Vivian gets real about how to survive summer wedding season without blowing your budget. In this episode, she breaks down the true cost of being a wedding guest, from the obvious expenses to the sneaky ones no one warns you about, and shares exactly how to celebrate your friends without putting yourself in a financial hole.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. What attending a wedding actually costs…  from gifts and travel to hidden expenses like outfits, pre-wedding events, and all the little things that quietly add up.

2. How to build a three-tier wedding budget so you can confidently decide what you can afford, avoid overspending, and know when it’s okay to say no.

3. The smartest ways to save on wedding travel, including credit card strategies, booking hacks, and international tips like VAT refunds that can put real money back in your pocket.

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Check out and download Vivian's new app, ⁠Ask Dolly!

Vivian gets candid about what the Federal Reserve, aka the Fed, actually is and how it affects you! In this episode, she breaks down everything you need to know about the Federal Reserve to make wise and informed decisions with your money.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. What the Federal Reserve actually is, why it was created, and how this one institution quietly controls the interest rates on your mortgage, credit cards, student loans, and retirement savings.

2. What it actually means when the Fed raises or cuts rates: who wins, who loses, and why their decisions almost never make everyone happy at the same time.

3. Why Trump's push to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell and board member Lisa Cook is such a big deal, what it would mean for your wallet if he succeeds, and why both Republicans and Democrats are drawing the line here.

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Got a financial question you want answered in a future episode? Email us at [email protected]

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Vivian sat down with Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein, founders of "Cheap Old Houses," and hosts of HGTV's Who's Afraid of a Cheap Old House, for a conversation about home ownership in the modern era.

1. How Ethan and Elizabeth turned a passion for affordable homes into a 2.9 million follower movement, and why they believe a cheap old house is actually a smarter financial move than a brand-new build.

2. The green flags and red flags to look for when buying a fixer-upper, how much money and time to realistically budget for a renovation, and which projects you can DIY versus when to call a pro.

3. How to find deals that never show up on Zillow, what resources exist to save money during renovation, and the secrets behind buying a house for $27K at auction.

Keep up with the Finkelsteins' on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cheapoldhouses/, watch their HGTV show Who's Afraid of a Cheap Old House, and grab a copy of their book at https://www.cheapoldhouses.com/book/.

Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok!

Host: Vivian Tu 

Producer: Grace Rittenhouse

Editor: Fringe Podcasts
Got a financial question you want answered in a future episode? Email us at [email protected]

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Vivian sits down with Codie Sanchez, Wall Street veteran turned business acquisition expert and founder of Contrarian Thinking, for a conversation about building real wealth through buying boring businesses. 

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. How Codie's years on Wall Street shaped the way she thinks about money, hustle, and building wealth.

2. What "buying boring businesses" actually means, and how small business acquisitions can fit into a regular person's financial portfolio.

3. How to know if a business is set up to succeed or fail, what it takes to go from breaking even to actually profiting, and the practical steps you can take right now to stop trading time for money and start building lasting wealth.

Check out Codie on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/codiesanchez/ and check out her work at https://codiesanchez.com/. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok!

Host: Vivian Tu 

Producer: Grace Rittenhouse

Editor: Fringe Podcasts

Got a financial question you want answered in a future episode? Email us at [email protected]

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Vivian sits down with Kara Loewentheil, lawyer turned life coach, speaker, and NYT bestselling author for a candid conversation about women’s financial literacy, and how to make decisions with confidence!

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. What the "brain gap" actually is, how a sexist society has been quietly shaping the way women think about money long before we ever opened our first bank account, and why the pay gap and motherhood penalty are still very much alive today.

2. The three biggest money lies women have been taught since childhood and the specific structures still working against us today. Plus how to start pushing back in your everyday life.

3. Why "know your worth" is actually terrible negotiation advice for women, what the Confidence Compass is and how to use it to reframe your relationship with money, and how to start making more intentional, confident decisions across your finances, your career, and your life.

Check out Kara on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/karaloewentheil/ and learn more about her work at https://schoolofnewfeministthought.com/

Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok!

Host: Vivian Tu 

Producer: Grace Rittenhouse

Editor: Fringe Podcasts 

Got a financial question you want answered in a future episode? Email us at [email protected] 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Vivian's birthday and she's giving YOU the gift. Turning 32 means it's time for 32 real life and money lessons. 

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. Why you should never take advice from anyone you don't want to be, why the harder path isn't always the right one, and the small daily habits that actually move the needle on your finances and your life, way more than grinding on hard mode ever will.

2. Why individualism is quietly making you broke, why you should never take the first salary offer, and how negotiating, not just at work, but in every area of life, is the skill that separates the people who get what they want from the people who leave money on the table.

3. The real lessons about love, friendship breakups, family and money boundaries, and learning to sit with the hard stuff instead of running from it. Plus why rest, spite, and a popsicle in the shower might be the most underrated tools in your arsenal.

Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok!

Host: Vivian Tu 

Producer: Grace Rittenhouse

Editor: Fringe Podcasts 
Got a financial question you want answered in a future episode? Email us at [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vivian sat down live at SXSW with California Governor Gavin Newsom for a candid conversation about why everything feels so expensive right now, how the government is and isn't showing up for everyday Americans, and what it will actually take to close the wealth gap.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. How Governor Newsom's upbringing between two very different worlds — his mom working multiple jobs and his dad's connections to the Getty family — shaped the way he thinks about wealth, power, and opportunity, and what his experience as a small business owner taught him about the difference between running a company and running a government.

2. The biggest financial obstacles standing between Americans and a better quality of life today, why generational wealth and the housing crisis sit at the center of the problem, and what policy changes could actually move the needle structurally.

3. How to think about the role of government in your personal finances, what resources already exist that most people aren't taking advantage of, and what Governor Newsom believes is flying under the radar that every American should be paying attention to right now.

4. What Governor Newsom would do if he could pass one economic policy tomorrow with zero opposition, whether AI will make inequality worse before it gets better, and — because Vivian had to ask — what's actually next for Gavin Newsom.

Check out Governor Newsom’s new book YOUNG MAN IN A HURRY!

Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok!

Host: Vivian Tu 

Producer: Grace Rittenhouse

Editor: Fringe Podcasts

Got a financial question you want answered in a future episode? Email us at [email protected]

Support from the show comes from Hostinger: http://hostinger.com/richbff

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Vivian sits down with Julissa Prado, founder of Rizos Curls, for a candid conversation about what it really takes to build a beauty brand from scratch and what it costs, personally and financially, to bet on yourself as a Latina entrepreneur.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. How Julissa's lifelong search for products that actually worked for her curls turned into a business; including how much she personally invested to get Rizos Curls off the ground, what the early bootstrapping days really looked like, and where the name came from.

2. The money lessons Julissa grew up with, the ones she had to unlearn, and how her relationship with money evolved from before she became an entrepreneur to building a brand with a loyal, growing customer base.

3. The real revenue numbers behind Rizos Curls; her best months, her worst months, how much gets reinvested in the business, the biggest financial mistake she made while building, and how she decides what to pay herself as the founder.

4. How community has always been at the heart of Rizos Curls, why uplifting immigrant and Latina communities is central to the brand's mission, and how Julissa has used her platform to fundraise and drive real impact.

Keep up with Julissa https://www.instagram.com/julissa_prado/ and Rizos Curls https://www.instagram.com/rizoscurls/

Plus use code RICHBFF to get 10% off your Rizos Curls purchase between March 11– April 11!

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Got a financial question you want answered in a future episode? Email us at [email protected]

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Vivian takes the stage at 92NY in New York City for a live book tour celebration of her second book, Well Endowed — and Heather McMahan is there to make sure things get a little chaotic. In front of a packed crowd, the two sit down for an unfiltered, hilarious, and genuinely eye-opening conversation about money, financial honesty with your partner, real estate and so much more.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. What Well Endowed is really about — the thesis behind the book, why Vivian wrote it, what she wished she knew before she started, and the ideas she kept coming back that made her realize this needed to be a whole second book.

2. The biggest money misconceptions people have about getting older and building wealth, why the personal finance conversation has shifted dramatically in the last few years, and the core wealth-building principles she believes are non-negotiable no matter what the economy is doing.

3. Why everyone needs to understand trusts and wills. Plus, the estate planning basics Vivian breaks down in Well Endowed, why most people put it off until it's too late, and the surprisingly simple steps you can take right now to protect your wealth, your assets, and the people you love, no matter how much (or how little) you have in your bank account.

Get your copy of WELL ENDOWED at https://www.yourrichbff.com/wellendowed

Special thanks to Heather McMahan for being an amazing moderator! Keep up with Heather on Instagram!

Follow the podcast on⁠ Instagram⁠ and⁠ TikTok⁠!

Got a financial question you want answered in a future episode? Email us at [email protected]

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Vivian sits down with Tori Dunlap, founder of Her First 100K and NYT bestselling author of Financial Feminist, for a conversation about money, power, and what it really takes for women to build wealth in 2026. Tori saved $100K by 25, turned that milestone into a multi-million dollar media company, and has spent years educating women about the importance of financial independence. 

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. The actual strategy behind saving $100K by 25 — the salary, the sacrifices, the timeline, and how to realistically hit that milestone in today's economy without the privilege-blind advice that makes you want to throw your phone across the room.

2. Why financial feminism is so much more than a buzzword: how the gender wealth gap, the pressure women face around money, and the lack of representation in investing spaces make building wealth as a woman a fundamentally different — and political — act, and what Tori is doing to change that.

3. What it takes to turn a personal finance win into a business empire, from the toughest decisions Tori has had to make as a founder, to why she believes women owning companies is one of the most powerful wealth-building moves of our generation, and the one money move everyone should be making right now.

Keep up with Tori on Instagram and at https://herfirst100k.com/. Plus, listen to Financial Feminist wherever you get your podcasts! 

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Got a financial question you want answered in a future episode? Email us at [email protected]

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Vivian sits down for an honest conversation with Zarna and Zoya Garg, the hilarious mother-daughter duo redefining what it means to build wealth, legacy, and success on your own timeline. Zarna went from Mumbai to Ohio, from lawyer to matchmaking entrepreneur to selling out comedy shows at 40—proving it's never too late to reinvent yourself. Now, she's touring with comedy legends, landing Hulu specials, and her daughter Zoya is right there building her company alongside her. Together, they're breaking down the immigrant money mindset, the real cost of chasing your dreams mid-life, and why the timeline we're sold for success is complete BS.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. The financial reality of reinvention, what it actually takes to walk away from a stable career at 40.

2. How immigrant family dynamics shape your relationship with money, risk, and ambition: from the pressure to pursue "safe" careers to navigating conversations about wealth, inheritance, and financial independence across generations.

3. What happens when you build a family business in the age of "nepo baby" discourse, how Zoya convinced her traditionally-minded mom she was the best person to grow the Garg empire, the money conversations every family should be having (but aren't), and why betting on yourself and your people might be the smartest financial move you ever make.

Keep up with Zarna and Zoya! Check out their podcast. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok!

Got a financial question you want answered in a future episode? Email us at [email protected]

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