#wealth

Aug 12, 2016

Hold Up... American Olympians Get Paid???

As most Americans are doing this summer, I've been watching the 2016 Olympics. A time that only comes around every four years, the Olympics offer the chance to get acquainted with unfamiliar competitive sporting events like ping pong, trampolining and equestrian dressage; an event where a horse prances around the inside of a square sandbox. (The stadium was filled with what had to be 85 percent passersby who only came in because they were promised a free soda and hot dog if t

Aug 5, 2016

Five Reasons Sasha Obama Tried to Give to Avoid Busing Tables in Martha's Vineyard

Yesterday, TMZ broke news that Sasha Obama is currently working, taking orders and busing tables at a Martha’s Vineyard seafood restaurant called Nancy’s. Everyone who follows the First Family knows a key desire of both President Obama and (especially) First Lady Michelle Obama was to keep things as normal as possible for their kids as they blazed their path as the 44th Family-In-Chief. A hefty order, it seems they’re succeeding, ensuring their youngest daughter was entitled

Mar 7, 2016

Word on the Streets of Washington DC About Money, Interning and Financial Goals

Ben Carter, host of Manage Your Damn Money, talks with Millennials in Washington D.C. about college expenses, money in relationships and financial goals. #moneypros #wealth #saving #buyingstuff

Feb 16, 2016

Kanye West: A Starving Artist Who Just Wants to Create

I believe Kanye West Rants to be a national treasure, worthy of showcase inside Washington, DC’s most important museums. I’d suggest the placement of transcripts of major Kanye-Rants a few rooms away from the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or at least next door to First Lady Michelle Obama’s 2013, Thom Browne inauguration coat. Any time over the last decade we’ve heard Kanye Yeezy West give an in-depth interview, author a tweet or publish a letter he wrote to his pen pal, we knew t

Oct 16, 2015

Becoming a Wolf on Main Street: Keys to Investing in Your Future

Ben Carter offers pointers on getting started in your journey to becoming a competent and capable investor. #wealth #moneypros

Oct 15, 2015

Jennifer Lawrence Suggests Women Treat Salary Negotiations More Like The Hunger Games

Ben Carter recaps a recent Money.com piece by Alicia Adamczyk recounting an open letter from actor Jennifer Lawrence admitting her failure to earnestly negotiate for a higher salary and explains how women can avoid getting the short end of the stick when making the case for higher pay. #wealth #moneypros

Aug 13, 2015

The Lesson Ciara, Russell Wilson (and One Other Person) Have To Teach About Money

This piece originally appeared on districtmen202.com. The NFL Season is here. Drenched in leftover conversation about deflated balls, concussions and domestic abuse, the NFL is back in all its glory. Oh joy! I cannot wait to have my heart broken in some new and creative way by my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys. #ThatWasACatch As the creator of a company called Manage Your Damn Money, part of my job is to stay aware of interesting, often hidden lessons our world has to offe

Jul 2, 2015

Rihanna's 'Dexter-esk' Music Video is Really About the Importance of Protecting Your Mon

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night. I was out for a drink or two during happy hour the evening before and in my advancing age I find my ability to survive an entire night with a full complement of sleep, without waking up with a slight headache and feeling dehydrated with some kind of bowel disturbance is waning. It seems your 28th year is precisely when your body begins to show it’s inability to negotiate even the slightest bit of social drinking. On nights

Jun 19, 2015

Shake Shack Investments to Shake Up Your Portfolio

Financial planner and investment professional Malcolm Ethridge joins MYDM to talk about Shake Shack, the principal of compounding interest and how he once had his credit card declined trying to buy a $5 foot-long from Subway. #moneypros #investing #wealth #saving

Apr 16, 2015

How My Plans for Broccoli City Festival Are Completely Out of Step with Managing My Damn Money

On April 1st, Manage Your Damn Money announced we would be joining Broccoli City Festival in an official capacity by holding down a table as we talk to people, hand out giveaways and spread the word about MYDM on Saturday, April 25th at the Gateway DC Pavillion in Washinton DC. As a small business, we have to make an effort to get our name out whenever possible, and the DC Spring music festival that is becoming more popular each year, is the perfect place to do it. We're exci

Mar 10, 2015

Digit is Your Checking Account's Personal Assistant

Last month I took a brief, three-day vacation to Puerto Rico. It was an incredible trip my fiancé convinced me was worth paying for mainly because we're no longer the individuals people are referring to when they acknowledge the "young people" in the room. We're getting older and so a trip to places we've not been before is rising on our priority list. In the days leading up to the trip, I noticed my "expendable" funds were much lower than I would like for a trip anywhere oth

Feb 26, 2015

From Homeownership, To Hotel Management

Written by Ben Carter Damon Lawrence is a 27-year-old Southern California native who is chasing dreams of hotel, real-estate and boutique hotel management. Damon purchased a home nearby his college town of Baltimore, Maryland at the youthful age of 22. At 26, Damon moved back home to California and began renting out his home, becoming a manager of what became his first investment property. Having worked in the hotel management business for over five years, Damon is turning hi

Oct 21, 2014

90s TV Commercials That Always Seem to Remind Me of Insurance Policies

Written by Ben Carter Growing up in different regions of the country can expose you to things that you come think of as "normal". Born and raised in Pasadena, California, there are a number of things I struggled with when I first came to live on the East Coast. For starters, there is no In & Out Burger, Jack in the Box or Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles restaurants. I don't think Jack In the Box makes it any further west than Texas. Then there is the fact that I can never rememb

Sep 18, 2014

Kerry Olivia Pope Washington Stands Up for Financial Abuse

Written by Ben Carter I do my best to avoid getting sucked into network television series. I understand great TV to be one of the number one time sucks we Americans have available to us after fast-food and Instagram. It's not that I have a distaste for TV. I love TV and the art of film. I just recognize that great story lines have a way of sucking you in, in such a way where you can lose an entire day to watching a Netflix show or a WE tv marathon of the "Braxton Family". (

Sep 5, 2014

Is "Sallie Mae the Pimp" Slowing Down Your Savings Plan?

Written by Ben Carter College student loans have the potential to become a huge "bubble" in American society. In 2014, the collective outstanding federal student loan debt topped $1,096.5 billion. This means a whole lot of people are saddled with huge amounts of student loan debt they may never pay off completely. My own student loan debt levels are pretty depressing. (But with weekly therapy and a solid meditation regimen, I have been able to reduce the night sweats to about

Jul 21, 2014

"Hit It and Quit It"... Awesome Career Advice for the 21st Century

Written by Ben Carter In romantic relationships there are many types of stories. Usually they fall into one of a few basic categories. There is “Love at First Sight”; the couple that saw one another looking across the Starbucks barista and became fast friends over mocha lattes. Then there is the “Fine for Now”, a relationship where either or both parties feel their significant other is “fine for now”, but ultimately plans to move on. Then there is the famed “Hit It and Quit I

Jul 14, 2014

Making a Budget and Sticking to It

A lot of people hate them. They can make you feel boxed in or as if you have no freedom in how you spend your money. But the truth is, a budget is a necessary thing. It's a list, document or email you send to yourself that reminds you of the expenses you have every month and how much money you'll have left over after you pay those expenses. Watch as banking professional Michael Williamson joins Ben Carter on #MYDM to explain what a budget it is, why it's so hard to stick to o

Jun 30, 2014

Nick Cannon Gives Best Advice Ever at 2014 BET Awards

Written by Ben Carter Last night the 2014 BET Awards came on television. I joined the masses in watching some interesting award acceptance speeches as well as several passionate performances from the likes of Robin “Paula, Please Baby Please” Thicke, Usher and Nicki “No Shade” Minaj. I rather enjoyed the show and was pleasantly surprised with many of the performances. This isn’t a piece reviewing the awards show or making any commentary about some of the outfits worn by stars

May 29, 2014

My Very First Car Was Not A Range Rover Evoque

Written by Ben Carter My very first car was not a black, Range Rover Evoque with premium wheels and black leather seats. In some of my dreams (with other adult content sprinkled in) it is my first car... But not in real life. My first car was a 1998 Toyota Camry. It was maroon colored with a V6 engine and a drivers seat that leaned as if an extremely heavy man had spent six years pushing all his weight on one side of the seat each time he got out of the car. Other than that,

May 19, 2014

Socially Conscious Investing?... Or Nah?

Written by Ben Carter If you knew investing your money in a business that had questionable or socially irresponsible business practices would net you a major profit, would you put your money in, or pass on principle? This was the question the City of Portland, Oregon answered when they decided they’d remove WalMart from their city's portfolio of investments last week by selling off the first of their Walmart bonds that had matured. Essentially, Portland sold off a percentage