Financial independence calculators allow us to understand the path we’re on—so we can either feel good about proceeding, or get on a different one. So, using the new features we added to the 2025 Wealth Planner, we’ll explore all the considerations that might impact your own projections—from temporary expenses you won’t need to support forever (like childcare) to future pension income that’ll lower your investment needs. 

💰 JOIN THE 2025 WEALTH PLANNER WAITLIST FOR 25% OFF AT LAUNCH.

Listening after the Wealth Planner launch? Use MWKSHOW for 10% off.

Transcripts, show notes, production credits, and more can be found at: https://moneywithkatie.com/fi-timeline.

Money with Katie’s mission is to be the intersection where the economic, cultural, and political meet the tactical, practical, personal finance education everyone needs.

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Rich Girl Lauren lives in an expensive city, and her parents are offering her some money—but she only gets the money as a down payment for a home and she’ll have to pay it back eventually. Is it worth it? And separately, how are home buyers affected by the recent NAR agreement?

We are not licensed professionals; please do your own due diligence.

Rich Girl Roundup is Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and her Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month, we'll put out a call for questions on her Instagram (@moneywithkatie). New episodes every week.

💰 JOIN THE 2025 MONEY WITH KATIE WAITLIST FOR 25% OFF AT LAUNCH

Transcript, show resources, production credits, and more can be found at: https://moneywithkatie.com/down-payment-help.

Money with Katie’s mission is to be the intersection where the economic, cultural, and political meet the tactical, practical, personal finance education everyone needs.

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At her career’s height, Lacy was earning more than a million dollars per year (!) as an executive at a major bank. Then, one early morning, Lacy woke up and realized she was unable to hear anything in her left ear, experiencing something called sudden sensorineural hearing loss. She feared the worst: Her career, as she knew it, was over.

Fortunately, Lacy had purchased a valuable insurance policy a decade earlier. And you don’t have to be pulling down seven figures like Lacy to benefit in the same way.

Transcripts, show notes, production credits, and more can be found at: https://moneywithkatie.com/disability-insurance.

Money with Katie’s mission is to be the intersection where the economic, cultural, and political meet the tactical, practical, personal finance education everyone needs.

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In this week’s Rich Girl Roundup, Cassie asks what financial considerations she should discuss with her long-term partner and co-parent. Katie and Henah review the financial advantages of legally marrying, and how to potentially work those benefits into a different type of legal agreement. They are not certified financial or legal professionals; please do your own due diligence.

Rich Girl Roundup is Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and her Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month, we'll put out a call for questions on her Instagram (@moneywithkatie). New episodes every week.

Transcript, show resources, production credits, and more can be found at: https://moneywithkatie.com/unmarried-finances.

Money with Katie’s mission is to be the intersection where the economic, cultural, and political meet the tactical, practical, personal finance education everyone needs.

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

In our "money dysmorphia" episode, a theme emerged that I wanted to revisit: Money anxiety increasing with income, not decreasing. While most of us are probably familiar with the law of diminishing marginal returns and accept that after a certain point, money won’t make us any happier, the idea that money could make us actively unhappier is pretty antithetical to the entire capitalist enterprise.

So to get the inside track, we invited Clay Cockrell, a therapist for the ultra high-net worth, to talk through some theories about why someone might experience enhanced anxiety as they ascend the income ladder—and what it might mean you need to do next.

Transcripts, show notes, production credits, and more can be found at: https://moneywithkatie.com/more-money-more-anxiety.

Money with Katie’s mission is to be the intersection where the economic, cultural, and political meet the tactical, practical, personal finance education everyone needs.

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In this week's Rich Girl Roundup, Rich Girl Kelly S. asks, "Any resources for using a job offer to leverage more money in your current position? Is this a thing?" Katie and Henah share some suggestions, considerations, and a template for how to approach the conversation.

Rich Girl Roundup is Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and her Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month, we'll put out a call for questions on her Instagram (@moneywithkatie). New episodes every week.

Transcript, show resources, production credits, and more can be found at: https://moneywithkatie.com/negotiate-current-job.

Money with Katie’s mission is to be the intersection where the economic, cultural, and political meet the tactical, practical, personal finance education everyone needs.

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

If you’ve ever found yourself feeling skeptical about capitalism (or the idea that its current iteration is the best and only economic system worthy of our attention), this episode is for you. 

My guest, Grace Blakeley, recently published a book called Vulture Capitalism in which she tees up what we fundamentally misunderstand about capitalism and knocks down the many half-truths that enable the status quo's most powerful narratives.

Transcripts, show notes, production credits, and more can be found at: https://moneywithkatie.com/capitalism.

Money with Katie’s mission is to be the intersection where the economic, cultural, and political meet the tactical, practical, personal finance education everyone needs.

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

"I'm going to retire early, but my husband isn't. How do we approach our separate finances in early retirement?" asks a listener who's still interested in taking advantage of financial independence tax loopholes.

Reminder: We are not certified financial professionals, and this is not financial advice—please work with a CFP and CPA.

Rich Girl Roundup is Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and her Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month, we'll put out a call for questions on her Instagram (@moneywithkatie). New episodes every week.

Transcript, show resources, production credits, and more can be found at: https://moneywithkatie.com/different-fi-timelines.

Money with Katie’s mission is to be the intersection where the economic, cultural, and political meet the tactical, practical, personal finance education everyone needs.

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

See why we’ve been named one of the top personal finance podcasts by US News and have nearly 10 million downloads, and check out The Money with Katie Show wherever you get your podcasts.

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For the first time ever, we're updating an episode we did back in 2022, all about money management systems. I’m detailing the two-track approach I recommend to hit your financial goals with minimal stress, because by taking advantage of the two big As—Automation and Amortization—you can put your financial life on the third A (Autopilot). (Sorry, I’ll stop.)

I am not a licensed financial professional, so please do your own due dil.

Transcripts, show notes, production credits, and more can be found at: https://moneywithkatie.com/money-management.

Money with Katie’s mission is to be the intersection where the economic, cultural, and political meet the tactical, practical, personal finance education everyone needs.

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

One listener reached out to ask, "If I know I'm getting an inheritance, how can I ask my parents for it earlier? It'll go further now in my 30s than later." We address if that's the best move, considerations to keep in mind, and ways to thoughtfully position the ask.

Rich Girl Roundup is Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and her Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month, we'll put out a call for questions on her Instagram (@moneywithkatie). New episodes every week.

Transcript, show resources, production credits, and more can be found at: https://moneywithkatie.com/early-inheritance.

Money with Katie’s mission is to be the intersection where the economic, cultural, and political meet the tactical, practical, personal finance education everyone needs.

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