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By Lauren Young, Digital Special Projects Editor

What does it mean to be truly frugal?

Yeardley Smith, the iconic voice of Lisa Simpson on the hit television show “The Simpsons,” grew up with a mother who reused aluminum foil and washed out plastic bags.

Smith, who is also the co-host of the true crime “Small Town Dicks” podcast, shares her money story with Reuters. (Spoiler alert: Smith is a big tipper, and her big “splurge” is the full-service gas station pump.)

“The best thing about having money is being able to share it with people you love,” Smith says. 

You can read the entire interview here.

Toilet paper is price for sale at a Lowe’s hardware store in Philadelphia. November 4, 2020. REUTERS/Mark Makela

When it comes to toilet paper, my husband has very strong opinions. But I do as well — and I know that the pulp process to make super-soft toilet paper can be bad for the planet.

A few years ago, we made a major toilet paper switch in our home for environmental reasons. 

But, when push comes to shove, many consumers aren’t buying less environmentally harmful products.

“There is a gap between what people say they want and what they actually do at the purchasing point – this is a difficulty for us,” Oriol Margó, EMEA sustainability transformation leader at Kimberly-Clark, said at the Reuters IMPACT conference in London earlier this month.

“It feels like our consumers are asking for sustainability but they are not looking to compromise on price or quality.”

Have you made any shopping shifts prompted by climate change or sustainability? If so, please let me know what you’re buying to make a difference. Email me at lauren.young@reuters.com.

U.S. housebuilders are a good long-term play despite high rates

The stocks of U.S. housebuilders surged this year as housing demand is outstripping supply. Despite big gains, these stocks are still a good long-term play. 

Hands are silhouetted against a backdrop projected with the picture of various currencies of money in this illustration. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

Many of us are conditioned to chase after more money, professional success and accomplishments.

Wanting more for ourselves and our family makes perfect sense. But at a certain point the endless pursuit can tip into obsession, harm relationships and damage our mental well-being.

Just ask personal finance expert Manisha Thakor, who experienced severe burnout ahead of her 50th birthday. Thakor found herself on bed rest from health battles, worrying that she was literally working herself to death. 

Her new book, “MoneyZen: The Secret to Finding Your ‘Enough’ ” explores the intersection of money, work and success. 

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Wealthy families loaded up on bonds and private equity investments in the first half of the year while slashing their stock holdings, according to a survey by Citigroup’s private bank.

More than half of the 268 family offices polled, accounting for a combined net worth of $565 billion, increased their allocations in fixed income. Meanwhile, 38% boosted their private equity holdings. By contrast, 38% reduced their allocation in stocks.

The shifts are the largest since Citigroup began the study in 2020.

Are you thinking about putting your real estate in a trust? What is the best way to save for college? Send your money questions to me at lauren.young@reuters.com, and I’ll tap my extensive source network and braintrust for expert advice.

And don’t forget to subscribe to this newsletter or share it with a friend!

Is Ford doing a better job of cutting emissions than Toyota? Is BP greener than Shell? For investors looking to weed out climate laggards from portfolios, these are vital questions but existing guidelines on emissions reporting and new rules due to come in for the United States and Europe are unlikely to provide hard answers. Sign up here to receive the new Reuters Sustainable Finance newsletter, written by my colleague Ross Kerber.

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