MAY 2026 – Michelle Singletary has been cranking out personal finance columns for The Washington Post for more than two decades now, and her work is directed at everyday people – not exactly the private-equity crowd. Her advice is often simple and straightforward – not unlike those talks by Suze Orman. Her readers are people who, nowadays, would be least likely to subscribe to today’s Washington Post, which dedicates so much space to national politics, and less and less to local news and sports. Moreover, there is a tinge of ethnicity to her columns – they are titled of course “The Color of Money” – another reminder that we remain, all good intentions aside, a culturally tribal and deeply stratified society.
So it’s notable that Matt Murray and other leaders of the Post’s newsroom kept Singletary around when it laid off so many in its staff – from 800 reporters and editors, to 500 – earlier this year. Those decision makers clearly recognized both the value and virtue of Singletary’s columns, which are mostly reminders not to run up credit card debt and to avoid overconsumption. Her May 6 column is more personal than usual – she recounts her relationship with her grandmother, who influenced her on so many matters, not the least how to handle your money. It’s not the first time that she refers to “Big Momma” in one of her columns, but her message is more blunt and unsentimental than before.
Michelle Singletary deserves a lot of credit for rolling with all the upheavals in her profession – and at The Post. She could have resigned in a fit of rage and dissatisfaction, but she hasn’t. More power to her.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/05/06/mothers-day-grandmother-legacy/