I have been saving a number of blog posts that caught my eye, and I think it might be time to share them. Saving without sharing seems to me to be losing some of their virtue–sort of like saving yummy leftovers in the fridge but never eating them.
The links below were inspired by the events of this summer as regards systemic racism. Most are focused on highlighting financial blogs and podcasts by Black content creators. One meant to straight up educate others on what systemic racism is for those who don’t suffer under it. One offers some inspiration on how FI can help make the world a better place for all.
My grandparents and great-grandparents came to this country after fleeing organized violence elsewhere. They worked hard, and made a better life for themselves. I have been blessed with the fruits of their labors, and had an easier life because of them.
I have very little to share in the way of systemic racism (though there were certain parts of town where my parents were not shown houses), so I haven’t felt qualified to talk about the recent events highlighting our society’s inequities.
However, my role as a physician has qualified me to listen, and learn. Here are some of the posts I have saved since May 25 and George Floyd’s death.
Some of my favorite bloggers and podcasters have put together collections, a good source to hear about finance from the view point of others.
The Physician on Fire put together a Sunday Best post, filled with links to material by Black writers.
The duo at Bitches Get Riches listed 10 Rad Black Money Experts to Follow the Hell Right Now.
Angela at Tread Lightly, Retire Early published a Women’s Personal Finance Wednesday Black Voices Edition.
And Farnoosh Torabi at So Money put out a series of podcasts under #blackwealthmatters.
Then there is this post, from Financial Mechanic: The Magical Wealth Building Power of White Privilege. It illustrates many the ways White Privilege benefits even people who don’t think of themselves as racist, and offers some suggestions on making things better.
As I was going through the links above, I realized that (as far as I knew) none were authored by Black people. So I thought it was probably appropriate to link to actual sites by the actual people we should be listening to. Here are a few that I have been following and enjoying lately:
I periodically read posts at Rich&Regular. I note that they aren’t on any of my regular feeds sites, so I am less likely to get notified of updates. Which reminds me that one of these days I will have to make my own blog feed (that’s for another day).
After seeing Michelle is Money Hungry listed multiple times, I started listening to her podcast. Though I prefer to read rather than listen to podcasts, I’ve been putting her episodes at the top of my playlist. She talks about financial issues that attending physicians don’t often have to struggle with any more–but our patients do.
Lately, even though watching YouTube videos ranks #3 on my preferred way to learn content, I have been watching quite a few by Our Rich Journey. I particularly liked their video on The Real Reasons People Are Failing On Their FIRE Journey (Harsh Truth), though I have to admit, their videos on moving to Portugal have also been particularly inspiring.
One last link, a little off-topic, but still loosely connected:
Jessica at the Fioneers, who writes a lot about Slow FI, and taking care of yourself on the journey to retirement, talks about The True Purpose of Self Care. She writes a bit more about her past struggles with anxiety, especially as relates to her efforts to improve diversity at her workplace. To give the short answer:
The real purpose of self-care is to address oppression and to do it in a way that allows us to continue addressing it in the future.
Jessica, The Fioneers