Progressive Pockets: a podcast about the untapped power of our wallets to build the world we want

Send us Fan Mail Here’s today’s letter One interesting thing I've seen with this Ukraine thing is how people are sending money in untraditional ways. So I heard people are buying things from Ukrainians on Etsy (like digital products) or booking Airbnbs. It's not quite mutual aid, but it's innovative. I don't have a question just a comment about how interesting it is. Support th...

Send us Fan Mail Here’s today’s letter: I am lowkey stressed about Elon Musk and Twitter. At first when he said he wanted to buy Twitter I thought he was just trying to get the attention that he craves, but it turns out he was serious and I just read that he’s going to buy Twitter. I know on a rational level that he’s not the first billionaire to buy a media company, if that’s what Twitter is, but...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back! This is a podcast that sits at the intersection of social justice and money. Usually we talk about ways to line up our personal values and our money. Every week, I take a question that a listener has sent in, about something that’s keeping them up at night and how they might use their money to help, and provide some gentle and realistic suggestions. This week though,...

Send us Fan Mail Here’s today’s letter: I’m finally doing it! I’m starting my own business. Things are going better than expected and I’ll need to hire people soon. What should I pay? Link from today's discussion: https://livingwage.mit.edu/  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Here’s today’s listener letter: A friend and I recently got into a debate about whether or not there’s such a thing as an ethical billionaire? What do you think? I don’t think Billionaires should exist but my friend says that innovators should be incentivized to improve the world. Links from today's discussion: Walmart and McDonald’s employees are  https://www.washingtonpost....

Send us Fan Mail Here’s today’s listener letter: A few recent episodes of the show have made it clear to me that I want my money to be put into banks with community minded values, however, I am stuck. My money is currently at a very large and very shady national bank along with my wife’s money and she does not agree that we should move it to a values aligned bank. How can I convince her to move ou...

Send us Fan Mail Here’s today’s listener letter: I heard the recent episode about banking and I have more questions! I’m not 100% ready to cut the cord with my big bank, but I liked your advice about moving some of my savings to a bank that lines up with my values as a first step. My question is, how do I find the right bank for me? Links from today's episode: https://mightydeposits.com/ NYT...

Send us Fan Mail Here’s today’s listener letter: Should I try to specify exactly what my donation is used for? No! End of episode. LOL. OK, I am kidding. Let’s talk this one out. I can see how it would be tempting to try to donate money to an organization and then provide your two cents on exactly how you’d like the money to be used, but I want to caution you against being so prescriptive and trus...

Send us Fan Mail Here’s today’s listener letter: Recently I heard someone mention a "giving circle." It sounded like a way to give money with my friends. What is it and how do I know if I should start one? Link from today's episode: The Philanthropy Connection https://thephilanthropyconnection.org/ Send your questions to spenddonateinvest@gmail.com Support the show at buymeacoffee.c...

Send us Fan Mail Here’s today’s listener letter: Where should I bank? On the one hand, I am lazy. On the other hand, the world is on fire and traditional banks don’t lend to Black and brown people. Help. Links from today's discussion: Nerd Wallet on Community Development Financial Institutions to check out in our area https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/banking/what-is-community-development-fi...

Send us Fan Mail Here’s today’s listener letter: Staying home during the pandemic gave me a lot of time to think about the travel I used to do. I’m glad I don’t have to take work trips anymore, but I miss going on vacation with my family. I think I’m ready to start getting out there again, so my question is, how do I take a sustainable vacation? I’m wondering things like: How can I make sure that...

Send us Fan Mail Here’s today’s letter: I’m looking for some reading material to learn about how I might better walk the talk in my own life. Like, I have all these strong beliefs about things, but I’m not always sure I’m living in alignment with those values. Do you have any recommendations for where to start? Today we discuss books for adults and kids, including: Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous...

Send us Fan Mail Here’s today’s listener letter: Should I donate even though I’m broke? Or should I wait until I’m financially stable? In this episode, we define what it means to be "broke" and then talk about how to decide if donating makes sense for you. We also discuss: * the legacy of Oseola McCarty * the wealth gap in America and counter intuitive findings on who donates the most *...

Send us Fan Mail Here’s today’s letter: Coming out of last year’s holiday season, I started to wonder if my kids are getting a little spoiled. My partner and I both grew up in working class families, our parents often lived check to check and we learned to be grateful for what little we had. I really think those tough times pulled us together as a family. My partner and I have been very fortunate...

Send us Fan Mail 2021 Most popular episodes If you sent in questions, thank you for that. If you have questions you’ve been pondering, send them over! You can send in the big existential questions like should I pull all of my money out of banks that don’t loan to Black and Latino communities or it can be a really specific question like how to get your employer to offer socially responsible 401k pl...

Send us Fan Mail As we start a new year, it can be fun to try to predict what will happen. On this podcast we talk about how to line up what we’re doing with our money and our personal values in terms of the world we’d like to see. So let’s talk about predictions for 2022. In no particular order: (1) Wealth guilt will grow among the 1% (2) It will become easier to donate crypto and easier for fina...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Spend Donate Invest! Check out the trailer to meet host GG and learn more about the show.  To submit a question or topic for the podcast, please email spenddonateinvest@gmail.com To support the show, visit buymeacoffee.com/spenddonate Word of mouth is the best way to help the show spread, please share an episode with someone who might enjoy it! http://spenddonateinvest....

Send us Fan Mail Today’s letter is about where to start with donating. Here’s the letter: What to do if I feel overwhelmed by donating? It’s natural to feel overwhelmed, I don’t think most of us learned anything about donating as kids, except for maybe some kids grow up with the practice of giving to their religious institutions. And even then, I think what kids tend to learn is more about the pra...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s letter is about convincing others to shop responsibly. Here’s the letter: I can't seem to convince my family to shop responsibly. Any ideas?  This is a tough one. You can’t really control what anyone else does, so let’s focus on what you can control, which is what YOU are doing. So here are some ideas. Model the behavior yourself. So, when it is time for you to buy th...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s letter is about investing in the underinvested. Here’s the letter: I'd like to invest in some underinvested entrepreneurs. How can I do this?  In today's episode, we discuss 3 approaches: Equity crowdfunding for example through Backstage Capital, Arlan Hamilton’s VC. Microlending, for example through an organization like Kiva Keep some of your money in a CDFI ban...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s letter is about a listener who wonders about giving money to a person with a cardboard sign. Here’s the letter: Last weekend, my partner and I were out walking our dog and I gave a guy $20. He had a sign that said he'd had a bad year and needed help. He was in pretty bad shape and the way I saw it, we would've just wasted the money ordering lattes on Postmates, b...

Send us Fan Mail Today's letter is about where to start with socially responsible shopping. Here's the letter: When I think about all of the harms created by all of the products I buy, I get overwhelmed. Where can I start with socially responsible shopping? I often feel the same way too. If there’s one change to start with, I would suggest looking for more opportunities to shop locally....

Send us Fan Mail Here's today's listener letter: One thing I realized pretty quickly during the pandemic is how much I was relying on my housekeeper and my kid's nanny. It has left me feeling a little uneasy about that, especially as I learn more about inequality in our country. According to the Economic Policy Institute, there are probably many more than the recorded 2M domestic wo...

Send us Fan Mail Today's letter is about donations that aren't quite stacking up. Here's the letter: I feel like I donate all the time, but when it is time for me to do my taxes in April every year and I gather up all my receipts from the year before, I'm always surprised the total isn't actually that much. How can I do better? This happens to a lot of us, we overestimate...

Send us Fan Mail Here's today's letter: How do I find charities that have low administrative overhead expenses? Let's begin by discussing a less common question: why do we hold nonprofits to a higher standard of scrutiny than other organizations? There’s less scrutiny on silicon valley startups and 90% of them fail. And they are trying to sell apps and websites. They aren’t trying t...