Most recently, Anne Stockwell ruled gay LA as the Editor in Chief of The Advocate. She’s also one of the founders of MoneyPants.com. Anne is a talented writer with a side interest in money. Writer! Money! Needless to say, I have an enormous crush on her. What’s not to love? To titillate my fancy, she agreed to our ten money questions. I hope you enjoy her words as much as I did!

1. I read that you’re a self-described debt-specialist. What prompted this label?
Debt! I came out of film school owing a pile of money. That was a million years ago, and I still owe. I treat my student loan debt like a chronically achy back. I pay, but I try not to think about it.

2. Do you think gay affluence is a myth fabricated by queer media?
If it’s a myth, queer media didn’t do the mythologizing. The mainstream press loves the idea of wealthy gays doing whatever they want while looking fabulous. It’s very Vampire Lestat.

3. Was your MFA from NYU’s Film School worth the time and investment?
Yes, but not for the reasons I expected. Even though I’m not a filmmaker these days, film school showed me I was tougher than I thought. I’m answering these questions on my Treo at 2 in the morning. Before film school, I’d have put it off till another day.

4. What is your most significant memory about money?
I remember my mother buying me a guitar I never thought we could afford. I stared at it every day and thought, how did I get so lucky?!

5. Could you beat your MoneyPants business partner in a game of Monopoly?
She’d slaughter me.

6. What did growing up in Baton Rouge teach you about money?
Red beans and rice is the perfect food and costs practically nothing.

7. What are the financial challenges that come with being a writer?
Instability. Feast or famine. It all feels rougher if you’re one of those sensitive souls who feel a bit lost in the world… in other words, a typical writer.

8. You seem to change hairstyles as frequently as most of us fill up our gas tanks. Are there financial advantages to sporting that uber cute short haircut?
I just got a $24 cut at a punky barbershop. It’s my first fauxhawk. An accidental one.

9. How do you like to spend your money? How would your long term partner answer this question?
I’m a sucker for electronics. I comparison shop long and hard, but still…. My partner has a thing for ordering dahlia bulbs in the mail, so we pretty much live and let live.

10. Do you believe in retirement?
The idea of endless leisure gives me the creeps. I believe in enjoying a few moments of retirement every day. I’ve recently started sleeping eight hours a night. It’s bliss!

More about Anne Stockwell
Anne Stockwell is a writer, editor, and filmmaker. Currently serving as Editor at Large for The Advocate, she is a co-founder and partner of MoneyPants.com.

Read other Queercents interviews in the Ten Money Questions archive.