Nick Wolny’s Money Proud Makes Queer Finance Fun

Money talks, and apparently death drops! Nick Wolny, finance columnist for Out magazine and a proud former Houstonian, is the author of Money Proud: The Queer Guide to Generate Wealth, Slay Debt, and Build Good Habits to Secure Your Future. The gay finance guru is on a mission to make personal finances approachable and achievable. Using fun, witty, and practical step-by-step instructions throughout the book, Wolny provides a roadmap for queer folks of all income levels to achieve financial independence and a secure and fabulous future.

“Our queer lives provide some of the most useful information we have for how to manage our money, because queerness is about truth,” the finance expert explains. “It’s about being true to yourself, and acknowledging who you really are and what you really want and enjoy. The lived experience many queer people have also happens to be one of the most useful approaches to managing their money. It’s all about saving for the future while still enjoying the present.”

The book is filled with humor and references to queer culture, while also focusing on practical and universal truths when it comes to managing finances at any income level. “The first sentence in the book’s introduction is an encouragement to come out to yourself about your money. Someone who has come out as queer knows that ‘leap of faith’ feeling where you aren’t sure how you’re going to feel or what’s going to emerge on the other side,” Wolny says. “I wanted to write a book about money that was really approachable and fun, as a service to the readers. I know a lot of people are really uncomfortable around money. They’re uncomfortable talking about it. They’re uncomfortable thinking about it. My approach is to hold your hand and start with what feels familiar, like references to pop culture and queer lingo.”

The author acknowledges that while financial literacy can be intimidating, his book is designed to cut through the noise and get down to basics. “The book is cumulative and builds momentum over time. It’s designed to be really approachable, and that’s an important feeling to cultivate in personal finance,” he says. “If you are someone who is just going to sweep your financial situation under the rug and not think about it, that’s not embracing your best gay life. I’ve got to get you comfortable with looking at what you swept under there in the first place, confronting it head on, and coming up with a plan.”

Contrary to what you might think about reading personal-finance advice, this book isn’t all business and no pleasure.

Wolny explains that Money Proud is meant to help the reader plan for the future without sacrificing fun along the way. “You don’t want to be in this situation where you’re saving a bunch of money but never living life. We have to find that happy medium—whatever that is for you.”

One tip he offers in the book is resisting the online-purchases temptation. “It really helps to detox from consumerism. Look at TikTok, for example. It’s basically SkyMall with video,” he jests. “Detoxing from consumerism involves sitting with yourself and your thoughts, and thinking about what you really want and care about. I think it’s a worthy exercise.”

Chapters in the book include advice regarding debt management, budgeting, investing, and more. Wolny’s guide is meant to take the bulk of money pressures away, while also serving as a template to return to as needed.

“I want your money to be boring. I want you to be thinking about it less and thinking about other things more. That’s my goal,” he says. “Readers will get the fundamentals to set themselves up with whatever their money goals are, and then avoid thinking and stressing about them anymore. I think that’s the ideal outcome of this book for readers.”

Considering the average American has only a semblance of personal financial education, Wolny assures that regardless of income status, the information presented in his book is universal, and has been for many years. It’s up to the reader to take the first step toward taking control of their financial future by reading Money Proud. “I realized in personal finance that you don’t have to constantly invent new things or catch the next trend. We don’t learn this stuff in school. We’re only beginning to see personal finance education being required in high school,” he notes. “Most people don’t know any of this stuff. The good news, however, is that they can learn it. If they know the basics, it can actually inform not only how they manage their own money, but how the world around them works, as well.”

For more information or to purchase Money Proud, visit nickwolny.com.