So Money with Farnoosh Torabi

On this week's Ask Farnoosh Friday, we're tackling five thoughtful listener questions that touch on everything from career transitions and combining finances as a couple to insurance, retirement accounts, and planning for the future.Before we dive into the mailbag, I also share a few headlines that caught my attention this week—including a fascinating new trend in prenups designed to protect stay-at-home parents, California's latest move to make personal finance a graduation requirement, and a New York Times article about the money frustrations that seem uniquely American (plus a few of my own!). And yes...So Money is officially on YouTube.In this episode: • Why you shouldn't feel guilty quietly job hunting before you have an offer • The best way to leave an employer professionally while protecting your own career • How couples can combine finances without sacrificing independence • Why "fair" doesn't always mean splitting expenses 50/50 • My favorite three-account system for couples • The insurance policies every young professional should prioritize—and which ones can probably wait • Why your ability to earn an income may be your greatest financial asset • When to start thinking seriously about long-term care insurance • How to prepare for future caregiving conversations with your parents • What to do with an old, empty 401(k) account after your employer changes retirement providers • Why cybersecurity deserves a place in every annual financial checkupAlso in the news: • A new prenup trend: More couples are adding "leave the workforce" clauses to protect spouses who pause their careers to raise children or provide care, recognizing the real financial cost of unpaid caregiving. • Money annoyances in America: Inspired by a New York Times article from Ron Lieber and Tara Siegel Bernard, I share my own biggest financial pet peeves—from managing kids' allowance to credit card surcharges and New Jersey property taxes. • Financial literacy gains momentum: California becomes the 26th state to require a standalone personal finance course for high school graduation, signaling a major shift in how we prepare young people for adulthood.Resources & Mentions • So Money is now on YouTube • Columbia Journalism Review's feature on The Montclair Pod • Wall Street Journal reporting on caregiving clauses in prenups • New York Times article: "6 Things That Drive Us Crazy About Money in America" by Ron Lieber and Tara Siegel BernardHave a question for the show?Send your question for a future Ask Farnoosh Friday! If it's on your mind, chances are thousands of other listeners are wondering the same thing. You can email me, leave a voicemail, or connect with me on Instagram.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend. It helps more people discover the show—and build richer, more confident financial lives.Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!This episode aired originally on July 17.

Anthony O'Neal, had $6.32 to his name on a Wednesday night. He needed gas. He was hungry. He ended up cutting two McDonald's double cheeseburgers in half — that was his food for the next two days. He diluted his sweet tea with water to stretch it. And in that moment, eating a cold half-burger in his apartment, something shifted in him. He thought: there has to be a better way.Fast forward to his fortieth birthday. Anthony is on a private yacht off the coast of Italy. The chef comes out mid-dinner, not just to ask how the fish is — but to offer to catch that same fish again for him tomorrow. And Anthony thought back to that Wednesday night, that half-burger, that $6.32 — and he realized: he had found the better way.Anthony O'Neal is a bestselling author, speaker, and host of The Table with AO. His new book, Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck: The Proven Path to Break Free from Debt, Build Real Wealth, and Live Free on Any Income, is out in August.This episode aired originally on July 20.

This episode aired originally on October 21, 2024.Seth Godin, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and one of the most influential thinkers in marketing and leadership, joins the show. He discusses his latest book, This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans, and how to create more meaningful and effective strategies in all areas of life, from career growth and personal development to financial success.

Are we headed for another housing crash — or is today’s market fundamentally different from 2008?On this Ask Farnoosh Friday, Farnoosh digs into the state of the housing market with insights from real estate economist Dr. Joshua Harris, Academic Director of the Fordham Real Estate Institute. While some overheated markets are already seeing prices decline, Harris explains why today’s housing landscape looks very different from the run-up to the Great Financial Crisis — particularly when it comes to housing supply, lending standards and homeowner equity.Farnoosh also examines the explosive growth of Buy Now, Pay Later, which is increasingly being used not just for clothes and electronics, but for groceries, rent, utilities, medical bills and even taxes. The question she wants consumers to ask: Are you using BNPL to solve a timing problem — or an affordability problem? Because those are two very different financial challenges.Plus, shopping scams are getting dramatically harder to spot thanks to artificial intelligence. The old advice — look for typos, awkward emails and suspicious-looking websites — isn’t enough anymore. Farnoosh shares the new safeguards consumers should be using to protect their accounts, passwords, loyalty points and credit cards.Then, two excellent listener questions.First, Anne is in her 40s after spending two decades moving between employers and has accumulated a collection of 401(k)s, 401(a)s, 403(b)s and a rollover IRA. Should she consolidate everything? And is it actually safer to keep retirement money spread across multiple institutions in case one brokerage fails?Farnoosh explains the important difference between diversifying your investments and diversifying your custodians, how protections such as SIPC work, and why simplifying your retirement accounts can make sense — but only after checking fees, investment choices and plan-specific benefits.Finally, a listener follows up on the new Trump Accounts for children: Why is Robinhood the sole initial brokerage and trustee? Why can’t families simply choose Vanguard, Fidelity or another provider from day one? And did Robinhood somehow pay for exclusive access?Farnoosh went digging. She explains the relationship between the U.S. Treasury, BNY Mellon and Robinhood, why Robinhood’s role is described as initial rather than permanent, and why families should eventually be able to transfer Trump Account assets to another eligible provider. She also examines why questions about transparency are reasonable given the enormous customer-acquisition opportunity the program represents for Robinhood.

 Almost 30 years ago, before financial wellness was a line item in anyone's benefits package, before it was a buzzword that we all throw around in this space, my guest today was watching something unfold that most people missed entirely. She was raising money for a hedge fund during the dot-com boom, sitting across from entrepreneurs and high-net-worth investors, watching them take wild risks with money they'd worked incredibly hard to build, and she had this realization: If these wealthy, sophisticated people were this exposed, what about everyone else? What about the assistant down the hall with paper equity and no safety net? Nobody was in their corner, so she built the thing that didn't exist. That's Liz Davidson, founder and CEO of Financial Finesse, the company that's widely credited with inventing the workplace financial wellness industry as we know it. She's the author of Money Strong and What Your Financial Advisor Isn't Telling You. Today, we're getting into what her company's brand-new 2026 research reveals about who's actually stressed about money right now, and it might surprise you. We're talking AI's growing and complicated role in how people learn about their finances, the quiet epidemic of high earners living paycheck to paycheck, and benefits maxing, which might be the most underused free money sitting in your employee portal right now.  

Bernadette Joy, founder of Crush Your Money Goals, shares her unexpected journey into early retirement at 41, the emotional and financial surprises along the way, and how she's redefining purpose and joy in this new chapter of life. Check out her column for CNBC on the topic.

This week on Ask Farnoosh, we unpack the latest updates to Trump Accounts, including new workplace contribution options that could make these child investment accounts more appealing for families. We also dive into the rise of "money maxxing"—what this viral trend gets right (and where it goes too far)—plus the surprising economics behind the stay-at-home boyfriend phenomenon.Also on the show: why customer service frustrations are fueling record levels of consumer rage, what Realtor.com's hottest ZIP codes reveal about today's housing market (including why Montclair, NJ, ranks #2), and answers to two listener questions on avoiding common pre-retirement mistakes and deciding where to put your next dollar after you've built an emergency fund and are saving for retirement.

Today we're talking about a kind of power most of us are terrified to claim: the power of our own voice.My guest is Samara Bay, speech and speaking coach to CEOs, politicians, and tech founders, and author of Permission to Speak. She was last on the show talking about that book, and now she's back with something new: a viral TEDx talk about how to actually be human while you're speaking in public, whether that's on a stage, in a work meeting, or in a hard conversation at home.Here's the thing. Most of us think great public speaking means sounding polished, authoritative, in control. Samara says the opposite. The speakers who actually move us are the ones who let us see that they care. Not perform it, reveal it. And when our words, our tone, and our body language are all telling the same story, that's when people lean in.We get into why "public speaking" feels so loaded in the first place, what's actually happening in our bodies when fear takes over (hello, vocal fry and monotone), and the practical difference between practicing a talk and actually inhabiting it.And yes, this is a money conversation. Because whether you're asking for a raise, pitching an idea, negotiating with a partner, or standing up at a town hall about your property taxes, your ability to speak with power and stay human while doing it is directly tied to the outcomes you get.

Getting into college was supposed to be the hard part. So why are so many kids arriving on campus and falling apart?That's the question that's driven Ana Homayoun's work for 25 years. She's an educational consultant, author, and today she's back on So Money to talk about the paperback relaunch of her book, now retitled Getting In Is Not Enough: The New Blueprint for Student Success Beyond Grades and College Admissions.We originally built this book around one idea: that grades and test scores don't teach kids how to actually run their lives. But when Ana sat down to revise it for the paperback, she realized the AI-driven workforce made the argument even more urgent — and that the four pillars she teaches (systems, connections, perspective, and acceptance) aren't just for teenagers. They're for anyone navigating a messy transition, whether that's a 22-year-old moving back home after graduation or a 52-year-old rebuilding a career from scratch.We talk about why friend groups shouldn't live in one place, why "choices" is the most stress-reducing word in the English language, and why Ana thinks parents often struggle with disappointment more than their kids do. Plus: her honest take on where AI genuinely helps, where it gets in the way, and what it means to build an entrepreneurial blueprint of your own.