The Men Who Get Off on Giving Their Money to Strangers

By

Charlotte Cowles,

The Cut’s financial-advice columnist.

In addition to “My Two Cents,” she writes about work and parenting for the site. Previously, she was the senior features editor at Harper's Bazaar and a senior editor at the Cut. She was also the editorial director for MM.LaFleur. Her work has also been published in Glamour, Art in America, Politico, and other places.

To many people, financial domination, the increasingly visible subset of BDSM, seems too good to be true: Imagine getting paid by strangers to humiliate them, go shopping, or simply go about your life. And unlike more traditional sugaring arrangements, there’s usually no sex involved. But what could possibly be in it for the finsubs? “Financial submissives are often very misunderstood,” says Sergio Rebelo, a therapist who specializes in compulsive sexual behavior. “As a result, a lot of people who are turned on by it feel very ashamed and upset by their urges.”