You've heard the rules. Subtract your age from 100. Go 60/40. Play it safer as you get older. But what if those long-held guidelines have been steering you wrong and costing you?

Yale finance professor James Choi returns to HerMoney to share groundbreaking research that could change the way you think about your investments forever. His new asset allocation formula goes far beyond the traditional rules of thumb, factoring in your income, your savings, your risk tolerance, and something most investment guidelines completely ignore: the future paychecks you haven't earned yet.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why the "100 minus your age" rule and the classic 60/40 portfolio have a critical blind spot 
• The concept of "human capital" and why your future paychecks function like a bond in your overall wealth portfolio
• How the formula shifts dramatically for mid-career investors, and why the size of your nest egg matters more than you think
• What near-retirees and women already in retirement should really know about how much risk to take on

Resources mentioned in this episode:

James Choi's allocation spreadsheet calculator

The Wall Street Journal piece on James's research

Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck (coming Sept 2026)

Subscribe to the free twice-weekly HerMoney newsletter

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Q1 2026 has been a lot. Tariffs. Oil above $100 a barrel. A war in the Middle East. Recession chatter. Stock market swings. And the creeping feeling that something has shifted in the economy… and not for the better.

This week, Jean Chatzky sits down with economist and fan-favorite guest Kathryn Edwards for a full Q1 economic report card and a roadmap for what Q2 might bring. 

In this episode:

• The K-shaped economy explained
• Why the White House's 4% growth projection was never realistic, and how we got from boom talk to recession odds so fast
• How long oil prices need to stay elevated before the economic damage becomes truly lasting
• Why Kathryn is still an optimist, and why she believes Americans are resilient to change

Links mentioned:

Follow Kathryn on socials: @kedseconomist

Subscribe to Optimist Economy wherever you get your podcasts

Join InvestingFixx — your first two classes are free!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When was the last time you felt truly in control of your time? Not your calendar, not your to-do list…your time? If the answer is "I can't remember," this episode is for you.

Jean Chatzy is joined by Andy Hill, AFC, founder of Marriage, Kids, and Money, and author of Own Your Time: 10 Financial Steps to Put Your Family First and Escape the Corporate Grind. Together, they tackle your most pressing mailbag questions about the real tension so many of us are feeling right now: how do you balance saving aggressively for the future with actually enjoying your life today?

In this episode:

• A 41-year-old high earner wants to know what to do with extra money beyond maxing out her accounts
• A 54-year-old asks whether her financial advisor is right that fully funding her 401 (k) won't make much difference. 
• A 52-year-old is stretched thin between her career and caring for her aging mom and wonders: Is it financially irresponsible to step back during her peak-earning years?
• Andy also shares how he and his wife hit their Coast FIRE number, redesigned their lives around a 20-hour workweek, and what the first move looks like if you want to do the same.

Ready to make your money work harder so you don't have to? Join InvestingFixx and learn how to build a portfolio that buys back your time.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're earning more than you ever have. You're doing everything you were told to do. So why does it still feel like you can't get ahead?

This week, Jean sits down with Hanna Horvath, CFP, personal finance journalist, and writer behind the Substack Your Brain on Money, to talk about why so many women are struggling with money right now, and why it probably has a lot less to do with your choices than you think.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why GDP being up and your life feeling hard are not contradictory, and what's actually driving the disconnect
• The concept of mattering, and why losing your sense of economic contribution can feel like an identity crisis
• The four money behaviors that show up when economic anxiety takes hold
• Why community investment is one of the most underrated strategies for financial resilience
• The one question to ask yourself before every spending decision

Join InvestingFixx, our twice-monthly women-only investing club. Your first two classes are always free.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Markets are swinging. There's a war with Iran. Oil is spiking. And if your stomach has been dropping every time you look at your portfolio, Stephanie Link has something to say about that.

Stephanie is Chief Investment Strategist and Portfolio Manager at Hightower Advisors, and a longtime CNBC contributor with more than 30 years of experience managing money through every kind of market cycle. She joined Jean Chatzky this week to cut through the noise and tell us exactly what she's doing with money right now.

Stephanie shares her boldest market calls for the rest of 2026, including why she's bullish on Brazil and why its role in the AI power story is completely underappreciated, which sectors she's watching closely, and why the fear that AI is going to kill software companies is, in her words, overdone.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why Stephanie says it's impossible to time the market, and what to do instead
• Her top three international markets right now
• The AI infrastructure food chain, and which industries stand to benefit most
• How much crypto she actually holds in her own portfolio
• The one book every new investor should read 

Connect with Stephanie Link: LinkedIn: Stephanie Link X: @Stephanie_Link Hightower Advisors: hightoweradvisors.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When retirement plans fall apart, we tend to assume it’s because someone overspent – maybe on travel, hobbies, or helping the kids a little too much. But, often, that’s not what does the real damage. It’s healthcare costs. 

Dr. Carolyn McClanahan – a physician turned fee-only financial planner – joins Jean Chatzky on this special episode of the HerMoney Podcast, sponsored by LIMRA, to share how unexpected health costs impact women, and how you can better prepare so they don’t derail your financial security. 

In the episode, they’ll break down:

• What people get wrong about healthcare costs – and why women face greater risks
• The Medicare misconceptions that can cost you
• How to prepare for the hidden threat of cognitive decline 
• What you can do to better plan for unexpected healthcare costs

After tuning in, complete this “Healthcare and Aging Game Plan” worksheet from our friends at LIMRA. It will help you outline your healthcare priorities, decisions, and anticipated expenses in retirement, as well as prepare you to talk through these topics with your financial advisor.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oil prices have surged past $100 a barrel, three ships were struck near the Strait of Hormuz just yesterday, and the word "recession" is creeping back into the conversation. And we’re all feeling more than just a little bit anxious about what that means for our money.

On this special bonus episode, Jean Chatzky sits down with Claudia Sahm, former Fed section chief, senior economist under President Obama, and creator of the Sahm Rule, a recession indicator that has been 100% accurate going back to 1959. Claudia breaks down exactly what's happening with oil prices and why it affects everything from your gas tank to your grocery bill to your retirement account. 

She explains what the Sahm Rule actually is, why she's cautioning people not to over-rely on it right now, and what she means when she says she just doesn't have "a good feeling" about this economy.

Links mentioned:

• Claudia's Substack: Stay-At-Home Macro (SAHM)
• Claudia's writing at Bloomberg Opinion
• Join InvestingFixx — your first two classes are free!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if everything the wellness industry is selling you is actually making your life worse…not longer? This week, Jean Chatzky sits down with Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, oncologist, bioethicist, and author of Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long, Healthy Life, for one of the most thought-provoking conversations we've had on HerMoney.

Then we're joined by Lacey Garcia, founder and CEO of Willow, for this week's mailbag. Because once you've thought hard about how long you might actually live, the next question is: do you have the right financial guidance to match? Jean and Lacey walk through three real listener questions about when to hire a financial advisor, when a one-time planning session is enough, and how to stop feeling embarrassed about your numbers and start getting the help you deserve.

Get matched with a vetted fiduciary financial advisor who specializes in working with women: hermoney.com/findanadvisor

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the next decade, roughly $30 trillion is expected to move into the hands of women, and the question isn't just what women will inherit. It's what they'll build.

This week, Jean Chatzky sits down with Janine Firpo, an impact investor and co-founder of Invest for Better, to talk about Our Sheconomy, a data-backed initiative that models what the world would look like if women had held equal economic and political power since 1925. 

But this episode isn't just about a hypothetical future. It's about the very real, very practical steps you can take right now — no matter how much (or how little) you have — to invest in alignment with your values without sacrificing returns.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to audit your current portfolio for impact using free tools (including one Janine swears by
• Why ESG isn't a political buzzword — it's a risk management to
• How to start impact investing for as little as $100

Ready to put Janine's advice into action? Join InvestingFixx, Jean's twice-monthly women-only investing club, where expert stock pickers bring ideas to the table, and a community of women learn and win together. Your first two classes are always free.

Resources:

As You Sow – Invest Your Values

Our Sheconomy

Invest for Better

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do we keep doing the things we know aren’t good for our finances? Whether it’s emotional spending, avoiding a growing credit card balance, over-controlling every dollar, or saying “yes” to spending when we really mean “no”. So many of our money habits aren’t about math; they’re about emotion.

This week, Jean Chatzky sits down with licensed marriage and family therapist and mental health educator Kati Morton, author of the new book Why Do I Keep Doing This?, to unpack the psychology behind the patterns that keep us stuck, especially when it comes to money.

In this episode, we explore:

• The difference between healthy control and control that quietly sabotages us
• Why emotional spending happens — and how it differs from compulsive spending
• How financial insecurity in childhood can shape our careers, relationships, and money mindset
• Why the world feeling “out of control” can trigger impulsive financial decisions
• How women nearing retirement can navigate financial anxiety during major life transitions
• Practical tools to help break the cycle

And if you’re ready to take control of your financial future in an intentional way, join us in InvestingFixx, our investing community designed to help you build confidence, clarity, and long-term wealth.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does a real week of spending look like for a 55-year-old director of technology earning $212,000 a year? In this episode of A Week in Her Wallet, Jean Chatzky talks with Kortne, a Texas-based executive, marathoner, and mom of two adult daughters, who tracked every dollar she spent over seven days.

Kortne grew up in a working-class family in Detroit and says she’s intentional about enjoying her money now — especially when it comes to experiences. She’s run all six Abbott World Marathon Majors, travels frequently, and invests heavily in her health. At the same time, she’s focused on retirement planning, savings, and making sure her lifestyle remains sustainable long term.

🎧 Want to be featured on A Week in Her Wallet? Apply here.

💸 Ready to grow your investing skills? Join InvestingFixx — our women-only investing club. Your first two classes are free.

📩 Love the show? Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts — it helps more women find the show.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices