Who is your money hero?
My father-in-law, Yvan Nadeau, who co-founded one of Quebec’s big engineering firms, is my money hero. He taught me to save for retirement but take risks and invest when necessary, even if that means borrowing. In short, he taught me how to think like an entrepreneur. He was a great inspiration for everything that Jean-Benoît and I write about in Going Solo.
How do you like to spend your free time?
Cross-country skiing, roller skiing, swimming, hiking, doing Pilates, tai chi—anything else to stay active and hang out with friends. I love having people over for dinner, too. Writing is a terribly sedentary job, so it’s important to find ways to move. And being active and eating home-cooked meals don’t cost much. Â
If money were no object, what would you be doing right now?
I would be doing exactly what I am doing—writing books. But it would be nice to not worry about paying the bills.
What was your first memory about money?
When I was 12, I spent a year saving up enough money to pay for a swim camp in Michigan. It taught me to think big, set goals and stick to them.
What’s the first thing you remember buying with your own money?
A vinyl Queen record. I spent a lot of money on music when I was a teenager. I worked at a music store and spent most of my earnings on vinyl records. All those records and concerts paid off because I got my start as a journalist writing music reviews.
What was your first job?
My first job was working as a busgirl at a local restaurant when I was 15. I really liked the teamwork part of restaurant work. With my first paycheque, I’m sure I bought another vinyl record.
What was the biggest money lesson you learned as an adult?
When I started out [as a professional writer] in the ’90s, there were more grants and bigger book advances for writers [than there are now], so for my first few projects I wasn’t very careful about keeping track of expenses. Things had changed a lot by 2013, when I took my kids to Paris for an entire year to research a new book. The grant I was expecting didn’t come through, and I had to be careful with our money to pull it off.
More generally, when you’re self-employed, it can be hard to predict your income from one year to the next. So, I recommend tracking your expenses. It shows you where you are with your spending and where you can cut when you need to—and you will have to. It requires some discipline, but it’s paid off for me. Jean-Benoît and I provide some advice about keeping track of expenses in Going Solo, along with templates.
