Photo by Fritz Blakey

Michelle Singletary is a nationally syndicated columnist for The Washington Post. Her column, "The Color of Money" is an award-winning column, which is now carried in more than 140 newspapers across the country including the Miami Herald, Boston Globe, Tampa Tribune and Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

In 2003, she published her first book, “7 Money Mantras For A Richer Life: How To Live Well With The Money You Have" (Random House). The paperback was retitled “Spend Well, Live Rich.”

Her second book, “Your Money and Your Man: How You and Prince Charming Can Spend Well and Live Rich” was released in January 2006, also published by Random House. The paperback was released in February 2007. She is currently working on a proposal for a third book.

In January 2006, Singletary launched her first national television program “Singletary Says” on TV One, owned Radio One and Comcast. “Singletary Says” is a half hour personal finance reality show in which Singletary visits people in their homes to help resolve various financial issues. The second Season of Singletary Says debuted in November 2006. In the coming year, she will be doing personal finance specials for TV One.

Singletary is also the host of her own radio call-in program on XM 169 The Power. The channel is programmed by Radio One. Her personal finance show airs every Sunday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. (EST).

Singletary is also a regular personal finance contributor for National Public Radio’s afternoon program “Day To Day.” Her segments for NPR are now available via podcast. She is frequently asked to appear on local and national radio programs including the “Diane Rehm Show.” She has prepared personal finance segments for local and national news programs, and for a number of network and nationally syndicated programs, including the “NBC’s Today Show,” CBS’ “The Early Show,” "Nightline," "Oprah, "The View,” and “Tavis Smiley” on PBS. In 2000, she was recruited as a regular contributor to do live financial segments for MSNBC. For nearly a decade Singletary was also a regular contributor on Howard University's evening news radio program, "Insight." During the 1997-1998 television season, Singletary was a regular correspondent on BET's "Real Business." She has filled in for nationally syndicated radio host Clark Howard on his local program on the top-rated News-Talk 750 WSB in Atlanta.

Singletary is the host of a live online chat on the Post's Web site, washingtonpost.com. She also has a widely read electronic newsletter with more than 150,000 subscribers distributed by The Washington Post. In her column, chats, newsletter, television show and books Singletary delivers advice on personal finance issues that range from lending your lover money (don’t do it), to kids and money to the importance of saving and investing.

In her spare time, Singletary is the director of “Prosperity Partners,” a ministry she founded at her church in which women, who handle their money well, volunteer to mentor other women who are having financial challenges. Once a month, Singletary conducts workshops for the ministry group on topics that range from developing a budget to getting out of debt to saving for retirement.

She is also frequently requested to be a keynote speaker. Some of her clients have included Georgetown University, HUD, Essence, and Simmons College School of Management in Boston. She has also conducted personal finance workshops for the National Football League's annual Rookie Symposium for incoming freshman players.

Prior to becoming a columnist, Singletary covered local and national banking for the Post. She joined the paper in 1992 and was assigned to cover bankruptcy. In 1994, she was awarded a fellowship by NABJ to write about small women-owned businesses in West Africa. While in Africa, she helped cover the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela, and shared the lead story on election day with the Post's foreign correspondent, writing about a Soweto family's day at the polls.

Before coming to the Post, Singletary was a business reporter for the Baltimore Evening Sun, where she also covered police, religion, politics, and zoning. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, and Johns Hopkins University, where she earned a master's degree in business and management. Singletary and her husband reside in Maryland with their three children.