Michelle Singletary

Michelle Singletary is a financial columnist for The Washington Post, as well as an author and broadcaster. Her writing draws heavily from her own experience as the product of a low-income household. Singletary attributes her financial skill to her grandmother, who raised her with four siblings.

Her 2003 book, 7 Money Mantras for a Richer Life, details the financial rules her grandmother taught her. She admits, however, that she did not always heed her grandmother's advice, and when she was younger, "would actually have withdrawal pains if I went one weekend without shopping."

Singletary's column, The Color of Money, appears every Sunday and Thursday in the New York Post. Her weekly segment on NPR's Day to Day program airs Tuesdays (the exact schedule varies from station to station). The broadcast is also available as a podcast, updated every Tuesday at 5 p.m. EST. Over 150,000 subscribers receive Singletary's weekly Personal Finance Newsletter, which offers a more expansive discussion of the topics in her columns, as well as responses to readers' questions. The newsletter is available free from The Washington Post.

• 2003: 7 Money Mantras for a Richer Life

1. If it’s on your ass, it’s not an asset!
2. Is this a need or is it a want?
3. Sweat the small stuff.
4. Cash is better than credit.
5. Keep it simple.
6. Priorities lead to prosperity.
7. Enough is enough.

• 1984: Graduates from The University of Maryland at College Park

• 1992: Hired by Washington Post as financial reporter

• 1993: Awarded the Ethel Payne Fellowship by the National Association of Black Journalists

• 1994: Covers South African election of Nelson Mandela

• 1997-1998: Correspondent for Black Entertainment Television's Real Business

• 1998: Began Washington Post Column, The Color of Money

• 1999: Column nominated for Pulitzer Prize | Column chosen for syndication by The Washington Post Writers Group

• 2000: Appears June 22 on Oprah Winfrey Show entitled What the Experts Wish You Knew

• 2001: Appears February 28 on Oprah Winfrey Show entitled Little Steps to Big Savings

• 2003: Publishes first book, 7 Money Mantras For A Richer Life: How To Live Well With The Money You Have

• 2004: Paperback of 7 Money Mantras released and retitled as Spend Well, Live Rich

• 2006: Publishes second book: Your Money and Your Man: How You and Prince Charming Can Spend Well and Live Rich

• 2007: Hosts live call-in show on XM Radio