Nicole is 56, single, and living in Raleigh, North Carolina, and she has a spreadsheet for everything. After her divorce left her saddled with debt, she spent two decades building a budget system so airtight she hasn't carried a credit card balance since. Now she's earning over $100k a year, paying off every card in full, and chipping away at a student loan she could settle tomorrow if she wanted to.

But when Nicole spent a week tracking every dollar for A Week in Her Wallet, she made a surprising discovery: she has far more money left over each month than she ever realized, and she’s ready to put it to work.

In this episode, Jean and Nicole cover:

• The medical billing maze that's costing Nicole more than it should
• The three-debit-card system Nicole built 
• Why a diagnosis changed how she thinks about spending on her own wellbeing
• The student loan she's been carrying strategically 
• What Nicole's retirement dream actually looks like

Pre-order Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck — your guide to building a secure, steady income stream for the retirement you've worked so hard for.

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If financial uncertainty is keeping you awake at night, this episode is for you. Author and journalist Simone Stolzoff joins Jean to talk about his new book, How To Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World That Demands Answers, and why learning to sit with the unknown might be the most powerful financial skill you can develop right now.

And in this week's Mailbag, Jean is joined by Lacy Garcia, founder and CEO of Willow, to help three listeners navigate inflection points in their lives: how to start dividing shared assets before a divorce is filed, what to do with your 401(k) after a layoff, and how to think about a lump-sum inheritance without letting fear or emotion drive the decision. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Good Enough Job by Simone Stolzoff
• Hanna Horvath, Your Brain on Money on Substack
• The Forever Paycheck by Jean Chatzky — available for pre-order now
• Subscribe to the HerMoney newsletter
• Ready to connect with a fiduciary advisor who's the right fit for you? Find one at hermoney.com/findanadvisor.

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This week, Jean sits down with Louise, 56, a high-tech executive who's burned out, stretched thin, and seriously asking herself whether it's time to walk away from her career.

Louise has done everything right: she and her husband have $3.2M in retirement accounts, over $400k in vested stock, a home worth almost $2 million, and 529s for the kids. But with a family of six to cover, and healthcare costs that could rival a mortgage, the math is murkier than it looks. Jean helps her think through what early retirement would actually cost, where the real risks are, and what she needs to figure out before she makes any moves.

In this episode:

• The Rule of 55 — what it is, how it works, and whether it's the right move
• Why the 4% rule may not be enough when you're only 56
• Healthcare on the open market: what it really costs for a family of six post-subsidy
• How unvested stock grants could completely change Louise's retirement picture
• Why your home equity belongs in your net worth calculation
• The case for finding a middle path between burnout and full retirement
• What to ask a financial advisor before making any early retirement decisions

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It was 1996 when a young journalist named Beth Kobliner published a book called Get A Financial Life, and for a whole generation of women in their twenties and thirties, it became the money bible they didn't know they needed. Thirty years later, Beth is back with a completely updated fifth edition, and the timing couldn't be more perfect.

This week, Jean sits down with Beth for a wide-ranging conversation about what thirty years of writing and talking about personal finance has taught them both, and why the fundamentals Beth wrote about in the 90s are more relevant, and more urgent, than ever. 

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why taking care of your own finances is one of the greatest gifts you can give your kids
• What Gen Z is actually getting right about money 
• Why slow and steady still wins
• The truth about neobanks, crypto, and gambling apps 
• The single most important money move a young person can make today that their future self will thank them for

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What does it actually look like to spend just $400 in a week… intentionally, joyfully, and with a clear-eyed plan for the future? This week on A Week in Her Wallet, Jean sits down with Ann, a 63-year-old Early Childhood Director from upstate New York, who is on a mission to build what she calls her "rich enough old lady future self."

Ann brings in over $100k a year, but her spending week clocked in at under $400, not because she's depriving herself, but because she's figured out exactly what she values and what she doesn't. From homemade iced coffee and Sunday meal prep to a cleaning splurge she refuses to apologize for, Ann's week is a masterclass in intentional money.

In this episode, Jean and Anne talk about:

• The "All About Me" account Anne created to spend guilt-free — and why it changed her relationship with money
• How a scarcity mindset from childhood still shows up today, even after buying window treatments she saved two years for
• Why Ann went from DIY-ing her investments to hiring a financial advisor, and why she calls it the best money she's ever spent
• Her paid-off Honda, "the green lady," and what shifting from luxury cars taught her about values
• Navigating finances in a new relationship after a 36-year marriage ended
• What she wants women in their late 50s and 60s, especially those feeling behind, to hear

If you want to be considered for a future episode of A Week in Her Wallet, fill out the form here, we'd love to hear from you.

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What's the best financial advice you've ever received? Not the trendiest tip or the hottest stock pick; what’s the wisdom that actually holds up over a lifetime? That's exactly the question Diane Harris, Deputy Editor of Kiplinger, put to 35 of the most trusted voices in personal finance…and the answers are as practical as they are profound.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why "spend less than you make" is still the foundation of everything, and what Jean says happens when you don't
• Peter Lynch's "elevator pitch" test for any stock you own (and why most people fail it)
• Teresa Ghilarducci's one-date-a-year rule for protecting yourself from panic-selling
• Why Christine Benz says paying off your mortgage early makes sense, even if the math says otherwise
• Diane’s number one personal finance tip she learned from taking care of her mother

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What does it actually feel like to be on the cusp of retirement and wonder if you're doing it right? This week, Jean sits down with two listeners, Nancy and Melissa, who are both asking the same underlying question: How do I make sure I don't run out of money in retirement, while still actually enjoying my life?

First, Jean talks with Nancy, 68, a soon-to-be retired nurse with $850K saved, a pension, and Social Security on the way. Nancy wants to renovate her bathrooms before she stops working, but she's torn between using her HELOC or tapping her nest egg. 

Then Jean hears from Melissa, 53, who, along with her husband, has $1.2M+ saved across tax-deferred, Roth, brokerage, and treasury accounts, and wonders if she's taking on too much risk. Jean helps her zoom out, look at the full financial picture, and think through what a bucket strategy or annuity could mean for her peace of mind.

In this episode:

• HELOC vs. refinance vs. pulling from savings; how to think through home improvement financing in retirement
• The 4% rule and when it makes sense to use it
• RMDs, IRMAA penalties, and why timing your withdrawals matters more than you think
• What 72% stocks actually look like when you account for your entire net worth
• Why hybrid long-term care policies might be worth a look
• How guaranteed income can actually free you to invest more aggressively with the rest

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Did you know that claiming Social Security at 62 instead of 70 could mean locking in a permanent 30% cut to your monthly benefits for life? 

In this episode, Jean sits down with Marcia Mantell, founder of Mantell Retirement Consulting and author of Social Security: Lightly Toasted, Not Burnt, to talk about what's really going on with Social Security's solvency, why Congress will almost certainly act before the fund runs dry, and how to make the best claiming decision for you.

In this episode:

• The truth behind the "benefit cuts are coming" headlines, and what they get wrong
• Why the 2032 trust fund deadline isn't the catastrophe it sounds like
• What "popcorn careers" are doing to women's Social Security benefits
• The divorced spouse rules that could mean hundreds of extra dollars a month
• Survivor benefits: what every married woman needs to plan for now
• The real cost of claiming early

Create your my Social Security account: ssa.gov

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What does a real week of spending look like for a busy working mom who also happens to be a landlord? This week on A Week In Her Wallet, we're heading to Annapolis, Maryland, to follow Larisa, a 48-year-old HR Director with a combined household income of $375,000, two kids in competitive sports, a dog, and a rental condo she's owned since her twenties.

We talk through it all: how she keeps a separate checking account just for rental income and expenses, why she almost always orders ahead for pickups at Sam's Club, and how she thinks about the guilt that still creeps in when she spends money on herself. Plus… Bucky's. If you've never stopped at Bucky's on a road trip down I-95, Larisa will make you want to.

In this episode, we cover:

• The good, the bad, and the ugly of owning a rental property, and how she budgets for the unpredictable
• How she handles big annual bills (like a $1,200 water assessment) without breaking a sweat
• How she uses a dependent care spending account to offset summer camp costs
• How splitting costs with her sister makes family vacations feel easy and fun

Want to be featured in A Week In Her Wallet? Every woman has a money story worth telling, and we want to hear yours. Fill out this form to be considered. We’d love to hear from you. 

Pre-order Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck, out September 9! Every pre-order helps get this book into more readers' hands — thank you for supporting the show and the book.

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You’ve planned for retirement. You’ve built your savings, mapped out your Social Security strategy, and thought through market risks. But what happens if one day, you can’t manage your money at all? It’s an uncomfortable question – and one many people avoid. Yet, research shows that cognitive decline can quietly undermine financial decision-making, often earlier than we expect, and with serious consequences. 

On this special episode of HerMoney, sponsored by LIMRA, Dr. Chris Heye, LIMRA Retirement Income Institute Fellow and CEO of Whealthcare Planning and Wealthcare Solutions, explains why health risks – especially cognitive decline – may be one of the biggest blind spots in retirement planning today. Then, Erin Gilmore Smith, Head of Estate Planning for Edelman Financial Engines, joins us to share practical steps you can take now to protect your finances, your family, and your future self. 

In this episode, they’ll highlight:

• Why health risks – and especially cognitive decline – might matter more than the markets
• How cognitive decline shows up in our finances, before we realize we have it
• Why women are more challenged when it comes to the risk of cognitive decline – and how we can protect ourselves
• Protected income can help create greater stability in retirement, especially in the face of potential cognitive decline.

If you’re curious and want to dig deeper, this resource from LIMRA can help:

Protect Your Retirement From Cognitive Decline: The Link Between Cognitive Health and Financial Security

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You saved diligently for your kids' education, and now that chapter is closing. So what happens to the money? Can you protect those tax benefits and roll the funds into something new? We're getting into it.

This week, Jean is joined by Lacy Garcia, founder and CEO of TrustWillow.com, a personalized advisor-matching platform that connects women and their families with vetted, fiduciary financial advisors who are legally required to act in your best interest, and who have been trained specifically in working with women's financial lives.

They dig into your mailbag questions from:

• Inge, who opened Coverdell ESAs for her kids 20 years ago, just got a notice that Vanguard is shutting down the program. What are her options for keeping that money tax-protected?
• An anonymous listener just paid off her husband's student loans and is officially done with daycare. Where should that newfound money go?
• Rebecca, who is recently divorced with a high school senior and a 529 that covers about one year of college. She wants to know: Are there financial planners who specialize in college planning?

🔗 Connect with a vetted fiduciary advisor at hermoney.com/findanadvisor

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