Letter From the Editor

Love it or hate it, money is a fact of life. In an uncertain economy, with job losses high and government benefits low, the challenge of managing work and finances can be tough for everyone. For those living with HIV/AIDS, the challenges are all the greater -- hence the focus of this issue of Body Positive.

Our lead story is by Per Larson, an expert in financial planning who specializes in working with people with HIV, as well as gay and lesbian communities. Larson notes that the many changes in the landscape of the epidemic in recent years "have left people with HIV with many left-over, no-longer-relevant and possibly dangerous ideas about personal finances. That's on top of widely published advice in Money magazine that is downright misleading when HIV is in the picture." Fortunately, Larson's article should go a long way towards putting you on the right track financially.

This issue also brings us a variety of other voices on the question of work and finances. Frequent contributors Steve McMahon and Dennis Rhodes share their very different personal experiences with corporate America. McMahon's essay describes the rewards he has reaped since disclosing his HIV status to his co-workers, while Rhodes' "narrative poem" highlights the ways in which his perspective on corporate life has changed since his HIV diagnosis. We also hear reactions from our "Psychologically Speaking" columnist, Dr. J. Buzz von Ornsteiner, to a case study about an HIV-positive woman who has difficulties in the workplace.

There's a saying that money won't make you happy, but lack of money can make you very, very unhappy. With that spirit in mind, it may be time for you to take stock of your finances and do what you can to maximize your fiscal wellbeing. We hope that this issue will get you off to a good start.