The Newsletter | Landon Tan, CFP®

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Monthly Money Musings Newsletter

Every first of the month, wake up early and download the brain of a queer financial planner.

Landon's "newsletter" is a monthly think piece relating to personal finance as only someone with a degree in alternative philosophy and a background as a social justice trainer can.

After signing up, check your spam folder for the confirmation and then add landon@query.capital to contacts so that we don't disappear forever into the void.

See below for past mailing and other articles.

The Case for Tithing

Landon Tan, CFP ®

The Case for Tithing

Whenever we're out, my little son will ask me, "Are we close to home?" A few blocks, a few neighborhoods, a few states - are we close...

Strategic Scarcity

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Strategic Scarcity

We're now in the dead of winter, a time when the summer seems long ago. When the sun shines on my face, it feels precious. Lately I've been

Retirement of the immortal

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Retirement of the immortal

At a house party in my 20s, I told someone I worked in financial planning. To my dismay she responded with, “That’s okay, I have a boring...

Retirement by default invests in war

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Retirement by default invests in war

If you're like most people, when you fill out choices in your retirement plan, you likely aren't thinking about arms manufacturing— even...

Considering the cost of kids

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Considering the cost of kids

But can cost comparison address the question of having kids or not? I’m not so sure. Having kids is a fundamental life question.

Return of the Student Loans

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Return of the Student Loans

Despite the setbacks to student debtors, new changes to the repayment options are a good thing. So let's dig into it together.

Marriage: What is it good for?

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Marriage: What is it good for?

If you are in a couple and ambivalent about marriage, blink and you might miss the benefits. But there are a few benefits worth mentioning.

What is burning that hole in your pocket?

Landon Tan, CFP ®

What is burning that hole in your pocket?

In April’s installment of my newsletter I wrote about the mindset of scarcity and its impact on finances. Many clients have struggled with

Let's play around with a Wealthiness Audit

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Let's play around with a Wealthiness Audit

Isn’t it weird how rich people feel so much scarcity? They don’t have the struggles that bind you on a daily basis. They could live like...

Thoughts and prayers for the trans community

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Thoughts and prayers for the trans community

Lately as the proxy war over trans people continues, I am grieving the narrative of progress and safety that I had even as bathroom bills..

Landon's Once-a-Month "Backwards Budget"

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Landon's Once-a-Month "Backwards Budget"

There are two ways to count your spending—counting up from zero, or down from everything.

Let’s consider our inevitable demise

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Let’s consider our inevitable demise

You can’t use your money where you’re going, so why bother? My answer is that an orderly estate is an act of care to others.

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Should you be worried about inflation if you have student loans?

Landon in the media!

French Teen v. Big Sis: Who will pay me back?

Landon Tan, CFP ®

French Teen v. Big Sis: Who will pay me back?

One summer while I was visiting Paris with friends after my high school study-abroad program, I lent my friend €80 to buy a nice pair of hee

Navigating Family Power & Financial Delegations

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Navigating Family Power & Financial Delegations

My father was born in the year of the tiger. Growing up in a Chinese family in Singapore and Malaysia he was one too many tiger...

In Defense of New Year’s Resolutions

Landon Tan, CFP ®

In Defense of New Year’s Resolutions

All the reasons I believe in goal making in the new year.

A Budget Is Not a Body

Landon Tan, CFP ®

A Budget Is Not a Body

The dreaded weight-loss analogy. A few years back on a conference call with the Seattle Times for a “Money Makeover” financial plan, I...

Katie Thinks School's a Scam

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Katie Thinks School's a Scam

My partner likes to say that education is a scam. Or perhaps a tool of the state to make children compliant...

Administrative Genius

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Administrative Genius

A few years ago, behavioral economics took the world by storm. It helped us think critically about the influence of nudges on outcomes.

Queer Feelings about ESG

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Queer Feelings about ESG

I came of age in the queer left in Seattle, where ethicality is paramount. "Environmental" might mean saving dish water and using it to flus

Go Ahead and Miss Out Financially

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Go Ahead and Miss Out Financially

I love the wild ones, but most of the people who come to hire a financial planner are actually pretty prudent. They want to know that...

Attention Small Nonprofits: If You Care about Your Employees, Help Them Retire

Landon Tan, CFP ®

Attention Small Nonprofits: If You Care about Your Employees, Help Them Retire

The important work of nonprofit employees ought to be rewarded with the ability to retire with dignity after a career of service.

100+ Years Delinquent

Landon Tan, CFP ®

100+ Years Delinquent

This article explores the effect of compound interest and the continued legacy of racism in America.

The Joys and Sorrows of Budgeting

Landon Tan, CFP ®

The Joys and Sorrows of Budgeting

Making an ideal budget is easy; it's where that budget meets with reality that's the problem.

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