Fame & Fortune: Dayna Devon
She has talked to the rich and famous for years. But when Dayna Devon, correspondent of TV’s entertainment program “Extra,” comes home to her Beverly Hills home, all she wants to do is spend time with her two children, Emmi and Cole, and her plastic surgeon husband, Dr. Brent Moelleken.
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Devon is aware of the good fortune that has come her way since moving to Los Angeles. Born in San Antonio, the 38-year-old graduated from the University of Texas and landed a job as a local news anchor in Memphis, Tenn., before going to Hollywood.
She solidified her place in TV by chatting up Hollywood when she joined “Extra” in 1999 as weekend anchor; she was named weekday anchor in 2003 and now serves as a correspondent. The Emmy-winning entertainment reporter has gone one-on-one with some of the biggest names in the biz. Bankrate talked to her about childhood financial lessons, the pleasures of online shopping and her family.
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. It’s not always easy, especially right now with gas prices being so high and everything else being so crazy. 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.
Bankrate: Do you adhere to any financial advice that your parents might have given you when you first started out in this business?
Dayna Devon: You know, my mom is the worst person, ever, with financial advice. My mom’s advice would be spend every dime you make and then spend more so … no. I was basically starving in my early jobs and my father would say to save a little bit out of what I make. I was like, “Dad, I can’t even eat … I’m eating ramen (noodles) every night.”
Next: “I’m thankful for the values my parents gave me.”