• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
Subscribe Give A Gift
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Shopping
  • Design Hunting
  • New York Weddings
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
  • Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • Motherhood
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Science of Us
  • Horoscopes
  • Ask Polly
  • Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
  • Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • The Cut Shop
  • NYMag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin It
+Comments Leave a Comment
  • Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Shopping
  • Design Hunting
  • New York Weddings
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
  • Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • Motherhood
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Science of Us
  • Horoscopes
  • Ask Polly
  • Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
  • Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • The Cut Shop
  • NYMag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
Sponsor Story
This is paid content produced for an advertiser by New York Stories. The editorial staff of thecut.com did not play a role in its creation.
Sponsored By Intuit Turbo Sponsored By Intuit Turbo
Feb. 27, 2019

Real Money Talk With Chrissy Metz

Photo: Courtesy of Intuit Turbo

From asking for a raise to perfecting your credit score, we’re always thinking about money (or trying not to and knowing we should). But it’s rare and often hard to talk about it with friends. To help break down this taboo, This Is Us star Chrissy Metz partnered up with Turbo, a free financial health app from the makers of Mint and TurboTax, for the launch of their #RealMoneyTalk campaign. The initiative empowers people to break down the taboos, vulnerabilities, and insecurities we all feel about money.

Metz has openly shared her past financial struggles and journey to stability for awhile now, with refreshing honesty. She had 81 cents in her bank account when she landed her breakout role and first steady paycheck on This Is Us. Before that, when she first moved to L.A., she lived with six women in a two-bedroom apartment and borrowed money for gas to get to auditions. Now that she’s so successful (and helpfully vocal about how exactly she paid off $12,000 in debt), we wanted to know: How has her relationship with money changed since her humble beginnings in Florida?

The key, for her, was talking about it. “When you’re embarrassed to share your financial situation with your friends and family, it’s hard to set boundaries,” she told us. “And when you’re afraid of what people will think, it’s hard to set goals. I truly believe that the more we talk about it, the less alone and vulnerable we’re all going to feel.” Below, Metz shares how she overcame her own fear and shame about money through open, honest conversations with friends, in relationships, and at work.

For me planning has always been a way to open up a conversation about money. When you sort of drop your weapons and drop the wall, you’re like, oh, you’ve been in this situation, too? You’re willing to talk about it?

Why do you think it’s so difficult for people to talk about money, and what makes you want to talk so freely about it?
I don’t find my identity in money, and I didn’t grow up with it, so I know that my value is not based on the number on my scale or my bank account. It’s not something I’m trying to pretend that I have, and if I don’t have it, I don’t feel like I’m less of a person or less intriguing or interesting. That’s why I’ve always been real and honest with my friends, like, Listen, I know I don’t have money, or Sorry guys, I can’t go to dinner with you tonight. It is difficult, though, and even now that I have more financial stability, there’s still difficulty because it’s so personal. Talking about money is like that final frontier that we’re afraid to cross, like: Is this something I shouldn’t ask? Is this something that I’m not willing to talk about? We’re taught never to ask a woman their age or how much money they make. But I do think that when you’re honest with yourself, you can be honest with each other.

What is the best way to have real money talk with friends, especially if you’re struggling?
When you’re talking to friends, especially good friends who you’ve been close to for a really long time, it might be easier to start off with a joke. I know for me, sometimes if I don’t laugh, I’ll cry. I might ask something like, Do you have a savings account? That’s something my friends and I have asked each other. And as a follow up: Do you actually have money in it?

Or it can be just as easy as, Are you planning a vacation this year? For me, planning has always been a way to open up a conversation about money. Or just say “I don’t know what the heck I’m doing!” When you finally drop your weapons and put yourself out there, it doesn’t feel as invasive — maybe your friend will admit that they’ve been in the same situation, and are willing to talk about it too. That’s why I think Turbo’s #RealMoneyTalk campaign is so powerful — talking about money can be scary but asking a simple question can help you feel less alone when it comes to your money struggles. Even after being on the show, I still have real money talk with my friends.

What have you learned about money and gender roles in the workplace?If someone is capable of the same job, they should make the same amount of money — that’s always been top of mind for me, even when I was 15 years old and working at a fast-food restaurant. Today, I still have a hard time negotiating for myself, but I like helping negotiate for [other] people. It’s important to have support in any situation and it’s not always easy but once you do it, it’s like you’re putting a little deposit in your confidence bank and you’re like, Oh! I survived. I can do this again.

What have you learned about managing finances in a partnership, whether while dating or married?
Communication. Communication. Communication. When I was married, I made the choice to work full-time and was the one working 70 hours a week, while he was working part-time and pursuing screenwriting. As awkward as it was, we really had to sit down and say Okay, what can you afford to pay, and what can I afford? And then, will we have extra? Maybe I want to take an acting class, or maybe he wants to go and take a photography or writing class. It’s important to be vocal and check in with your partner every month or every 3 months, to evaluate how things are working and make sure it feels balanced. I know some people will disagree, but I don’t feel like the man has to pay for every single thing. I believe a true partnership should be 50/50, and that needs to be established early on in the relationship. Depending on what you want, you can figure out if it will be a good fit for you.

Do you have any advice on going through the finances of divorce?
I think it’s just really important to have those conversations while you are married, and to always have something for yourself that you don’t give to the relationship financially. I know that’s difficult to do if you’re living paycheck to paycheck and just getting by, as my ex-husband and I were. But I wish I had spoken to someone about having a savings account or my short-term and long-term goals. [Even just] saving $25 a month or $50 a month for yourself will help you be prepared for a rainy day. Luckily, we didn’t have children or assets, and literally the conversation was, “Do you want the TV or the couch?” But when you’re moving into your own place and don’t have enough money for the deposit — that’s where I wished I would have spoken up more.

How did you pay off your credit card debt?
For me, I never wanted a credit card — having debt was always something I was a) afraid of and b) didn’t know to get out of. But it had to be around $12,000 that I owed back to friends, two credit card companies, and I think I was two months behind on my car payments. When we booked the show and I got my first paycheck, I was able to make payments of $100 a month because I had a steady income. Establishing credit was a whole new world to me, and it didn’t happen overnight. It definitely took time and at first, it was really important putting a plan in place. Knowing that I didn’t have to pay everything off at once helped me figure out how much I could consistently pay back. Even if it is $10 or $20 a month, you’re still chipping away at it, you know? You’re of course paying back a loan of credit, but you’re also putting a little deposit in your own confidence bank. I always say esteemable acts can create self-esteem. If you’re honest with yourself and put a plan into place, chances are you’ll feel like I did when I started tackling my debt, okay, it’s not hard as I thought — I can totally do this.

How do you manage your finances day to day now? What does that look like for you?
I’m definitely on top of my finances in a way that I hadn’t been before and looking at everything regularly to know where I stand. I’m hypervigilant about what I’m spending and how I’m spending it. Like what I’m putting on my debit card vs. my credit card, which is something I never thought I’d have. Every month, when I look at my account activity, I feel like covering my eyes like, oh no, because I’m still figuring it out. All of these feelings stem from how we’re afraid to see the truth — but when we open our eyes, we see what’s possible. A lot of people think of success happening overnight but for me, it took a lot longer. And it’s only been 3 years, but when you think of this in the grand scheme of life, it’s really not a long time.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

This is paid content produced for an advertiser by New York Stories. The editorial staff of The Cut did not play a role in its creation.

Tags:

  • sponsor story
  • finance
  • intuit turbo
  • real money talk
  • chrissy metz
  • influencer post
  • More
+Comments Leave a Comment
Welcome to #RealMoneyTalk With Chrissy Metz

Most Viewed Stories

  1. Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of March 8
  2. Nina Dobrev’s Face Has a New Job
  3. I Can’t Wait to Dress Like I Shop at Party City
  4. The Row’s Beige Ambition
  5. Meghan Markle Says ‘Concerns Were Raised’ About Archie’s Skin Color

Best of The Cut

  • The Fashion Industry Can’t Seem to Get Enough of Carlos Nazario
  • The Row’s Beige Ambition
  • Jenna Lyons on Coming Out (and Being Outed) After 40
  • Thank You, Dr. Zizmor
  • The City Ate My Closet
See All

The Latest

keeping up with the royals 12:15 a.m.
The Most Shocking Moments from Meghan & Harry’s Oprah Interview From Meghan’s disclosure that she was having thoughts of suicide after her marriage, to the royal family’s “concerns” about Archie’s skin color.
By Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz
keeping up with the royals Yesterday at 10:42 p.m.
Meghan Markle Says ‘Concerns Were Raised’ About Archie’s Skin Color Without naming names, she said there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he was born.”
astrology Yesterday at 8:30 p.m.
Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of March 8 There’s a dreamy new moon in Pisces this week, offering you the ability to open your heart to love and hope.
By Claire Comstock-Gay
sex diaries Yesterday at 8:00 p.m.
The Vaccinated Guy Trying to Get a Threesome Started This week’s sex diary.
second acts Mar. 5, 2021
25 Famous Women on Getting Older Diane Keaton, Maya Angelou, Helen Mirren, and more women on aging.
By Julie Ma
screen time Mar. 5, 2021
I Can’t Wait to Dress Like I Shop at Party City Deck me out in marabou feathers and fringe.
second acts Mar. 5, 2021
Niecy Nash Makes Me Want to Define My Own Career Like the actress, I didn’t want to be told I could only do one thing.
By Doree Shafrir
pfw fall 2021 Mar. 5, 2021
Who Says the Runway Is the Best Way to Look at Clothes? Some of the best shows this week weren’t really shows at all.
By Cathy Horyn
tastemakers Mar. 5, 2021
The Denim CEO Making Cute and Sustainable Jeans Sarah Ahmed wants to offer an alternative to fast fashion.
a beautiful life Mar. 5, 2021
Miranda Kerr Built Her Beauty Brand From the Ground Up Talking to the model turned CEO who started a skin-care company before it was cool.
By Erica Smith
keeping up with the royals Mar. 5, 2021
The Attacks on Meghan Markle Could Not Be More Transparent U.K. tabloids are horrified by the prospect of the duchess expressing herself freely.
new faces of things Mar. 5, 2021
Nina Dobrev’s Face Has a New Job The actress is being promoted to fragrance ambassador for Parfums Christian Dior.
tiktok vs influencer Mar. 5, 2021
TikTok Joins Together in Roasting Controversial Influencer WeWoreWhat opened a TikTok account last week. TikTok was none too pleased.
power Mar. 5, 2021
Cuomo Accuser Says He Is a ‘Textbook Abuser’ In a new interview, former aide Charlotte Bennett says the governor “let his temper and anger rule the office.”
television Mar. 5, 2021
I Used to Live in Wanda’s Sitcom World The show understands how powerful pop culture can be when you’re an outsider.
fashion Mar. 5, 2021
Another Ugly Fashion Lawsuit Rears Its Head Dolce & Gabbana has sued fashion watchdogs Diet Prada for defamation.
celebrity shopping Mar. 5, 2021
Model Adwoa Aboah’s Favorite Journal Is This Drugstore Notebook “Its simple lined pages are all the prompt my mind needs to go in any direction I feel like going in.”
second acts Mar. 5, 2021
How My Life Changed (and Didn’t) After Writing a Book You can have all the second acts you want, but you’ll always be yourself.
By Anonymous
culture Mar. 5, 2021
Sexy Cartoon Bunny’s New Look Divides the Nation People have a lot of thoughts about Lola Bunny’s makeover in the new Space Jam.
culture Mar. 5, 2021
Apes at the San Diego Zoo Got COVID Vaccines (Don’t freak out, it’s a special animal-only jab.)
More Stories
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Help
  • We’re Hiring
  • Press
  • Trademark
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell My Info
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2021 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.