Since November 2024, @queerriches has been building an online space for queer zillennials (Millennials + Gen Z!) who want financial stability without giving up the life they love.
She shares money tips, mindset shifts, and real talk about spending, investing, and building wealth as a queer person. Her household recently hit a $100K net worth milestone and she’s just getting started.
In this interview, she opens up about teaching herself personal finance, why she started Queer Riches as an act of resistance, and how she and her wife are working toward big goals like a baby, a house, and maxed-out retirement accounts.
1. Hi! For readers discovering you for the first time, could you briefly introduce yourself and share what inspired you to start @queerriches?
HI! So happy to be here together today
Queer Riches is an internet home for queer zillennials (and our allies of all ages!) who want to build both monetary wealth AND a life filled with meaning.
A huge part of Queer Riches is that “rich” isn’t necessarily a number in the bank, it’s more of a state of mind.
Money is a tool that we need to learn about to make informed choices and build a foundation of safety and contentment. But at a certain level of wealth, gratitude and alignment are the things that will truly create a joyful life.
One of the greatest riches we’ve got is the opportunity to thrive in ways our queer ancestors only dreamed of!
I started Queer Riches in November 2024 as an act of resistance. I didn’t agree with what was happening in United States politics and wanted to take action.
The things I’m good at are writing and personal finance, so starting a social media page is the action I took! As a queer person, living a financially stable, joyful, thriving life despite the hateful actions of the government, is also a way to resist.
I’m creating the world I want to see by building the community of my dreams, one hot af follower at a time!
2. You’ve mentioned teaching yourself personal finance after starting your first full-time job. What first sparked your interest in learning about money and building wealth?
I was an English major in college. I hate numbers, bureaucracy, taxes, health insurance, and all that confusing stuff.
But then I learned that all of that stuff is confusing ON PURPOSE to keep non-generationally wealthy folks in the dark. That lit a fire under me and made me want to be a queer adult with financial stability.
So I fight through the confusion and explain this sh*t to you like I always have to my kid sister (now 27 years old )
I spent a lot of time around people benefitting from generational wealth, as a teen through college and into NYC.
I saw the strengths and weaknesses of having money, and I decided that I wanted to achieve a level of financial stability for my children that was not offered to me WHILE ALSO rejecting capitalism and consumerism as the only path to a fulfilling life.
I’ve seen firsthand that happiness doesn’t come from money alone.
A lot of people with a lot of monetary wealth also have a lot of dysfunction.
As soon as I was earning income from full-time employment, I wanted to know what to do with it to give myself and my future family a stable foundation. But money is just one very important facet of what it means to be truly successful.
I want to fall in love with my big queer beautiful life! Being in love with your life is the ultimate success, in my opinion.
Money is one key part of the path to get to that place.
3. Your platform centers queer perspectives in personal finance. At what point did you realize there was a need for more financial conversations specifically within the LGBTQ+ community?
There are some truly excellent queer perspectives already here, but I think there is always room for more, including mine.
When before in the history of the world can a queer queen like myself ascend the corporate ladder? Buy a house without a single man involved? Live loudly and proudly?
I like to think that my uniqueness comes from my voice. It’s a combination of art-girl literary novel and pure camp, complete with vintage glitter sparkles.
I like to bring some big femme energy to the studio. Personal finance needs a little pizazz and vulnerability and lesbian nonsense imho.
4. As a queer creator talking about money, were there any books, creators, or resources that inspired or helped guide your approach to personal finance?
I’m really into the books and podcasts of Ramit Sethi, Vivian Tu, and Tori Dunlap.
I look up to people on Instagram like:
I am sure there are many others I’m forgetting. It’s a thriving community!
5. Beyond books or online resources, have there been mentors, friends, or communities that influenced your mindset around money?
I love talking about money with other women, queer women in particular.
I do this IRL over drinks in NYC with my circle of queer friends.
We tell each other how much we make and encourage each other to be as ballsy as white rich straight men named Chad.
I also appreciate my personal finance community friends, including @plsfireme, @howrobgotrich, @fosteringfinances @jt2.fijourney and so many others.
THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR BEING MY PALS!
6. You recently shared that your household crossed the $100K net worth milestone after several years of working toward it. What habits, systems, or financial decisions helped you reach that point?
Rocket Money has really helped me track my finances and networth so I can tell how things are moving along (and in what direction!).
I also use Ramit Sethi’s Conscious Spending Plan to look at a holistic, percentage-based view of my financial setup to see if there are areas where I should cut back.
There have been ups and downs in this journey, but overall my advice holds true to any new habit you’re trying to develop: praise every small win, be gentle on the missteps, and keep trying.
You can only fail if you stop trying.
7. A big theme in your writing is aligning money with values—whether that’s supporting your community, caring for loved ones, or prioritizing meaningful experiences. What does that look like in your day-to-day financial decisions?
INTENTION.
Mindful spending instead of just getting whatever from Temu changed my life. I know it’s a dopamine hit to get something new.
I work in advertising, where everyone is trying to get you to buy more and more. As a colleague said to me today, “it’s all smoke and mirrors.” So my wife and I try to think: is this something we or our cats actually need to survive? Or is it something we want? Is it just good advertising?
We never click the ad and put it in the cart right away.
We stop.
We research.
And if it is truly something we want, we put it on a wishlist.
If it is still on a wishlist when Valentine’s Day or our anniversary comes around, or if we spy it on sale, we get it.
It’s never a “no” to anything we want, but it’s often a “not right now”.
Delayed gratification is the name of the game, but it also helps us appreciate the things we have, the little things, like a warm cozy blanket on a cold day, a cup of tea, a good book.
We think a lot about what we want from our lives, not just what THINGS we want to own. And we want to support causes we believe in whenever we can with the money we do spend!
8. How would you describe your investment style or money philosophy, and how has it evolved over time?
I love the idea of FIRE, saving so much money that you become financially free and can do whatever you wish with your time.
However, I don’t want to sacrifice every last thing that brings me joy for a future that isn’t guaranteed.
So I am focusing on investing in my 401(k) every month, putting away money in sinking funds, and bulking up an emergency fund.
But my wife and I still buy coffees, go thrifting, and have adventures. It’s just in moderation!
9. Looking back on your journey so far, what are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned about money, relationships, and long-term financial planning?
Queer Riches Money Advice
It’s not about timing the market, it’s time in the market.
Don’t pick stocks and put all your eggs in one basket. Buy the whole market with index funds.
When the market dips, don’t panic. Stay the course.
Do your own research, but I bet all this will sound very familiar once you start reading.
Queer Riches Relationship Advice
No official relationship title, no gift for any holiday.
Find someone who speaks your language or you will spend your life translating.
Never say something you know you will regret. You can hold your tongue but you can’t unsay something that will live in your partner’s head forever.
Fight fair. You can say the action they took was stupid. You can’t say that THEY are stupid. Don’t ever bash who they are as a person.
Choose the one who is strong when you feel safe when your world is falling apart and even while their life is falling apart. If you can hold each other together through the moments, that’s the kind of partnership that will last.
10. What are some of the financial goals you’re working toward over the next five years, both individually and with Mrs. Riches?
- $15k emergency fund
- Max out my 401(k) and both of our Roth IRAs
- Have a baby
- Buy a house
All the big things! That’s on being in your 30s.
11. For queer people who want to pursue financial freedom and long-term security, what advice would you give them as they begin their journey?
Save an emergency fund in a high-yield savings account. Three months of expenses. Minimum.
If your car gets towed and you have to take a huge chunk of money out of your emergency fund it sucks. But it sucks more to get saddled with credit card debt. Build a moat around your beautiful queer castle to protect what you are building.
And of course, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF BABY! YOU CAN DO IT!!
If those average white men can be wealthy, why not you? It’s all a game. You deserve to be a player as much as anyone else on this floating rock.
Final Thoughts
A huge thank you to @queerriches for being so open and generous with us. Her story is a reminder that personal finance doesn’t have to look one way; it can be loud, queer, intentional, and deeply personal all at once.
@queerriches also shows that building wealth isn’t about perfection or following someone else’s playbook. It’s about learning the rules, playing the game on your own terms, and bringing your whole self along for the ride.
Here are three takeaways we loved from this interview:
- “Rich” is a mindset, not just a number. True wealth includes joy, community, and a life you actually love.
- Delay, don’t deny. Putting wants on a wishlist instead of saying no forever is a simple habit that adds up.
- Your queer life is worth protecting. An emergency fund isn’t just smart money advice, it’s how you build a moat around everything you’re building.
You can follow her journey on Instagram @queerriches and read more on her Substack at substack.com/@queerriches.
