Posts Tagged ‘Fictional Finances’

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

Fox’s new hit “Lie to Me” is based on the work of research scientist Paul Ekman, who has studied and written books about the concept of “microexpressions” and the ways in which people behave when they don’t tell the truth.

In the show, Dr. Cal Lightman is the “human lie detector” who leads his staff on journeys of discovery in corporate, governmental, military and private sector cases, sniffing out the liars in each and delving psychologically into the minds of those they distrust.

From Researcher to Entrepreneur

After forming the Lightman Group to market his ability to catch people in the act of lying, Lightman has done well for himself. He works in an almost ostentatiously modern office with stark, institutional lighting and the latest in technology.

However, before he formed the Lightman Group, Lightman was a research scientist who traveled the world to study the psychology and sociology of different cultures. This was likely not an inexpensive undertaking; he had to finance his research somehow.

It is possible that Lightman secured government or private loans for his research, but more likely he relied on credit cards for things like living expenses and travel. He would need a low-interest credit card so he wouldn’t have to worry about doubling or tripling his balance from month to month, and he probably needed excellent credit so he could increase his credit limits.

Lightman likely uses credit cards quite often in his business for employee expenses and his own travel to visit clients. He might prefer rewards credit cards that allow him to earn things like free airfare and other travel perks, though he might also use business credit cards for his employees.

Financing the Biz

After concluding his research, Lightman returned to Washington, where he started the Lightman Group. Even if the meager beginnings of the operation were housed in a less generous office building, Lightman would need capital to get his business off the ground.

The Lightman Group uses many different forms of technology to isolate microexpressions, record interviews with witnesses and facilitate communication between staff members. The plasma televisions, video projectors and post-processing equipment alone would cost a bundle, and that doesn’t take into account the rent or purchase of office space in Washington.

Personal Obligations

In addition to a career, Lightman also has an ex-wife and a teenage daughter. Most likely, he pays spousal support to the former and child support for the latter, increasing his monthly expenditures.

The financial issues in Lightman’s life are not necessarily related to his present, but more to his past. How did he finance his research and extensive travel? And how much support did he receive from his father after his mother died?

However, Lightman is most likely raking in the dough as a human lie detector. His precise income is difficult to pinpoint because his is not a common career path, but his business generates sufficient cash to support a full staff, a gorgeous and spacious office, and all the technology required to assist his clients.

Steve Thompson

It is hard to make ends meet as a mural artist. It’s especially difficult if you also have dissociative identity disorder like Tara Gregson in Showtime’s “United States of Tara“. Tara has three alternate personalities named T, Alice and Buck. T is a rebellious teenage girl who loves to wear short skirts and go on shopping sprees at the mall. Alice is an old fashioned homemaker who loves to bake. Buck is a male personality who smokes and drinks. The question quickly becomes How do you support all of these personalities on an artist’s salary?

According to Payscale, Tara’s annual income as a mural artist can average around $43,000. Her husband runs a small landscaping business and probably earns $30,000 a year. They have two teenagers and live in the suburbs of Overland, Kansas. House prices in their neighborhood start at $215,900, and the average monthly mortgage payment is $1,658, according to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau. The census also states that the median household income for a family in Overland is $91,806. The Gregson family is estimated to make almost $20,000 less than the average, and most likely has plenty of medical bills and credit card debt.

Adding it up
If the Gregsons rely on credit cards to pay for the basic living essentials for a family of four (seven including T, Alice and Buck), there is no “best credit card” to use. Should Tara’s condition stabilize, depending on the size of the family’s debt, transferring high interest rate balances onto balance transfer credit cards would be the best step to take. But as soon as the debt is consolidated, the newly-empty accounts should be closed to prevent further spending.

Tara’s alternate personalities are not cheap either. T frequently steal’s Tara’s credit card and goes on shopping sprees with her daughter, Kate. Buck goes out to buy beer and a pack of cigarettes whenever he can, and his costly habit is coming out of Tara’s pocket. The family would have to rely on credit cards to keep up with Tara’s lifestyle and live as comfortably as they do.

Throughout the series Tara visits a therapist once a week, which can cost up to $200 an hour. The series does not address where the family is getting the money to pay for Tara’s medical treatment, but Tara did comment that she hoped to get better before their insurance ran out. When she admitted herself into an inpatient treatment center to figure out what triggers her alternate personalities, her husband mentioned that it was costing them $6,000 a week. She and her husband are self-employed and would have to pay out of pocket, use credit cards or purchase an insurance plan to cover her medical expenses.

Paying for medical bills with a high interest credit card can result in serious debt for the Gregson family. Tara only has one freelance job as far as we know: to paint a mural for an acquaintance. Tara was then fired because one of her alternate personalities ruined the mural. Her family cannot afford to lose any income when they have a mortgage and car payment to pay.

Stephanie Armstrong

The formula might be old, but the story is still capturing teenage audiences across the nation. Today’s “90210,” a remake of the ’90s series “Beverly Hills, 90210,” follows the Wilson family, which has recently relocated to Beverly Hills, Calif., from Kansas. The family moves in with Grandma, a retired actress, while dad’s the principal at West Beverly High School; mom’s putting her photography career on hold to get the family settled.

With classmates driving fancy cars and wearing designer labels, will Annie and Dixon Wilson fit in with the teen crowd at West Beverly? Can Harry Wilson really support his family of four on a principal’s income in one of the most expensive regions in America? Or should viewers suspend disbelief as they watch the Wilson family shop, spend, and charge it all on their credit cards?

What’s the deal with Beverly Hills?

The Beverly Hills lifestyle doesn’t come cheap. According to Yahoo Real Estate, Beverly Hills has a median home value of $3,236,076, a median income of $85,398, and a cost of living index of almost triple the national average.

How much does Henry Wilson earn as a principal?

A principal in a California high school does well compared to the national average. According to the California Department of Education, Harry Wilson could earn anywhere from $82,898 to $109,001, depending on the size of the fictional West Beverly Hills High School.

Can the Wilson family make ends meet in Beverly Hills?

Assuming that they arrived in Beverly Hills with little or no debt, they might be able to do well in Beverly Hills. If Harry Wilson’s mother has handled the mortgage on the home that the family lives in, and they were able to pay off their house in Kansas, it’s likely that they are able to enjoy a decent lifestyle in an extremely expensive region.

Keeping up with the neighbors
To save for their children’s college tuitions, keep the family well clothed and well fed, and continue to go out and do things as we see them doing, the Wilson family would be better to keep their credit cards in their wallets when they can. For convenience, debit cards or charge cards (such as American Express cards) would keep the family from overspending.

Though the Wilson family might be able to stay afloat in Beverly Hills on Harry Wilson’s salary, they would certainly be on the lower end of some of the other inhabitants of the famous ZIP code. If Annie and Dixon, or their parents, start to feel the need to keep up with their classmates or friends, they could quickly get themselves into some serious credit card debt, or even financial ruin.

Thanks to Grandma, the Wilson family can stay afloat in “90210.” But don’t expect every high school principal to be able to raise a family of four in Beverly Hills and still be able to put food on their (very expensive) table in their (very elaborate) Beverly Hills mansion.

Kelly Herdrich

Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo is part of the team of investigators that make up Jethro Gibbs‘ crack squad on “NCIS.” DiNozzo is promiscuous, smart, a huge movie fan, and utterly obsessed with the finer things in life including nice clothes and nice cars. In fact, he has been known to say that his car is part of who he is. Disinherited by his wealthy father, partially orphaned by the death of his mother, and resistant to the very concept of long-term relationships, DiNozzo has created a family that consists only of his fellow NCIS agents. The question that haunts “NCIS” fans is whether being a resident of this “copland” means being economically sound enough to afford all of those Italian suits and shoes and expensive high-performance cars that define him.

Dressed to Kill

A cursory view of any of the Rat Pack’s movies reveals a definite similarity to the style with which agent DiNozzo presents himself to the world of murderers, not to mention every single attractive female he meets. DiNozzo prefers form-fitting suits from Prada and Hugo Boss, shirts from Zara and Bloomingdale’s, shoes from Rockport and jeans from Marc Ecko. Those Hugo Boss suits can easily run over $1,000 and Bloomingdale’s shirts can run in excess of $300. It is easy to assume that his claims of disinheritance may be overstated since the salary at NCIS probably does not allow him to pay for these things with cash.

The Color of Money

The money that arrives in DiNozzo’s weekly pay packet is clearly not enough to allow him to afford the stylish European tailored suits that he wears while he drives his ‘90 ZR1 Corvette. According to the Department of Defense National Security Personnel System Worldwide Pay Table, the salary for an NCIS agent maxes out at just over $130,000. Considering that DiNozzo has been on the payroll for less than 10 years, it seems unlikely that he is near the top end of the pay scale.

A Place in the Sun

Since DiNozzo is famous for clinging to sophomoric behavior, it is entirely within reason to suspect that his claims of being disinherited by his wealthy family may not be entirely authentic. However, he often expresses a very real grief over not having access to his ancestral wealth. So, if his disinheritance is authentic, it is reasonable to assume that he has piled up a rather substantial amount of credit card debt.

In a very real way, DiNozzo personifies the central paradox of the modern American dream. He is probably using credit to live beyond his means while simultaneously living far below the economic status to which he was born. The story goes that DiNozzo’s father abandoned him in a hotel room and forgot all about it until the incoming credit card bills reminded him of his son’s predicament. How fitting.

Timothy Sexton

Before Rebecca Bloomwood hit the big screen and startled audiences with frivolous spending in Confessions of a Shopaholic, she was the main character in the Shopaholic book series by author Sophie Kinsella. With out-of-control spending and an inability to stay on top of her credit card debt and finances, Rebecca is a financier’s worst nightmare.

Who is Rebecca Bloomwood?

Rebecca Bloomwood is the main character in Sophie Kinsella’s Confessions of a Shopaholic series and recent film. The Successful Saving magazine writer lets a flat in London, and can’t seem to stay on top of her shopping habit. The deeper in debt Bloomwood falls and the more trouble she finds herself in financially, the more she appears to spend, unable to curb her frivolous spending habits. Both the books and the movie focus on how Rebecca can handle her creditors — while still shopping and falling in love, of course.

How did Rebecca’s spending get so out of control?

In both the books and the movie, you quickly see that Rebecca has an obsession with shopping—name brands, especially when they’re on sale, popular and trendy stores, and staying fresh and in style. Even with a reasonable salary writing at Successful Saving (a typical London magazine writer’s salary would be approximately $20,000 to $26,000 British pounds; a writer in New York City would earn between $40,000 and $60,000, depending on the publication), Rebecca would have been in a tight spot simply paying for rent, food and utilities, even without the excess spending.

Dealing with Addiction
With out-of-control spending and only a moderate salary, Rebecca’s precarious financial situation is all too common in today’s economy. Once she get’s control of her spending, Rebecca would benefit from consolidating credit card debt to balance transfer credit cards. And if there’s no happy ending, a debt snowball is her best bet.

Is Rebecca’s financial chaos in Confessions of a Shopaholic realistic?

Kinsella does a good job of interjecting bits of seriousness into her account of Rebecca’s antics, with letters from creditors and banks regularly filling Rebecca’s mailbox. While Rebecca’s fall into debt is very realistic, one has to wonder how long she’d be able to keep up her spending before a collection agency became involved. The movie notes that Rebecca has maxed out 14 credit cards at one point—add to that her regular bills and rent, and a credit consolidation agency or collection agency’s involvement is almost a certainty in the real world.

If you call yourself a shopaholic, it’s an almost certainty that you could take lessons from Confessions of a Shopaholic’s Rebecca Bloomwood.

Kelly Herdrich

Having the life of a skilled plastic surgeon is amazing. It ensures fast cars, fame, money and women. This is true if you’re the dashing Dr. Christian Troy from the dark satire “Nip/Tuck.” He is one half of McNamara/Troy, the plastic surgery practice he owns with best friend Sean McNamara. They are two successful plastic surgeons from Miami who live a glamorous lifestyle and have recently relocated to Los Angeles to enhance their careers.

About Dr. Troy

Christian Troy is vain, wealthy, and loves to splash his money around. He drives a $200,000 Ferrari 360 Spider, owns a speedboat, wears $1,000 Gucci suits, and has a pretty nice Beverly Hills bachelor pad. He spends money frivolously on women, dining and drinking out on the town with McNamara. The cost of partying in Los Angeles can easily cost $200 a night at some of the top restaurants and bars, if not more.

The Practice

The median annual salary for a plastic surgeon is about $250,000, according to PayScale.com. That is almost his whole salary just to pay for his Ferrari. While Troy and McNamara do run their own company, the cost of rent for their business in Beverly Hills can start around $1,500 a month, and they would still have to pay their employees. The median medical secretary salary is $30,000 a year, and Liz, their head anesthesiologist, would cost them at least $183,000 per year.

The real Dr. Troy
If Troy’s salary was the median for his work, he would definitely have to use his credit cards to make ends meet. Working in LA however, with the higher cost of living and the endless clientel, he probably does fairly well. Since image is important, his wallet would be full of excellent credit credit cards—probably even a Platinum Amex waiting to be upgraded to a Black Centurian Card.

This doesn’t take the cost of their medical supplies and legal fees into consideration. McNamara and Troy have made plenty of mistakes over the years, and probably would have been sued for malpractice in reality.

While the number of cosmetic surgery procedures have increased over the years, both surgeons would have to clock in long hours to pay for their fast paced lifestyles. Troy must have a great credit score to finance his car and be able to lease his office building and apartment.

While McNamara feels a bit of financial pressure on the show, Troy is carefree and often charges dinner, his bar tab and his designer addiction to his credit card. In short, Troy’s finances are about as real as the surgery he performs.

Stephanie Armstrong

With five children, a house in Queens, a car of his very own and a job working for the New York Police Department, Detective Elliot Stabler of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” lives an often-stressful life. He is a senior detective who spends his days investigating sex crimes, as well as crimes against the young and the elderly. It may be a living, but does it pay the bills?

Feeding the Family

Stabler’s five children are definitely a lot to handle, though one has left the house and another is only an infant. His wife, Kathy, does not work, but she has her hands full taking care of the kids.

We learn in the first season that Stabler married his wife because she was pregnant with their first daughter. They wed shortly after he left the military. He landed a job on the force because he needed a way to support his already growing family.

Today, Stabler and his family live in a nice two-story home in Queens, which is probably worth between $400,000 and $500,000, according to Trulia.com. On a cop’s salary, that probably means a hefty mortgage each month. Additionally, his wife recently gave birth to child number five, which means medical bills and plenty of diapers to buy. Stabler is fully covered under the NYPD benefits plan, but he certainly has a number of financial responsibilities.

Stabler has gotten himself into trouble numerous times, usually because of his quick temper and his desire to put sex offenders behind bars. Suspensions and several periods of forced time off for psychological evaluation have meant interrupted income, putting him and his family further behind the eight ball.

Stable Stabler

When a stressful financial situation arises, it’s rarely about debt. Stabler is likely to benefit from rewards credit cards that feature discounts for everyday purchases. Charge cards, such as American Express cards, also include rewards for purchases made a grocery stores and gas stations.

Stabler’s Credit Situation

With a mortgage, car payment and lots of bills related to family life, Stabler has probably used credit from time to time, if not on a frequent basis. Although he often defies authority and likes to live life on his own terms, he is also devoted to his family and loathe to cause them pain.

The average salary for a New York City detective is around $48,000, according to Indeed.com, though his experience in the military and his loyalty to the NYPD might increase his salary somewhat. Living in New York, where the cost of living is quite high, Stabler would have difficulty meeting his financial obligations without relying on credit of some kind.

Steve Thompson

Living on a mall cop’s salary can be hard, but Paul Blart, from the movie Mall Cop, seems to make it work. While his salary might be considered high in many areas, in the tri-state area, $43,000 is not a lot of money.

Paul Blart is a mall cop in New Jersey. He is a single dad, living with his mom and ‘tween daughter, Maya. They live in a modest brownstone owned by Paul Blart’s mother. The Blarts lead a down-to-earth life, without exorbitant expenditures. Paul does tend to wolf down the food a bit with encouragement from his mom, who piles his plate with comfort food.

The low cost of security

Blart makes a salary of about $43,000. This might be a mere drop in the bucket in the state of New Jersey, where the average salary is $49,000. New Jersey has the highest cost of living, the highest property taxes and the highest automobile insurance in the nation. Blart can at least take comfort in the fact that New Jersey also boasts the most malls in the nation, giving him good job security.

Getting around

Blart avoids the high cost of vehicle insurance and maintenance by driving a Segway to work. Segways are personal transportation devices used by many police departments and security patrols. The Segway used by Blart is the same one provided by his job. It’s a win-win situation: Blart saves on insurance and has free transportation to and from work.

Does Blart use credit
There is no evidence that Blart has or uses credit cards. He buys nothing expensive or frivolous, and he satisfies his guilty pleasure—playing Rock Band—with his mall connections. Since he has no auto costs and shares his mother’s house, Blart is likely to qualify for credit cards for good credit, provided his credit history isn’t tarnished with bankruptcy or delinquencies.

Plans for the future

Blart’s longtime dream is to become a state trooper in the Garden State. The current salary for a New Jersey state trooper starts at $58,748.29 and caps at $97,188.48. Blart has tried and failed to pass the physical exam required for the job on numerous occasions.

Should Blart acheive his dream, it would be a financial boon for this single dad. New Jersey state troopers have a wonderful benefits package in addition to the ample salary.

Jaipi Sixbear