Living Not So Fabulously

Like a real-life, Rachel Green from the acclaimed TV series Friends, NYC-native Anthony Stratis always dreamed of working in fashion while seeking financial independence that he didn't have as a kid. But in New York City, known for a hustle culture and high price of living, growing personal wealth is incredibly difficult. Adding another layer to that, Stratis grew up in a financially unstable single-parent household, limiting his source of finance education and making the dream of abundance seem nearly impossible.

As he's seen success in his career having worked for iconic designers like Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein, and Vera Wang, he's tried his best to expand his knowledge and make his younger self proud. Living Not So Fabulously hosts, David & John Auten-Schneider, spoke with Anthony about better ways to build wealth beyond a strict savings account, how to work towards goals, and having hard conversations with your partner. Inspired by his story, David and John share their own moments of financial awakening, including a spending analysis that revealed unconscious overspending. This episode is full of heartfelt insights into the realities of budgeting, saving, and building a life in one of the world's most expensive cities.

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-Anthony Stratis joins Living Not So Fabulously

04:00-How childhood lessons and trauma comes with us into adulthood

07:10-Talking salaries with colleagues

10:00-Tools to help when your lifestyle doesn't align with your spending habits

13:30-Struggling with financial-savvy in an unaffordable city

19:30-The power of goal-setting

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

Anthony Stratis is a NY-native in fabric technology and development, having worked for brands like Vera Wang, Calvin Klein, and Oscar de la Renta.

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Can love, money, and show biz successfully mix? Married couple Eric Berger and Dan Amboyer prove it's possible, albeit rare. You might recognize actor Amboyer from hit TV shows like Younger and Uncoupled, while his husband Berger is a Senior Vice President of Wealth Management at UBS. On this episode Living Not So Fabulously, hosts David & John Auten-Schneider dive deeper into their story of the financial and emotional impact of coming out in the entertainment industry, and securing their future together.

Amboyer knew he would lose the 'leading-man' type of roles if he came out. "I do the Lifetime movies and the Hallmark movies. You're the straight guy and there's a certain audience that those companies are trying to appeal for....They're saying, can you also then play the straight guy in this? And so me just knowing I'm not gonna have necessarily all those same types of roles and that is gonna be a financial hit." Together, they have candid conversations about money, identity, and career risk considerations they tackled as a couple.

Amboyer and Berger also reveal how they prepared financially for their family, including navigating the complex surrogacy and legal processes to have children. With humor and honesty, Berger and Amboyer offer valuable insights into getting on the same financial page as a couple, managing uncertainty, and creating long-term security. It's time to take their lessons and start building your own financial harmony, today.

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-Eric Berger and Dan Amboyer joins Living Not So Fabulously

06:00-Coming out at a cost

8:00-Financial preparing for change

15:00-Uniqueness of family planning for same-sex couples

17:30-Preparing kids' finances

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

Actor Dan Amboyer has been in hit TV shows like Younger and Uncoupled, while his husband Eric Berger is a Senior Vice President of Wealth Management at UBS. Amboyer and Berger shared their story with the world first in 2017, when they announced their marriage in People Magazine, inspiring us all.

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Ready for a masterclass in resilience? In this candid conversation, Hosts Living Not So Fabulously, David & John Auten-Schneider, speak with trailblazer Executive Vice President and head of Wells Fargo's Commercial Banking Diverse Segments, Ruth Jacks. She shares her remarkable journey of overcoming extreme poverty and societal challenges as a queer, Black woman, to ascend the corporate ladder over an inspiring 40-year career.

Jacks opens up about her childhood struggles, the scarcity mindset, and how she turned financial hardship into a driving force for success. "Those were the biggest drivers for me. So when I say I didn't wanna be poor, it was that I didn't want to be hungry," she explained. And though no child deserves to have those thoughts, Jacks knew that she needed a plan: "I needed to educate myself. And so I read a lot. That was one of the things that I was in the library literally every day and every weekend...I do believe that financial literacy is critically important."

Jack's valuable insights on financial literacy, mental health, and having a solid support network remind us that success is about knowledge, authenticity, and courage. She challenges the scarcity mindset and proves the power of having a plan. Don’t just watch or listen—take Jack's wisdom, own your journey, and start building the life you deserve.

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-Ruth Jacks joins Living Not So Fabulously

02:00-How childhood poverty shaped Jacks' money mindset

05:00-Importance of financial literacy

12:40-Consequences of not being out at work

18:00-Corporate America facing DEI backlash

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

Ruth Jacks is the Executive Vice President and head of Wells Fargo's Commercial Banking (CB) Diverse Segments team

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What if you didn't just survive a layoff, but thrived, instead? What if you could find real opportunities in a moment of hardship and set out to make a difference? Well that's exactly what the powerhouse CEO and founder of Out Leadership, Todd Sears did.

In this episode of Living Not So Fabulously, David and John talked with Sears about career pivots, turning setbacks into launching pads, and how he transformed a layoff into founding Out Leadership. For decades, he's been paving the way for LGBTQ+ professionals in corporate boardrooms worldwide. In an age of DEI-cutbacks, he focuses on helping companies do better for equality in a way that benefits their bottom line: "My whole philosophy is how do we help companies do better? Backing companies into a corner and naming and shaming them is not the way to get them to change."

Whether you're chasing financial independence or career growth, this episode offers the strategies and motivation to make it happen. Tune in for game-changing insights on wealth, leadership, and thriving in today's economy. The episode delves into how honest money talks—at home and work—are key to building lasting financial 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-Todd Sears joins Living Not So Fabulously

02:30-Sear's money origin story

05:00-Focusing on life's driving force

06:30-LGBTQ+ generational gaps with finances

13:20-Using severance for good

18:30-The future of DEI in corporate America

Todd Sears began his career in investment banking and became the first openly gay financial advisor at Merrill Lynch, where he created the first national team of financial advisors dedicated to serving the LGBTQ+ community. He founded Out Leadership in in 2010 to harness the power of business to advance LGBTQ+ equality.

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

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Is it possible to prepare for every emergency, stacked like a disaster Jenga? Patrick L. Riley would argue it’s a tall order. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an electrical fire destroyed his home and exposed a lapsed insurance policy. Riley’s battle with insurance companies and reliance on support networks is a lesson in resilience and the importance of solid financial planning. His story also underscores that the standard three to six months of emergency savings may not cut it—especially for those in communities where fair wages are still a struggle.

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-Patrick L. Riley joins Living Not So Fabulously

03:00-Riley lost everything in a house fire

05:30-Relying on your community is key

07:30-Importance of emergency funds

09:55-Dumb debt

17:30-Extravagance at a cost

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

Patrick L. Riley, an award-winning journalist, multi-media personality, and author, is known for his work on BET, NBC, Black News Channel, and TV-One. He spent 13 years as a freelancer and senior field producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show and authored "That's What Friends Are For: On the Women Who Inspired Me."

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Once upon a time, an architect got tired of hitting the concrete salary ceiling, so he pivoted to his other passion—movies! How does one leap from floor plans to film reels? What's the connection between drawing skyscrapers and directing stars? The answer: Michael Selditch, the writer, producer, and director behind hits like the OG 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy' and the upcoming documentary Happy Clothes: A Film about Patricia Field.

In a plot twist worthy of Hollywood, Selditch reveals how he seamlessly transitioned from the world of architectural design to the bright lights of film and television. He also shares the secret sauce behind his success: the art and power of networking. Dive into the intriguing journey of Michael Selditch, where architectural blueprints met cinematic scripts, and learn how a little creativity—and a fictional boyfriend—can take you a long way in showbiz.

Living Not So Fabulously dives 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 Selditch joins Living Not So Fabulously

01:00-A toxic workplace

07:00-The importance of transferable skills in career changes

11:00-The power of community

13:00-A big break: Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Living Not So Fabulously dives 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.

With an absence of financial shows that considers the needs of the queer community—from politics and discrimination, to unique social and cultural experiences—hosts and husbands David & John Auten-Schneider bring you personal and professional stories every week. So that we all can live a little more fabulously.

Living Not So Fabulously from Yahoo Finance airs every Wednesday at 12pm ET on your favorite podcast platform or watch the full vodcasts at https://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/living-fabulously/

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It was October 19, 1987, also known as Black Monday, and a young Jane Sasseen sat with horror watching what little finances she had disappear before her eyes, resulting in her reacting with a move that can only be described as pure panic selling. What else is a kid to do? She hasn't yet learned that the markets that go down, also go back up. This hard-earned lesson sent Sasseen into a career of award-winning finance journalism, as she focused on turning her mistakes into a masterclass on investing with resilience. Now, as the founding executive director of the McGraw Center for Business Journalism at CUNY, and co-chair of NewFest, New York’s leading LGBTQ+ film and media festival, Sasseen’s story is one-part finance wisdom, one-part celebration of diversity, and all-around insightful.

Living Not So Fabulously dives 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-Jane Sasseen joins Living Not So Fabulously

03:15-The curse of Black Monday

05:00-All about time, not timing the market

07:20-LGBTQ+ folk's market struggles

08:25-Story time: market discrimination

10:46-Unique needs for unique people

14:55-Representation matters

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

Jane Sasseen is a business journalist and the executive director of the McGraw Center for Business Journalism at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

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