Helaine Olen
American journalist based in New York
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Helaine Olen is an American journalist and author based in New York. She is a columnist for The Washington Post and, before that, Slate, where she wrote the column The Bills. She is the author or co-author of three books: Office Mate (2007), Pound Foolish (2012), and The Index Card (2016).
- Pound Foolish (2012)
- The Index Card (2016)
Helaine Olen | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | journalist, author |
| Alma mater | |
| Notable works |
|
| Spouse | Matt Roshkow |
| Children | 2 |
Biography
Olen was born in the mid-1960s, and is Jewish.[1][2] She graduated from Smith College with a BA in English, and earned an MA in journalism at the University of Minnesota.[3][4][5]
She is a columnist for The Washington Post[6] and, before that, Slate, where she wrote the column The Bills.
Olen is a contributor to Post Opinions.[3] Her work has appeared in Slate, the Nation, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Salon, Reuters, Rolling Stone, and the Atlantic.[3][4][5] She was a lead writer and editor for The Los Angeles Times’ “Money Makeover” series.[4] She has also appeared on "Frontline," the BBC, NPR, C-Span, MSNBC, "All Things Considered", and "The Daily Show."[7][5]
Olen is the author or co-author of three books: Office Mate (2007), Pound Foolish (2012), and The Index Card (2016).[5][3]
She serves on the advisory board of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.[3]
Olen is critical of the personal finance industry's typical advice to consumers, suggesting that it leaves them unprepared for major downturns such as market crashes, layoffs, and medical bills.[8]
Honors and awards
- Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Best in Business awards, Honorable Mention for Commentary, 2017;
- Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Best in Business awards, Personal Finance, 2016;
- National Women’s Political Caucus, Exceptional Merit in Media Award, 2013
- named one of Business Insider's "50 Women Who Are Changing the World"
- named one of the "Top 30 Most Influential People in Personal Finance and Wealth" by MoneyTips.[3][7]
Personal life
Olen is married to the script writer Matt Roshkow[9] and has two sons; the family lives in New York City.[10][3] One of her sons is American influencer and comedian Jake Shane Roshkow, and she has one other son.
Selected works
- Losee, Stephanie; Olen, Helaine (2007). Office mate: the employee handbook for finding – and managing – romance on the job. Avon, Mass.: Adams Media. ISBN 978-1598693300. OCLC 145431720.
- Olen, Helaine (2008). "The mean moms". In Shari MacDonald Strong (ed.). The maternal is political: women writers at the intersection of motherhood and social change. Berkeley, Calif.: Seal Press. ISBN 978-0786750757. OCLC 649315093.
- —— (2012). Pound foolish: exposing the dark side of the personal finance industry. New York: Portfolio/Penguin. ISBN 978-1591844891. OCLC 809989018.[11][12]
- ——; Pollack, Harold (2016). The index card : why personal finance doesn't have to be complicated. New York. ISBN 978-1591847687. OCLC 928750850.
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