Ashley Milne-Tyte

My column in Metro on women and negotiating

April 2, 2013

Read here. Appears in Metro. I was recently given the opportunity to have a monthly career column in Metro, the commuter newspaper for Boston, New York and Philadelphia. It's very short, but, I hope, useful. I am a passionate advocate for women as negotiators. Too many of us don't negotiate at all, most of us not enough. I am by no means great at it myself. I dread talking about money. But if you don't ask, you have no idea if you'll get. All they can say is no. Naysayers claim that women are 'punished' if they ask for more, because by asking we're violating social norms for women. It's true that as women we have to be very careful in the *way* we ask. But that does not mean we shouldn't bother. I truly believe this is one of the reasons for the pay gap. How can it not be? Men start negotiating in greater numbers than women right at the college level. It makes a difference. Do it.

Playing with personal finance

October 1, 2011

Listen here. Aired on Marketplace Money.

Some kids who have played the board game Nest Egg call it 'Monopoly on steroids'. Invented by a few friends in the Czech Republic, Nest Egg aims to help people understand personal finance by having them act as financial advisors to a fictional family. They take that family through 30 years of their financial lives, up to retirement. Players learn about financial planning by doing things like buying (or not buying) insurance, bonds, stocks, etc. I was initially skeptical that a game could have a truly beneficial effect on people's financial knowledge, but it was clear after being around these New York City high school kids for just a few hours that they were learning a lot - and actually enjoying themselves. Mattel and other toy makers turned Nest Egg down because it's too complicated for little kids, so it's not sold in stores. A slightly different version of this story also aired on VOA News.

Photo courtesy of Nest Egg

Getting paid to look after a parent

March 18, 2011

Listen here. Aired on Marketplace Money.

Most people who take care of an older relative do it for free - either because they have to, or they want to, or both. It may sound odd to even consider the idea that an older person might pay someone they love to look after them. But a growing minority of family caregivers is paid to do the job. I talked to the Fowler family in Ogallala, Nebraska for this piece - a real treat. Their payment arrangement is informal. But lawyers and the AARP advise family members to sign a so-called personal care contract to avoid running into problems with eachother - and Medicaid - later on. A slightly different version of this story also aired on VOA News.

Dating while unemployed

February 12, 2011

Listen here. Aired on Marketplace Money.

Dating can be hell when life is good. But when you're unemployed, it presents a whole new set of challenges - particularly if you're male.

 A lot of women still expect the guy to foot the bill, and that's a problem when your only income is an unemployment check. I wanted to do this piece because I'd heard plenty about the negative effect unemployment can have on relationships, but nothing about what unemployment does to people who'd like to be in one.

One piece of trivia I couldn't include: OKCupid tells me site users lie about height and income (no surprise to online dating veterans). They've crunched the data, and OKCupid users claim to be a full two inches taller and 20k richer than the rest of the population.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26934867@N07/5433666369/sizes/s/in/pool-33882980@N00/

Compare your spending with the Joneses'

September 24, 2010

Listen here. Aired on Marketplace Money.

I'm as nosy as anyone about other people's spending habits. So I was intrigued when I heard about a new personal finance site called Bundle. Say you're married with two kids: the site asks you to enter some details about household status and income, then lets you compare your spending to that of other couples with kids in the same town, in the same age and income range. Initially it seems like harmless fun, but the founder says it's about much more than that: he wants people to use those comparisons to rein in some of their bad habits.

Breaking up with your bank

June 5, 2010

Listen here. Aired on Marketplace Money.

There's been a lot of press this year about bank customers so angry at their bank's part in the financial crisis, they're ready to dump them and start over with a small, community bank instead.

I wanted to find out from someone who had left their mega-bank just how satisfied they were with the new one. And while a lot of people blame the big banks for fueling the mortgage meltdown, relatively few have actually taken the trouble to switch. I met one guy who admits he can't quite bring himself to do it, despite his strong feelings. I also talked to Citibank about their efforts to keep customers right where they are.