Image: http://www.bankrate.com/images/famefortune/Al_Roker_135x97.jpg
Hed: Grind through the details
Who: Al Roker
Notable: Weatherman for NBC’s “Today,” CEO of TV production company
Fame & Fortune Q&A:
Bankrate: Do you have time to do things CEOs generally do, like participating in long-term financial planning?
Al Roker: Yeah. It's my company, so I'm involved in financial planning, real estate, where the offices are, equipment purchases. Anything that's part of the company.
Bankrate: Do you enjoy that side of it, or is it a necessary evil for you?
Al Roker: A little of both. Sometimes it's interesting, and sometimes the minutiae starts to grind away, but it's part of the gig. If you want to run the company and not have any surprises, you need to know all aspects of it.
Lesson learned: Pay attention to the financial details
Image: http://www.bankrate.com/images/famefortune/Dayna_Devon_135x97.jpg
Hed: Life is full of surprises
Who: Dayna Devon
Notable: TV's "Extra" correspondent is an avid eBay shopper
Fame & Fortune Q&A:
Bankrate: You have two small children now, so there are the costs of schools in the near future. Do you save for a rainy day?
Dayna Devon: Absolutely. Being in a recession-type economy, it affects everything. It affects Brent's practice because people stretch out their Botox treatments longer than they normally would. It affects the TV show because advertising goes up and down. So I'm always aware of that. Plus, I think television, in general, trains you to always be wary because things can end so quickly. I've had to learn that you do save for a rainy day and you always have to be careful.
Lesson learned: Life is often unpredictable, so you have to prepare for the unexpected.
Image: http://www.bankrate.com/images/famefortune/Danica_Patrick_135x97.jpg
Hed: Sports a short-lived profession
Who: Danica Patrick
Notable: Indy car racer
Fame & Fortune Q&A:
Bankrate: Do you ever save for a rainy day, since any sport can be such a tenuous occupation?
Danica Patrick: Absolutely! I know that an athlete's career is not of a normal length and, in general, is relatively short. Hopefully you can be in a situation where you can make good money, you make good decisions with it and you are able to set yourself up for the rest of your life financially. I think one of the lessons my old boss Bobby Rahal taught me was that he said, “Save your money,” because when I retired from racing, I wanted to maintain the same kind of lifestyle that I had when I was doing it. So I knew I needed to start doing some other things, like investing in different areas and making sure that the financial flow would keep coming after you were done.
Lesson learned: If you choose a short-lived, lucrative career, you have to save a lot to maintain your lifestyle in the future.