobs compared to 1 in 7 non-LGBTQ+ men, according to Prudential's 2018 Financial Wealth Census. With less money coming into the LGBTQ+ community than other demographics, how can the community find financial growth and success?

In this episode of Living Not So Fabulously, hosts David & John Auten-Schneider speak with Merrill Lynch financial adviser Ari Linder to explore the financial realities of choosing seemingly do-gooder careers over a financially secure one. Linder explained why LGBTQ+ folks might feel more inclined to pick career paths that have smaller paychecks. This was exactly what led Linder to pivot from social work to financial advising. "Those of us who maybe have felt like we have been at a disadvantage or discriminated against or pushed down, we want to try to solve those kinds of problems," they explained.

In their work in as a financial adviser, Linder focuses on helping the community with unique needs. For them, being transgender has given them a deeper connection with their clients, explaining, "It's not just about their finances; it's about understanding the life challenges that come with being part of the LGBTQ+ community." Don't miss this powerful episode on how financial planning is financial freedom.

Hosts and husbands of Living Not So Fabulously, David & John Auten-Schneider, dive into real money stories with activists, allies, artists, tech-gurus, and trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ community to give you tangible takeaways to tackle your wallet woes.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Living Not So Fabulously at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/living-fabulously/.

Have a money story of your own? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected].

00:00-Ari Linder joins Living Not So Fabulously

06:00-Personal finance = fancy social work

08:15-Why LGBTQ+ folks are drawn to do-gooder careers

14:00-A rewarding career in personal finance

17:15-First out trans financial advisor (that Merrill knows of)

18:00-Uniqueness of LGBTQ+ financial planning

Yahoo Finance's Living Not So Fabulously is hosted by David & John Auten-Schneider, and created and produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

Ari Linder is a Financial Adviser at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, and welcomes folks to reach out with any career advice on the financial sector; "If you're looking to join the financial industry, if you're not sure what this all looks like, if you need someone like I did to show you what it looks like, contact me."

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On this episode of Living Not So Fabulously, hosts and husbands David & John Auten-Schneider, bring you the story of OkCupid Director of Brand Marketing Michael Kaye who's been making waves with his career and some unexpected personal finance insights. Starting out at a salary barely high enough to cover his commute, Kaye didn’t just play by the rules—he rewrote them. Catch how Kaye boosted his income by strategically hopping like Frogger with a Master’s degree and becoming the New York City metro area's go-to adjunct professor, adding a hefty five-figure jump to his paycheck. Kaye shares, "I wound up moving agencies every time I would've been up for a promotion, and that allowed me in less than five years to go from $38,000 to $67,500. The leap made my life a lot easier."

But it’s not just about the money for Kaye. He’s a spreadsheet-loving Capricorn who plans weddings with the same tenacity he plans his finances. And did you know OkCupid found that budgeting is actually... sexy? That’s right! Kaye shares how budgeting isn't just a financial win; it’s a matchmaker. Kaye shares of OKCupid’s survey, “"Daters who are budgeting are getting 25% more matches and having 16% more conversations than people who aren't. Financial stability is becoming a real turn-on."

Hosts and husbands of Living Not So Fabulously, David & John Auten-Schneider, dive into real money stories with activists, allies, artists, tech-gurus, and trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ community to give you tangible takeaways to tackle your wallet woes.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Living Not So Fabulously at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/living-fabulously/.

Have a money story of your own? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected].

00:00-Michael Kaye joins Living Not So Fabulously

03:00-NYC; only 'semi' livable

07:30-The north stars of job hunting

15:00-Talking to your partner about money

17:45-Data of dating

21:00-What in the world is loud budgeting

Yahoo Finance's Living Not So Fabulously is hosted by David & John Auten-Schneider, and created and produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

Michael Kaye is the Director of Brand Marketing & Communications at ARCHER and OkCupid, one of the world's largest dating apps, where he leads PR programming in the United States and for countries across Europe, the Middle East and Oceania. Michael has been featured in ABC News, Ad Age, Business Insider, Bustle, CBS, CNN, Cosmopolitan, Elite Daily, Forbes, Good Morning America, The New York Times, PR News, PRWeek, VICE and The Washington Post. He has been recognized by Business Insider, PR News, PRovoke Media, PRSA-NY, PRWeek and the Stevie Awards. 

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