Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop Gives Personal Financial Advice, Explains Debt Ceiling and Fiscal Cliff

Actress and lifestyle guru chats with money expert about how to best manage income

Gwyneth Paltrow needs to be smart about her money because, well, she's got a lot of it.

The actress and lifestyle guru wants her Goop friends and fans to manage their finances well, too. In the latest installment of Goop, G.P. features a Q&A with Alexa von Tobel, the CEO of a financial planning site called LearnVest.

Basically, if we need more money for $90 white T-shirts and whatnot, Alexa says we need to "get a plan."

But how, fellow Gwynnites, do we do this? "Start by thinking about where you want to be in five years," Alexa propositions. "Do you want to buy a home? Have a child? Travel the world?" (Answer: All of the above, plus we'd like Chris Martin and a London flat.)

From there, we need to break our money goals down into monthly pieces. Once this is squared away,  "you can achieve your financial dreams, as long as you prepare!"

Gwyneth might not come back for next  Iron Man

Goop also breaks down some of that financial jargon being tossed around these days. The "debt ceiling" basically just "limits how much the government can borrow," and if Congress hadn't raised it, it would be "a huge deal for the national and global economy." The "fiscal cliff" was essentially lots of policies expiring at the end of 2012 that cost taxpayers more money, and "inflation" is just the rise in the general price level of goods over time.

It's also recommended that you set up a calendar so you never miss an important date, like paying a bill. LearnVest's CEO says, "I run my financial life like I run my social life!"

And when it comes to spending that your hard-earned money, 50 percent should go to essentials (rent, groceries, etc.), 20 percent should go to priorities (paying off loans, saving for retirement, etc.) and 30 percent should go to your lifestyle (shopping, fun spending and whatnot). Personally, we are budgeting a bit more in the lifestyle department—highlights and champagne don't come cheap!

Goop also gets into why your credit score is so important, merging bank accounts with your fiancé, investing in the stock market and much more.

Thanks to Gwyneth, we are rich with knowledge.