The Color of Money by Michelle Singletary
Michelle Singletary is a nationally syndicated columnist for The Washington Post. Her award-winning column, “The Color of Money,” runs in 120 newspapers across the country, including the Miami Herald, Boston Globe, Tampa Tribune and Atlanta Journal Constitution.
In January 2006, Singletary launched her first national television program, “$ingletary $ays,” on TV One. “$ingletary $ays” is a half-hour personal finance reality show in which Singletary visits people in their homes to help resolve various financial issues. The second Season of Singletary Says debuted in November 2006. In the coming year, she will be doing personal finance specials for TV One.
Singletary frequently appears on local and national radio programs including “The Diane Rehm Show” and has prepared personal finance segments for local and national programs such as “Oprah,” NBC’s “Today” show, “The Early Show” on CBS, “Nightline,” “The View” and “Tavis Smiley.”
Singletary is the host of a live online chat on the Post's Web site, washingtonpost.com, and her electronic newsletter has more than 200,000 subscribers. For nearly a decade Singletary was a regular contributor on Howard University's evening news radio program, “Insight.” From 1997 to 1998, Singletary was a regular correspondent on BET's “Real Business.” She has filled in for nationally syndicated radio host Clark Howard on his local program in Atlanta, and she hosted her own radio call-in program on XM 169 The Power in 2007.
In her column, chats, newsletter, television show and books, Singletary delivers advice on personal finance issues that range from lending your honey money (don’t do it), to raising money smart kids to the importance of saving and investing.
In 2006, Singletary’s book “Your Money and Your Man” (Random House) was a finalist for the Books for a Better Life Awards, which honor the best self-improvement books. Her first book, “7 Money Mantras for a Richer Life: How to Live Well With The Money You Have” (Random House), was published in 2003. The paperback was retitled “Spend Well, Live Rich.”
The Society of American Business Editors and Writers awarded her its Best in Business award for a series of columns that ran in 2007. The judges wrote: “Michelle Singletary's work illustrates a range of writing that's both approachable and explanatory.” “The Color of Money” has placed first in the major newspaper category of the ICI Education Foundation/American University awards for Excellence in Personal Finance Reporting. The column also earned a first place for business writing from the National Association of Black Journalists.
In her spare time, Singletary is the director of “Prosperity Partners,” a ministry she founded at her church in which women and men, who handle their money well, volunteer to mentor others who are having financial challenges. Once a month, Singletary conducts a workshop for the ministry group on topics that range from tithing, to developing a budget to getting out of debt.
Singletary joined The Washington Post in 1992 and was assigned to cover bankruptcy. In 1994, she was awarded a fellowship by NABJ to write about small women-owned businesses in West Africa. While in Africa, she helped cover the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela, and shared the lead story on Election Day with the Post's foreign correspondent, writing about a Soweto family's day at the polls.
Before coming to the Post, Singletary was a business reporter for the Baltimore Evening Sun, where she also covered police, religion, politics and zoning. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, and Johns Hopkins University, where she earned a master's degree in business and management. Singletary and her husband reside in Maryland with their three children.