How can film and TV workers cope with Hollywood slowdown? Financial experts offer tips

For many film and TV industry professionals, it’s getting increasingly hard to wait for the production rebound that was widely expected after the strikes by writers and actors ended. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times Know where your money is going Justin Pritchard, a certified financial planner in Montrose, Colo., said the first thing to do is to understand exactly what you’re spending your money on every month. “One of the most common mistakes,” said Paco de Leon, a personal finance expert, author and host of the “Weird Finance” podcast, “is just not having any oversight over your finances and hoping it will all work out.” Most people have two big-ticket items — housing and transportation — and the choices made there are the ones that really move the needle, said Neela Hummel, a certified financial planner in Santa Monica. “One of the strengths of our organization is that we provide wrap-around services,” said Tina Hookom, the fund’s director of social services. Negotiate your bills and interest rates Lately, Hookom said, the Entertainment Community Fund has been seeing industry professionals dealing with a lot of debt.