Most people don’t want to talk about money.

We avoid it, joke about it, or tell ourselves we’ll “get it together” someday.

But money touches everything…

Our relationships.
Our sense of self.
Where we live.
How we imagine what the future will look like.

And the truth is that how we feel about money often matters more than the numbers themselves.

That’s what Loose Change is here to explore: the stories, habits, and the emotional undercurrents behind how we spend, save, and think about money.

Hi, I’m

Dan Cayer

After 20 years of betting big and getting rich on Wall Street, I founded Loose Change!
... Just kidding, I majored in philosophy and netted $28,000 a year in my first job as a newspaper reporter.

I’ve struggled with money for years—times when I had it and burned through it and times when I needed it because my health was floundering and it was all I could think about.

I bring the same storytelling technique I honed at newspapers and public radio to the endlessly misunderstood topic of money.

I used to feel so ashamed about money

I thought it was a measure of character, and since I struggled to make decisions, what did that mean about me?

It just meant that no one taught me how to be good with money.

So I learned.

I started learning when I was in my late 20s, living in New York City, and struggling with a neuropathy so intense I couldn’t feed myself at times.

Out of work and running out of money, I started using YNAB (mostly so my girlfriend and I could stop fighting about bills and ordering takeout.) She was a reflexive saver, I was a wishful spender, and the pot of money that we had to draw from was getting perilously small.

I got healthier (hooray!) and was able to work again.

And then we had kids — more money stress!

And then we bought a 200-year-old house in the Hudson Valley — lifetime subscription to stress!

But I stayed afloat, and more than that, I found purpose with my spending.

I actually became good with money. Even before I started working at

Loose Change is a joy to write because I get to connect with so many readers on a subject that I was too ashamed to even bring up for years. Now, there’s no hiding. Money is meant to be a conversation. So let’s get into it, week after week.

In each issue of Loose Change, you’ll find:

• Small psychological insights that unlock your inner money wisdom

• True stories from people changing their financial lives

• Insightful prompts to help you think differently about how you use your money

If you’ve ever thought, “I want to get better with money, but I don’t even know where to start,” you’re in the right place. And, you’re probably doing better than you think.