Hand-to-Mouth Survival in an Extended Pandemic

In a time of a pandemic, people withdraw in order to social distance to protect themselves against infection. The industries that rely on people interacting in close proximity—the service industries, air travel, and other fields—lose their customers almost overnight, and then they lose their employees. Money and jobs become much more scarce almost simultaneously. Meanwhile, saddled with debt and scarce emergency savings, with a pandemic dragging on now for over a year, with dysfunctional government and little stimulus, many Americans are struggling with debt, homelessness, hunger, pressured social relationships, and other challenges. This work explores some available and recent peer-to-peer personal finance advice on the Social Web (in English) on several social platforms to assess their applicability in a challenging historical moment.

Love is an Emergency Savings Fund: Suze Orman’s Advice as Affective Discipline

After retiring from The Suze Orman Show, Suze Orman remained highly visible across media. Recently, she returned with her revised bestseller Women and Money (2018a) and a weekly podcast timed to coincide with #metoo. Across media, Orman has utilized the affect associated with feminine media genres, including self-help and makeover shows, to promote a lifestyle based on proper financial self-management. Her advice to women about marriage, motherhood, and filial duty makes it clear that such discipline is particularly gendered. Orman both uses and chafes against feminist discourses to frame finance as another problem to be managed for women. I understand Orman’s advice as affective through her use of fear, shame, and pride to promote individualized financialization at the expense of interpersonal relationships. My unique approach brings affect theory to financial media through analysis of Orman’s media texts.

How Young Adults Can Manage Loss of Income During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people to lose income because of pay cuts, lay-offs, or furloughs. This loss of income can be very scary and may be the first time you’ve been on your own and out of work. It can be overwhelming to figure out how to pay your different bills (e.g., school loans, credit cards, rent, food, etc.). In order to make ends meet, you may need to use any emergency savings you’ve built, apply for unemployment benefits, or use your stimulus payment. This tip sheet provides some ideas and resources on how to manage if you’ve lost your job or are getting less pay due to the current health crisis.