gaymoney.JPGWhat does sexual orientation have to do with personal finance?
This was a question I was asked recently and not the first time either. I thought I would explain in case you are asking yourself the same question.

At first glance this seems like an obvious question and an easy one to answer. Most would probably say the two have nothing in common. Money doesn’t treat us differently based on whether we are gay, straight, lesbian, bi or transgendered. Actually, it may be one of the few things in our life that doesn’t care about our sexual orientation. When we don’t find the support we need through the people we grew up with or go to work with, we substitute it with something that will make us feel better. For some it is food and others it is money, among other things. But again, money can fill holes for anyone, gay or straight.

It really comes down to a couple of things. Just as different races view money differently than another, gays and straights have different needs for money. Specifically, money comes into play on the legal side of things. If a spouse dies, the law will not view the other person as someone who should get their money. So a lot of money has to go to lawyers to fill in the holes that the government has left open.

The main reason we have this site is to provide a view of finance from someone who is just like you. Being able to read about someone who you know has gone through similar life experiences as you, which provides a comfort zone. Personal finance is rarely talked about in our society, unless it has to do with investments and retirement. Sitting down with someone who understands the kind of day to day life you have, makes talking about personal finance easier.

Ultimately, we want to break down the barriers where people can feel comfortable talking about their finances because we can learn so much from each other, gay or straight.