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AUTHOR

Michelle Singletary

Michelle Singletary, a business writer on the staff of The Washington Post, started "The Color of Money" column in March 1997. The response from readers was instantaneous and enormously positive. It became clear that many of these readers previously had found many financial issues too difficult to penetrate.
    
In 2004, she published her first book, “7 Money Mantras For A Richer
Life: How To Live Well With The Money You Have (Random House).
    
Singletary is a personal finance commentator for National Public Radio’s afternoon program “Day To Day.” In
conjunction with the column, Singletary is also a regular contributor on Howard University's evening news radio

program, "Insight," where she discusses personal finance issues.
    
She is frequently asked to appear on local radio and news programs, as well as on a number of network and
nationally syndicated programs, including "Nightline," "Oprah" and "The View." In 2000, she was recruited to do regular financial segments for MSNBC. During the 1997-1998 television season, Singletary was a regular correspondent on BET's nationally syndicated financial show, "Real Business." She also has done financial reports

for WMMJ-FM in Washington and for public television's "This Week in Business."
     
Readers across the country have discovered Singletary's live chats on the Post's Web site, washingtonpost.com.
They ask her views on issues that range from lending your lover money to bankruptcy to the investing habits of Latino and African Americans.
    
In 1999, "The Color of Money" won first place in the major newspaper category of the ICI Education
Foundation/American University awards for Excellence in Personal Finance Reporting. A year earlier, the column earned first place for business writing from the National Association of Black Journalists. The column was syndicated

by The Washington Post Writers Group in the fall of 1999.
    
Prior to becoming a columnist, Singletary covered local and national banking for the Post. She joined the paper in
1992 and was assigned to cover bankruptcy. In 1994, she was awarded a fellowship by NABJ to write about small women-owned businesses in West Africa. While in Africa, she helped cover the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela, and shared the lead story on election day with the Post's foreign correspondent, writing about a Soweto family's day at the polls.
    
Before coming to the Post, Singletary was a business reporter for the Baltimore Evening Sun, where she also
covered police, religion, politics and zoning. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, and Johns Hopkins University, where she earned a master's degree in business. Singletary and her husband, Kevin, reside in suburban Washington with their three children.

Email Michelle Singletary with your comments or questions at singletarym@washpost.com



Past articles:

"Be boundless in your charity, but shrewd and cautious as a lender"
12 Days of Christmas
2005 Q & A Wrap Up
2006 Penny Pincher of the Year Contest
2006 Penny Pincher Winners
529 Fact & Fiction
Accepting Gifts Gracefully
April 15 is Coming, It's Crunch Time
Are Exotic Spring Break Vacations Worth It?
Are We Creating Materialistic Children?
Automatically adjusting investment portfolios
Avoiding overdraft fees and penalties
Banking on a Pension for Retirment? Think again
Bankruptcy doesn't make you a deadbeat
Bankruptcy Protection and Credit Counseling
Battling Identity Theft with a Credit Freeze
Beware of flood-damaged cars
Blacks and Credit Debt: Don't Believe the Hype
Boomerang Adults
Budgeting for the New Year
Busting Old Fashioned Myths: Finance for Women
Can 529s Ruin Financial Aid Eligibility?
Can you save while you spend?
Challenger: The Chandlers
Challenger: Carlesa Washington
Clamp Down On Your Holiday Spending
Clarifying: Determining Your Net Worth
College funds vs. retirement funds
College students: consolidate now!
College: An "Affordable" Choice for Families?
COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Holiday Budgets
COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Identity Theft
COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Investors Working With Brokers or Brokerage Firms
COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: How To Keep Your Promises
COLOR OF MONEY JUNE BOOK CLUB SELECTION: "Changing Your Course"
Combatting Financial Fatigue
Coming Changes in Social Security
Confusion behind student loans
Consumer Reports Are Worth Reading
Consumer vs. Car Salesman
Couples' Finance: The House Rules
Cracking the credit scoring code
Dealing With Loans that Never Come Back
Dispelling the money myths
Do We Appreciate the Plight of the Poor
Don't Let E-Mail Hoaxes Steal Your Livelihood
eBay aint your Big Mama's garage sale
Education Pays
Energy costs are warming up budgets
Even the well-prepared can't prep for the unexpected
Feedback from timeshare owners
Financial New Year's Resolutions
Financial Success... and Embarassment
Finished your 2004 taxes? Get ready for 2005!
Food stains can depreciate your car value
Forgiven Debt Can Create Tax Liability
Frugal diner fatigue
Gas Prices Are Back Up, Should You Trade Your SUV?
Gas prices on the rise
Generation Broke
Getting Serious About Retirement Savings
Getting your financial education
Giving is Good for the Soul
Grown Folks' Things Are for Grown Folks
Handling today's rising fuel costs
Having a Little Fun With Finances
High-Paying Jobs vs. Education Cost
Holiday Stress Mess
Honey, I Need Some Money!
How credit card companies are handling delinquencies
How Finance Effects Romance
How Minors Can Avoid Paying Too Much Taxes
How much life insurance is adequate?
How to choose a financial advisor
How to Choose A Financial Planner
How to Work With Your Lender When You're Late
Hurricane Katrina: What would you have done?
Identity Theft: Not Just A Digital Threat
Identity Theives
Industry-wide changes in credit card minimum payments
Inexperienced Investor Mistakes
Inside Megachurches and Pastorial Salaries
Investing your money wisely
IRS Tax Code 121
Is It Better Not To Receive a Tax Refund?
Is That More Car Than You Can Afford?
Keeping Love and Money Separate
Knowing Your Net Worth
Learning More About 529 Plans
Look Before You Leap Into Mutual Funds
Love, Marriage... Money?
March Madness
Marriage and money secrets
Michelle's Guide to Re-Gifting
More FDIC Coverage Starting April 1
More finance Q & A
Multiple Names on Home Titles: Q&A
My Favorite Financial Things
Negotiating IRS Tax Bills is Getting More Difficult
New changes in bankruptcy law
New days, old scams
October Finance Q & A
Patience in a Changing Real Estate Market
Peer Pressure in the "Tween Market"
Penny-pinching stories
Piggybacking: Lend Your Credit at Your Own Risk
Pimping Consumer Culture
Prenotification Negative Option Plan
Prime v. Subprime Borrowers
Prosperity Partners
Putting Childrens' Name on a Home Title? Bad Idea
Q & A on Burdensome Student Debt
Q & A On Couples Finance Managment
Q & A with college students on finance
Q & A with Concerned Taxpayers
Q & A: Vantage Scores
Raising Money Smart Kids
Reader Response on Michelle's Wedding Tips!
Readers sound off on life insurance discussion
Real Estate Q & A
Real-World Financial Advice for New Grads
Refund Anticipation Loans, Are They Worth It?
Repair vs. Buying New
Searching for Jobs at Christmastime
Should a college grad be concerned with 401(k)'s?
Skyrocketing Wedding Costs
Sneaky Credit Card Interest Rates
Social Security
Some things in life are free
Student Loan Realities for Grads
Taking control of your student debt
Terminating cellphone contracts
The $10 Billion Overdraft Loan Market
The Bankruptcy Rope-A-Dope
The Capacity of People to Give
THE COLOR OF MONEY – June Book Club Selection
THE COLOR OF MONEY CHALLENGE – “Smoking is Hazardous to Your WEALTH”
THE COLOR OF MONEY CHALLENGE – Challenger’s Progress Report
THE COLOR OF MONEY CHALLENGE UPDATE
THE COLOR OF MONEY CHALLENGER – Annie Schleicher
THE COLOR OF MONEY CHALLENGER – Carlesa A. Washington
THE COLOR OF MONEY CHALLENGERS – The Chandlers
THE COLOR OF MONEY CHALLENGERS UPDATE
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN - Q & A Tax Refunds
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – “America's Scholarship Coach"
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – A Security Freeze will Deter Identity Thieves
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – Beware of Scholarship and Financial Aid Scams
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN - College Tuition
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – Do You Know What’s In Your Wallet?
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – February Color of Money Book Club Selection
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN - File Free Program Information
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – Financial Spring-Cleaning will De-Clutter Your Life
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – Health Insurance for Pets
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN - Holiday Shopping
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN - Identity Theft
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – Love and Money
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN - Mega-Money Mistake - What's Yours?
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – More Tax Related Information
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – Moving Broker Scams
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – PAYDAY LOANS
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN - Q & A - How Can I Get Out of Debt?
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN - Regifting
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN - Saving for College
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – Student Loan Debts
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – Student Loans
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN - Tax Refunds
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN - Thank You Note Etiquette
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – The Color of Money Challenge
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – U.S. Postal Service: Forever Stamp – Pricing Structure Info.
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN – Year-End Financial Moves
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN FINANCIAL FREEDOM
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN Grassley’s Probe: Six High-Profile Ministries Asked to Detail Their Expenses
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Avoid Foreclosure Scams
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: 2007 Penny Pincher of the Year Contest 1st Place Winner
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: 401(k) Options If You Change Jobs
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: 401(k) Participants' Awareness and Understanding of Fees
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: April Color of Money Book Club Selection – “Money Changes Everything”
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: At Tax Time Boost your Deductions or Credits.
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: August Book Club Selection
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Auto Loan VS. Home Equity Loan
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Beware of Investment Seminars & Schemes
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Child Identity Theft
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: College Students after Graduation May Come Home to Live
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Color of Money Military Challenge
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Counterfeit Check Schemes
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Credit Card Companies Target College Students
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Credit-Based Insurance Scoring
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Death of the “Float”
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Debit Cards
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Debt Collection Agencies
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: December Book Club Selection: "The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge: 5 Principles to Transform Your Relationship With Money"
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Economic Stimulus Bill
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Financial Issues that Trouble People the Most
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Fraudulent Practices in 13% of the Seminars Studied
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: - Gift Cards - Hidden Fees
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Got More Questions About the Tax Stimulus Payment?
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Health Insurance
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: If You Owe the IRS and Can't Pay, the Worse Thing You Can Do...is Nothing
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Information - If you Own Stock in a Bankrupt Company
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Information for Financially Troubled Homeowners
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Information regarding Security Freeze Laws
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Is Tithing or Charitable Giving Reasonable if you are in Debt?
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: It’s Tax Time
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: October Book Selection: "Mortgage Confidential: What You Need to Know That Your Lender Won't Tell You"
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Person-to-Person Lending, or "Social" Lending
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Rainy-Day Money
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Refund Anticipation Loans
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Regifting
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Retirement
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Save, Invest and Pay Off Your Mortgage
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Savings
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Tax Changes for 2006 Returns
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Tax Scams – “Dirty Dozen”
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Teens and Money
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: The Language of Money
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: The Military Challengers
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: The Three D’s Investors Want to Think About
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: The wisdom of Big Mama's generation about mortgages was right
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Vehicle Loans – The Lowdown
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: "2007 Penny Pincher of the Year Contest"
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: 2007 Tax Planning-Start Now
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Accepting Gifts this Holiday, be Grateful
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Advice to Avoid Huge Money Mistakes
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Athletes who are working to sell quality, inexpensive clothes should be commended and their lines supported
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Beware of the "Sweetheart Swindle"
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Book Club Recommendation: ‘Tax This!’
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: College Tuition and Fees
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Contest Results: "My Mega-Money-Mistake"
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Credit Card Companies-Interest Rates-Outrageous Fees
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Credit Card Debt
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Credit Card Debt
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Credit Scoring Systems
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Debt Q&A
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Don't Waste Money on a Credit Repair Services
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Email Scams
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: February Book Club Selection
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Foreign Currrencies Investment Scams
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Give A Gift that Makes Good Financial Sense
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Homeowners Struggling with their Mortgage Payments
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Interstate Moving
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Investing Habits
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: IRS - Economic Stimulus Payments
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: It's Worth Having a Professional Make Sure Your Tax Return is Prepared Properly.
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: January Color of Money Book Club Selection
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Keeping Up With The Jones'
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Life Insurance
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Long-Term Care Insurance
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Maintaining a Budget
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: March Book Club Selection: ‘Going Broke: Why Americans Can’t Hold On To Their Money’
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Mixing Money and Family Matters
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Money Issues
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: More Bad News About the Housing Market
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: November Pick for the Color of Money Book Club.
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Open Enrollment Season
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Payday Loans / Lenders
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Pyramid & Multilevel Marketing Schemes
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Q & A
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Q & A - "Crazy Bosses"
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Savings Bonds
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Security Freeze is Better Than ‘Fraud Alert’
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Self Employed – Home Office Deductions Info
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Sen. Hillary Clinton on Economy and ‘How to Fix Things’
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: September Book Club Selection
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Small Business Opportunity Scams and “Businesses in a Box”
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Small Business Ownership
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Student Loans
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Subprime Mortgage Crisis
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Teaching Your Children About Money
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: The Army’s new "Active First" program
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: The Color of Money Challengers End-of-Year Update
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Uncertainty about the inflation outlook remains high
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Updating Your Finances
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN: Wedding Budgets - Have a Wedding you can Afford
THE COLOR OF MONEY COLUMN” “What’s In Your Wallet?”
THE COLOR OF MONEY July Book Club Selection– ‘Crazy Bosses’
The Color of Money Planning for Open Enrollmnent Benefits Season
The Color of Money: "Get Organized Week!"
The Color of Money: Bank on Check 21
THE COLOR OF MONEY: Book Club Selection: "Maxed Out"
The Color of Money: College Students and Credit
The Color of Money: Contributing to Your 401K
The Color of Money: Credit Q & A with Evan Hendricks
The Color of Money: Financial Q & A
The Color of Money: Getting Babies College-ready
The Color of Money: How Do You Pay Your Bills?
The Color of Money: Legit Business or Pyramid Scheme?
The Color of Money: Managing Big Mama's Finances
The Color of Money: Online Counterfeit Rx?
THE COLOR OF MONEY: Open Enrollment Season
The Color of Money: Refinancing Your Mortgage
The Color of Money: Special Benefactors For Your Money
The Color of Money: Support the Teacher Tax Relief Act
The Color of Money: Tap Dancing with Your Home Equity
The Color of Money: The Subject of Giving
The Color of Money: Unanswered Questions
The Color of Money: What would Big Mama Say?
The Color of Money: Which Stepchild Gets the Cash?
The Color of Money: Write Me a Book I Can Understand!
The Importance of Filing Your Taxes on Time
The Lowdown on Reverse Mortgages
The lowdown on time shares
The options on home loans
The perfect credit score
The Q & A: Quick & Easy Budgeting
The Real on Credit Card Interest Rates
The Supreme Cheapskate
The Top Investor Traps
The Truth About Credit Inquiries
The Ultimate Retirement
Thinking About Retirement
This month's finance Q & A
To Re-Gift or Not To Re-Gift
Today is Tomorrow
Understanding Annuities
Understanding FDIC Insurance
Understanding interest-only loans
Understanding Your Credit Score
Was Cosby Right for Criticizing Poor Blacks?
Wedding Budgets
Were You Punk'd By Your Brokerage Firm?
What Exactly Is A Check Diversion Company?
What is the economic state of Black America?
What to Do With Bad Gifts
What You Don't Know About Gift Cards
What You Need to Know About Flood Insurance
What You Need to Know About Giving
What You Need to Know Before Rolling Over Your 401k
What Your Tax Refund Should Really Look Like
What's the Advantage of a "Vantage Score?"
When does a parent's financial responsibility end?
Why You Should Have Renter's Insurance
Why You Should Pay Your Taxes
Winner of the Penny Pincher of the Year contest
Work to Stop Predatory Lending Practices
Working Towards Retirement
Your Financial Year End Wrap Up
Your personal info is out there!
Your Worst Job Interview
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