Posts Tagged ‘Fictional Finances’

By all outward appearances, Neal Caffrey of USA Network’s “White Collar” is the guy every man wants to be and every woman wants to date. He’s smart, sexy and he’s a snappy dresser with a quick wit. Unfortunately, he’s a con artist, and not even a good one at that. He’s an art forger on loan to the FBI for the remainder of his prison sentence, and the GPS tracker on his ankle isn’t there for decoration.

He was busted twice by the same FBI agent, Peter Burke, and now he has to help Burke take down white collar criminals like himself. Caffrey is allotted $700 per month for housing, which, in Manhattan, barely covers a roach-infested flop house. True to form, Caffrey charms an old widow into letting him live in the guest room of her downtown mansion and she also outfits him with her late husband’s expensive wardrobe. Within 24 hours of his conditional release from prison, Neal Caffrey looks like a Wall Street fat cat - and has the address to back it up.

There is no doubt that he is a talented forger, and his reputation precedes him in a number of Burke’s cases. However, Caffrey was busted forging stock certificates, which shows very poor judgment. It’s true that a signed stock certificate is as liquid as cash, but every stock certificate contains a CUSIP number, and the company’s transfer agent would spot the fake CUSIP number as soon as the certificate was deposited.

Caffrey’s personal finances suggest the illusion of wealth and the reality of poverty. The one clue he possesses in the disappearance of his girlfriend is a vintage Bordeaux bottle they kept throughout their relationship. A number of Bordeaux wines make up the most expensive in France, with Petrus routinely fetching more than $1,000 a bottle. Unfortunately for Caffrey, his bottle is as empty as the promise he made to his girlfriend to fill it with the good stuff when he finally made a big score. He was forced to fill the bottle over and over again with boxed wine and, upon chemical analysis, his cohort Mozzie pronounced the last wine to inhabit the bottle was “a lovely Franzia from last October.”

Caffrey is clever, and he provides Burke insight into the criminal mind. Normally a by-the-book FBI agent, Burke nonetheless values Caffrey’s ability to close cases by coloring outside the lines. Caffrey’s way with the ladies comes in handy as well, and Burke comes to him for marital advice from time to time. Burke makes about $87,000 per year as an FBI agent, so that’s something for Caffrey to consider when thinking about career moves. Failing that, the average marriage counselor makes $43,210 per year and doesn’t face criminal charges for solving a couple’s problems.

If Caffrey is successful in solving the mystery of his disappearing girlfriend, however, he might consider a career as a private investigator. Top private investigators make around $60,000 per year, and Caffrey would certainly be at the top of that game.

Most likely, though, he’ll go back to being a con artist when he is released. Among the most common cons these days are identity theft and credit card fraud. That is why it is important to protect your identity and credit card accounts.

Guys like Neal Caffrey are out there, and they’re not all handsome rogues with a quick wit and a sly smile. Some are hardcore criminals who never stop to consider the damage they cause to the lives of their victims.

And you can bet none of them are helping the FBI to catch bad guys.

Dave Guilford

He’s an FBI agent living in Los Angeles and at the center of an investigation that has captured the attention of the world at large. Mark Benford of “Flash Forward” has enough on his plate without spending time worrying about pinching pennies. But does this father and recovering alcoholic make enough money to support a pricey West Coast lifestyle?

Who is Mark Benford?

Mark Benford is the husband of Olivia and father of Charlie. Mark is an FBI agent and a recovering alcoholic, both of which play large roles in his day-to-day life. He and his family live in Los Angeles, Calif., though his work has shown him jet-setting across the globe as he tries to make sense of an event that caused the entire world to fall asleep simultaneously.

How much money does Flash Forward’s Mark Benford make?

As an FBI agent with roughly 15 to 20 years of experience (based on his age), Mark likely makes approximately $75,000-120,000 a year, according to Payscale’s career profile. The show gives little to no evidence of credit card or financial struggles for the Benford family, though statistically, alcoholics have a high risk of financial trouble.

In addition to Mark’s salary, his wife Olivia has a high-profile career as a trauma surgeon, where she may make a salary of $300,000 a year, according to the Salary Wizard. With their incomes combined, therefore, the Benford family may bring in around $400,000 a year, substantially higher than the national average.

How much does it cost to live in Los Angeles?

It isn’t cheap to live in Los Angeles. According to City-Data’s comprehensive look at the region, the average income is just under $50,000 a year, the average cost of a single family home like the Benford’s is $670,000 and the cost of living is 162 (very high), whereas the average cost of living in the United States is 100. As such, Mark would be able to survive on his own, but his wife’s salary is the real boon that keeps his family afloat.

Assuming, though, that Mark and Olivia Benford have no outstanding debt or financial troubles, it’s reasonable to assume that they’d be doing quite well for themselves in Los Angeles compared to other residents. With no credit card debt that we know of and secure jobs, even with childcare for their daughter and a high cost of living, Benford just may be able to make his salary (combined with that of his successful wife) stretch far enough to make it!

Kelly Herdrich

For Bella Swan, the main character in Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series and the recently released “New Moon” movie, money and the problems it can cause are a reality. In fact, before she meets handsome and wealthy vampire Edward Cullen, Bella and her divorced parents Charlie and Renee don’t have the luxury of spending frivolously. Concerns about daily expenses, college tuition and retirement are very real for the Swans. Could these Twilight stars have made ends meet raising a daughter on the salaries of a teacher and a sheriff?

What were Bella’s finances like when she lived with her mother?

Charlie and his wife, Renee, divorced when Bella was a baby. He remained in the small town of Forks, Washington, while his ex-wife and daughter moved to Arizona. According to Phoenix Home Zone, the cost of living in Phoenix is higher than the national average, and Bella’s mother would have made approximately $41,000 a year as a teacher, based on data from Simply Hired.

While we know little about Bella and Renee’s financial situation, readers do learn that Bella’s mother, a teacher, and Bella were on a tight budget. We also know that Renee was a free-spirit who was always trying something new–from yoga classes to different churches. This knowledge, based on the cost of living and her salary, leads readers to believe that Bella and her mother may have had some debt, credit card or otherwise.

What was Charlie’s financial situation when Bella moved in?

When Bella moved to live with her father, Charlie, in Forks, Washington, her financial situation may have improved some. According to Simply Hired, the average small town sheriff job in Forks, Washington pays approximately $34,000. When he sent child support to his wife and daughter in Phoenix, he was probably on a tight budget. When Bella moved in, however, his finances likely improved some. Considering the substantially lower cost of living in Forks (almost 20 percent less than the national average according to Simply Hired), Bella and her father may have been able to live a debt-free, though simple, life

In addition, readers and viewers never see Charlie or Bella as big spenders. Content to save their pennies and eat out at a local diner once a week, the Swans probably had little to no credit card debt.

What about college for Bella and retirement for Charlie?

Readers know that the college situation was a prickly one for Bella and her father. Bella had some money put away for college, but expressed concerns about taking too much from her parents and hindering their retirement. Luckily, Bella was content with a less expensive university in Alaska, and later considered Dartmouth, paid for by her wealthier husband.

Though Twilight reads as a bit of fiction and fantasy, there’s nothing fictional about the financial situation that author Stephenie Meyer paints. The Swans were, for the most part, able to keep their credit card debt down with their conservative spending habits, and as a result, are one of the few fictional families in books and movies that provide a good example for real life folks.

Kelly Herdrich

One has to wonder if fictional fry cook SpongeBob makes enough to live the life he does. SpongeBob did, after all, exchange vows with his squirrel love, Sandy (more about that on “Truth or Square“, November 6th). But since she’s a land-based, oxygen breathing squirrel, Sandy lives separately in her own glassed-in home. Could SpongeBob really own a house on his own? Let’s take a closer look at SpongeBob’s finances.

SpongeBob works at the Krusty Krab as a fry cook. The average fast food worker earns minimum wage or slightly more per hour. Let’s say for the sake of this article that SpongeBob makes $8 per hour. If he does work full-time, that’s $1,280 per month before taxes. But, whether or not SpongeBob actually works full-time is unknown. Not only does SpongeBob work at the Krusty Krab, but he also attends boating school, which means he more than likely works part-time.

One thing to remember is SpongeBob had his house before he started working at the Krusty Krab. This means that his house may have already been paid for. If this was the case, SpongeBob could easily live on $1,280 per month, especially when you consider that most fast food workers get free meals while on the job and meals at a discount when they aren’t on duty. Of course, this would depend on whether or not Mr. Krabs, who is incredibly cheap, would allow such benefits.

What about credit cards? Does SpongeBob use them? There is one episode in which he is asked to purchase a gift for Mr. Krab’s daughter, Pearl. Mr. Krab’s gives SpongeBob his credit card and SpongeBob wonders what it is. He’s fascinated to find out that you can purchase items with a piece of plastic. Truthfully, this is how most people feel when they first learn about credit cards.

SpongeBob is financially responsible, though. He has both a checking and savings account. He even saves up his money to spend on the things he wants, which is a great lesson to teach children. SpongeBob is also known to blow his paycheck on frivolous things, though, but who doesn’t from time to time?

Chances are SpongeBob really could live the life he does on a fry cook’s paycheck. It’s really not that far-fetched. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 2.5 million workers are in the food preparation and serving field, which includes fast food workers. In other words, thousands of people are making a living doing exactly what SpongeBob does.

Amy Brantley

Living in Miami can be expensive, especially if you’ve been burned. Just ask Michael Westen, a disgraced spy living in Miami and trapped there by his “Burn Notice” (USA Network).

Life on Easy Street

Before he was sold out by someone more powerful than he, Michael Westen was an international field agent - presumably for the CIA. Based on his level of technical proficiency and the sensitivity of the jobs he was given, it is safe to assume he made a nice living. The base pay for a top non-supervisory field agent is around $79,000 annually, and with Miami locality pay, the number increases to $98,000. That buys a lot of Cuban sandwiches.

But base pay is only part of the picture. As a jet-setting international man of espionage, Westen had access to a nearly unlimited expense account. On-scene weapons procurement, bribes and elaborate escape plans all require serious capital. Not to mention any “bonuses” he may have earned by neutralizing a particularly troubling target. All in all, he was sitting pretty.

Feel the Burn

After escaping death when his cover is blown, Westen was dumped in Miami, where he grew up. It was there he discovered just how bad a burn notice could be. No job, no identity, no social security number, no credit or personal history and a frozen bank account.

He managed to find a loft above a bar in a seedy part of town. Based on current rental information, a loft in Miami like Westen’s rents for around $800 per month. He grabbed his father’s old muscle car for wheels, so he saved some money there. But paying off the right people to find out how and why he was burned costs money, so Westen has to take a few “odd jobs” off the books.

Like any business, Westen’s requires start-up capital. For openers, a Sig Sauer P226R 9mm pistol (the gun preferred by special ops guys the world over) retails for $1,200. Given the current shortage of ammunition, Speer Gold-Dot Hollow Point 9mm rounds are selling for $1.50 each. Multiply that by 5,000 or so and, well, you get the picture.

Westen runs with a sketchy crowd, too. There’s Sam, a former SEAL turned FBI informant who is a bit of a shlub, but who always manages to come through for Michael whether he needs inside information or a good trigger man. There’s his on-again, off-again girlfriend Fiona, an ex-IRA assassin and demolitions expert who never met a mercury detonator she didn’t like. His brother Nate is a born con man. And his friend Barry is an international money launderer and identity thief.

Identity theft is actually Westen’s stock-in-trade. In the variety of assignments he accepts, he always impersonates someone else, sometimes with full credentials provided by Barry the money launderer. While he is always a good guy, Westen illustrates just how easy it is to have your identity compromised and why it is a good idea to take the necessary steps to avoid identity theft.

By helping the right people out, Westen manages to make enough money (all cash, of course) to keep yogurt in the fridge for himself, beer on ice for Sam and miles of detonation cord for Fiona. Though he’s trying desperately to get back in the good graces of his former employer, he may discover that the security of a government paycheck might not equal the freedom and profitability of freelance spy work.

Dave Guilford

Though its premise may be a little far-fetched, HBO’s “True Blood” has been a hit since its premiere in September of 2008. Set in the tiny (fictional) Louisiana town of Bon Temps, “True Blood” features a star-studded cast of preternaturally attractive people, mostly notably Anna Paquin as the show’s main female lead, Sookie Stackhouse.

At first glance, Sookie is just like every other girl in Bon Temps - lives with her grandmother, works as a waitress at the local watering hole and is content with the simple life her income affords her. However, upon closer inspection, we notice that Sookie’s hair, skin and nails always look perfect, and that when she’s not wearing her waitressing uniform, her clothes are always adorable. Additionally, when her grandmother died, Sookie inherited the house - and presumably all of the maintenance bills, property taxes and upkeep costs that go with it.

So, how does Sookie do it? Well, she’s definitely not putting in more hours at the bar. Though she does do a little telepathy work for vampires for extra cash, dating a vampire (and having to save her town from a maenad) has caused her to lose precious hours at Merlotte’s. Louisiana is one of five states with no minimum wage laws, but federal minimum wage for waitstaff is $2.13 an hour. In a low cost-of-living, low income area like Bon Temps, Sookie can’t be pulling down much more than $10 extra an hour in tips. $12 an hour total isn’t bad for waitressing, but will it keep Sookie in highlights and high heels? Credit cards (and credit card debt) simply must come into play!

Sookie’s blonde tresses have to set her back at least $150 per treatment, and since she never has roots, she probably hits the salon every three weeks. Throw in a mani-pedi, eyebrow wax and maybe a facial, and you’re looking at probably $300 a month just for beauty treatments. Pull out the plastic - that’s all going on a credit card for sure. Clothes, shoes and other accessories add up - and we see her in at least three different cute and fully accessorized outfits per episode! Then there are basic living expenses - even if Sookie’s house and car are paid off, she still needs gas, utilities, food - and renovating the house after that whole Bacchanalian orgy thing is going to cost a fortune. Do I see a Home Depot credit card in Sookie’s future?

Okay, so “True Blood” is slightly unrealistic, both in terms of plot and the financial viability of its characters (don’t even get me started on what Bill’s credit card bill must look like!). That’s just part of the fun, though. With vampires, telepaths, maenads and other mystical creatures abounding, there are better things to worry about than Sookie’s credit report.

Lindsay Woodland

Although most people work to live, some folks are lucky enough to have jobs that they truly love. Will Schuester, the central character in the Fox’s series “Glee,” enjoys his teaching duties so much that he actually pays for the privilege of taking over a high school glee club.

The Opposite of a Salary

Schuester, nicknamed “Mr. Shoe” by the students, owns a car with a muffler that hangs so low it scrapes the road. Although his true passion is performing music, Schuester makes his living teaching Spanish classes to the students at McKinley High School. After the faculty adviser to McKinley’s Glee Club is fired for inappropriate behavior, Mr. Shoe asks to take over his duties. Unfortunately, the penny-pinching principal makes him agree to pay $60 each month to cover the costs of this extracurricular activity. Schuester also must monitor after-school detention for several months without pay to guarantee practice space for the Glee Club.

Teaching in Lima

“Glee” is set in Lima, Ohio, a town where the average salary for a teacher at Schuester’s level is $39,470, according to Salary.com. Thanks to his devotion to the Glee Club, he has to forfeit $720 of his annual gross salary, plus any additional money that he could have made during the hours he spends in detention.

Spending Habits
If Terri’s spending behaviour is a reflection of her spending habits, at best the Schuester’s likely carry a balance and at worst are in debt. Balance transfer or low interest interest credit cards would be a smart move, but not without a change in how the money is managed.

Schuester’s wife, Terri, works four hours a day, three days a week at “Sheets and Things,” which sells bedding and other household goods. Based on Ohio’s hourly minimum wage of $7.30, she contributes $87.60 to the household income before taxes. Unfortunately, Terri also takes her Pottery Barn credit card for regular outings, which forces the Schuesters to live paycheck-to-paycheck.

Her husband, on the other hand, is a pretty conservative spender as witnessed by his dangling muffler. The only time he shows any plastic in the pilot episode is when he uses a credit card to scrape gum off the shoe of a pretty, germ-phobic co-worker named Emma.

A Planned Pregnancy and a Career Change

Just when Mr. Shoe has rounded up some truly talented kids for Glee Club, Terri discovers that she is pregnant, which, along with finding a reliable glue gun, has been one of her life’s ambitions. A new baby costs quite a bit of money each month, which means that his teaching salary just won’t cut it anymore. At Terri’s insistence, he applies for a lucrative accounting job.

Waiting for the Other Financial Shoe to Drop

To stay at McKinley and do the work that he loves, Schuester is going to have to make some hard choices. With a wife that spends way above their means and a baby on the way, he must find ways to make additional money. Schuester is devoted to his Glee Club kids, but he’s also an honorable husband and father.

However, there is a very noticeable attraction between him and the cute, wide-eyed Emma, which is bound to cause some marital friction down the road. If he happens to end up in divorce court, he can expect Terri to take him to the cleaners financially.

Watch “Glee” online at Fox.com/glee today, and on Wednesdays this fall.

Steven Bryan

At one time or another, everyone wishes they had a second chance in life, but aspiring model Deb Dobson (Brooke D’Orsay) actually gets a “do over” on the new Lifetime original series “Drop Dead Diva“. Unfortunately, Deb has to take her second chance in the plus-sized body of a workaholic female attorney.

Deb Becomes a Model Attorney

After Deb crashes her car into a grapefruit truck, she arrives in the afterlife, a place where Fred (Ben Feldman) tells her that she’s neither a good nor a bad person. While he’s deciding her ultimate fate, Deb sends herself back to Earth, but she lands in the recently deceased body of Jane Bingum (Brooke Elliott).

Unlike Deb, Jane has, in the words of Fred, an IQ that’s off the charts. An associate at a successful Los Angeles law firm, she works in a corner office and has a very efficient assistant named Teri Lee (Margaret Cho). As the new resident soul, Deb now has Jane’s brains, her job and her body plus the memories of her former life as a skinny model.

A Lane Bryant Wardrobe, a House and a Porsche

In one episode, Jane celebrates her 32^nd birthday, which means that she’s been out of law school for about seven years. With her brains, Jane probably was hired right out of school and has been an associate lawyer for at least five years. According to the website Infirmation.com, an associate with her experience in the Los Angeles area stands to make a base salary between $160,000 and $230,000 each year, not counting incentives and bonuses.

A Wider Fast-lane
As an associate, Jane also gets to take clients out on her expense account. Her six-figure income and monthly spending makes her an excellent candidate for the American Express Platinum–and may even qualify Jane for the exclusive and elusive AMEX Centurion Card.

With her disposable income and earning potential, Jane invested in a nice starter house, which, by the looks of it, set her back at least $500,000. After reading one of her many self-help books, Jane also bought herself a treat—a hot little Porsche convertible. Deb may have issues occupying Jane’s body, but she loves driving that fast sports car.

Because she spends almost all her waking hours at the law firm, Jane keeps a complete wardrobe in her office closets. When Deb balks at the Lane Bryant labels on the clothes, Teri reminds her that “she loves Ms. Bryant.” It’s a safe bet that Jane has a Lane Bryant credit card in her purse, but Deb will never use it. The former model may, however, upgrade the “Plain Jane” wardrobe with some snazzy new outfits.

Doughnuts and Other Comfort Food

As an aspiring Price is Right model, Deb was extremely calorie conscious, eating only a grapefruit half that was sweetened with two packets of Splenda each morning. Jane’s body, on the other hand, craves doughnuts with sprinkles and chocolate. During her first few hours as an attorney, Deb tries a doughnut and likens it to a religious experience. The law firm also keeps a well-stocked refrigerator for associates and partners, which trims Jane’s food budget quite a bit.

The Future Earnings of Deb/Jane

Surprisingly enough, the merger of Deb’s compassion and Jane’s brains has produced a highly successful lawyer on the fast track for a partnership. As the weeks go by, though, Deb feels herself slipping into Jane’s personality more and more. It’s hard to tell if Deb’s personality traits will disappear completely, but for now, this Drop Dead Diva is a Los Angeles lawyer who’s hard to beat.

Steven Bryan

Though not a human lie detector like Cal Lightman of “Lie to Me,” Patrick Jane of “The Mentalist” has his own seemingly supernatural abilities that make him an asset to the fictional California Bureau of Investigation. A former psychic, Jane now consults with the CBI on murder cases, lending the agency his mental acuity and powers of observation.

A Lucrative Past

Before working with the CBI, Jane was a popular psychic and medium who had developed a sufficient following to warrant his own television show. He conducted both public and private readings for his clients, pretending to communicate with dead friends and relatives.

This, of course, was a lucrative career choice, especially considering his success in the public arena. However, it all came to a shattering end when the serial killer “Red John” slaughtered Jane’s wife and daughter several months before “The Mentalist” begins.

It is not known how much money Jane brought in as a medium, but he drives a vintage car and lives in a well-appointed home with all the comforts and luxuries one can imagine. It is doubtful he could afford his lifestyle on the salary of a police consultant. However, if he saved his money from his work as a psychic and invested it well, he could very easily afford his expensive tailored suits and shiny designer shoes.

A Dangerous Present

Although Jane appears to abhor violence and detest guns, he doesn’t live a boring or safe life. He investigates cases with the CBI, talking to witnesses and interrogating suspects, and he has more than once found himself at the wrong end of a weapon. He states numerous times over the first season of the show that his main priority is finding — and perhaps eliminating — “Red John.” Therefore, he is consumed by the hunt, and the medical bills that might eventually result from his risky behavior could easily deplete his financial resources.

At the Tables

Patrick Jane occasionally finds ways to make money during the course of investigations. For example, in one episode he finds himself at the heart of a gambling mystery, and uses his mental prowess to count cards and win at blackjack and poker. However, regardless of how he rakes in dough, he always uses it for good, buying his friends at the CBI gifts or donating money to various charities.

It would seem that anyone with such intelligence would likewise be good with money. He probably knows how to balance risks in investments and how to keep tabs on his checkbook. We’ve never seen him pull out a credit card on “The Mentalist,” but he most likely would be approved for any number of platinum offerings.

Steve Thompson

HBO’s “Big Love” follows polygamist family Bill Henrickson and his wives Barb, Nicolette and Margene, who all live in a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah, with their eight children. They try to keep their lifestyle a secret, even as they discover running three households can be extremely expensive.

Three Roofs

Bill bought three neighboring houses for his three wives and children. The median price of a house in Salt Lake City is $284,756, according to www.saltlakecityutah.org. That means that Bill owes a total of $854,268 for all three homes. In addition to mortgages, he would have to pay utilities and car payments for his wives’ cars. His first wife, Barb, is the most financially responsible. His second, Nicolette, grew up on a Mormon compound and has difficulties fitting into the modern world.

Nicolette also has an addiction to shopping, and tried to hide her credit card debt from the family. She bought plenty of clothes from catalogs, and finally admitted to Barb that she accumulated $60,000 in charges on her credit card. She would most likely need a debt management plan if she ever wanted to pay it off in her lifetime.

Big Spending
With three wives and seven kids (so far), everyday expenses add up. Cash back credit cards can be beneficial—as long as they’re paid-off every month. Cash back rebates range from 1% of all purchases up to 10% at selected merchants. If the cards are used carefully, the cash back earned by the family spending would pay for the kids’ allowances…maybe.

One Income

Bill runs a home improvement store chain, while his wives are unemployed for most of the series. The purchase price of a franchise can cost up to $1 million, according to www.businessbroker.net. The show depicts Bill and his business partner, Don, purchasing property for their additional stores and seeking out a new business venture in electronic gaming. Bill’s credit score must not be that great; he had to ask his Uncle Eddie for a loan so he could bid on a casino business.

Margene, wife number three, decided to launch a jewelry business later on in the series, and Nicolette briefly worked at the district attorney’s office as a temp. In reality, the family would need more income to function each month.

The cost of living for this family keeps increasing as Bill tries to add a fourth wife to the family, and his wives have more children. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that families spend $269,520 to raise a child from birth to the time they turn 18. Living a polygamist lifestyle is risky, and could cost them their family and their jobs. The show should probably be called “Big Debt” rather than “Big Love.”

Stephanie Armstrong