Dork Forest with Jackie Kashian and Maria Bamford

Hyatt Ovation Room, Montreal QC, July 29

BY Julianna RomanykPublished Jul 30, 2016

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On every episode of Dork Forest, host Jackie Kashian geeks out with a guest about a subject they're obsessed with. Given popular nerdy podcasts like How Did This Get Made? and Indoor Kids, audiences have come to expect podcasts branded as geeky to always have a pop culture slant, but Kashian throws that convention out the window. In her live taping at the Comedy Pro contingent of the Just For Laughs festival, Kashian and her best friend Maria Bamford talked about the unusual subject of financial planning in a way that was impressively funny and engaging, given how dry accounting and investing typically is.
 
Bamford went into the details of her financial situation with a shocking amount of transparency, showed the audience her day planner, and explained how her irresponsible financial management as a young violin-playing busker led to her becoming obsessed with money. Kashian also talked about how she loves to do odd jobs for money even when she doesn't need to, then Bamford discussed  how her ex-boyfriend who was obsessed with being rich seemed much more unhappy in life than her current husband, who picked her up in a 15-year-old Subaru with "janky brakes" on their first date.
 
Additionally, Bamford and Kashian gave a lot of prudent financial advise. They explained why people should put their student loans on their credit cards, joked about why home equity loans are a terrible idea, and advised the audience to set aside 10 percent of every paycheck for savings. These might all seem like lowlights in print, but actually the last talking point provided the best moment of the episode's recording.

When the two friends talked about how Bamford makes sure she doesn't take money out of her savings, the Lady Dynamite star revealed that she made a rule for herself that she's only allowed to take savings out of the bank if she's bleeding. "So then, once a month..." Kashian wittily replied with lightning-like comedic reflexes. The comfort and camaraderie between the nearly life long friends was palpable, and it was both entertaining and adorable to watch.

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