HerMoney with Jean Chatzky

The entire American retirement system was built for people with a steady employer, a predictable paycheck, and benefits that are easy to opt in to. But that’s just not how a huge number of people make money anymore. Freelancers, consultants, gig workers, seasonal workers, and side-hustlers are building their financial lives without a 401(k) match or a biweekly deposit, and “just save more” won’t cut it.

Jean talks with AJ Ayers, CFP®, co-founder of Brooklyn Fi and author of Creative Money. AJ shares practical, realistic advice for artists, freelancers, and solopreneurs, whether you chose self-employment or the job market chose it for you.

In this episode:

How to set up your finances when you go out on your own

How self-employment differs in your 50s versus your 30s

How much to keep in an emergency fund when your income is unpredictable

Jean is hosting a free Forever Paycheck book club November 17th at 7 ET. Sign up here!
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Botox can run $500 to $1,000 per visit. Add a laser, a peel, a monthly facial membership, and perhaps a facelfit, and suddenly you’re talking about five figures.

On this episode, Jean Chatzky is joined by Val Monroe, former beauty director at O, The Oprah Magazine, and writer of the Substack How Not to F*ck Up Your Face, to sort out what’s worth paying for and what you’re being sold.

In this episode:

What to ask before you pay for a procedure: what results you’ll see on your face, how long they’ll last, and whether the consultation fee is applied to the procedure

Why Val recommends a consultation with a doctor you trust

Botox or a chemical peel? Why they do different jobs

Mentioned in this episode

I’m Not Going to Lie About My Neck, Molly Jong-Fast, The New York Times

My Post-Face-Lift Panic, Tara Ellison, The Cut

Your Perfectly Imperfect Face, Val Monroe’s latest Substack post

I'm hosting a free Forever Paycheck book club on November 17th at 7 ET. ⁠Sign up here!
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Ask a financial pro how they invest their own money, and the answer usually isn’t flashy. That’s the idea behind How I Invest My Money: Volume 2, a collection of 25 essays from financial pros, each answering one question: How do you invest your money?

Jean sits down with behavioral finance expert and editor Brian Portnoy to talk about what the experts do, why they don’t always agree, and how to give yourself permission to enjoy the money you’ve worked so hard to save.

In this episode:

Why the experts disagree on international investing

How to figure out what matters most to you with Brian’s “four Cs”

Why lifelong savers have such a hard time spending, and how to give yourself permission to enjoy life now

How Brian invests his own money

I'm hosting a free Forever Paycheck book club on November 17th at 7 ET. ⁠Sign up here!
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How much do you need to retire, not just comfortably, but happily, in 2026?

Recorded live at FinCon, Jean Chatzky sat down with Wes Moss, author of The Retire Sooner Method: The 5 Secrets Behind America's Happiest (and Unhappiest) Retirees.

Then, HerMoney Chief Content Officer Kathryn Tuggle is joined by Lacy Garcia of Willow for National Financial Planning Month. They get into why successful women still benefit from working with a financial advisor, how to think about giving to family without compromising your own plan, and how much flexibility you really have to make a big career move.

Lacy also shares the questions to ask a prospective advisor before you hire one.

To find a vetted fiduciary CFA or CDFA, visit https://hermoney.com/findanadvisor/. Jean is hosting a free Forever Paycheck book club November 17th at 7 ET. Sign up here!
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The ten years before retirement are your last, best chance to get it right. In this episode, Jean and Anne Lester, author of Your Best Financial Life, former head of Retirement Solutions for J.P. Morgan Asset Management, and a fellow with LIMRA’s Retirement Income Institute, break down what the ten years before retirement should really look like and everything you need to tackle to enter retirement with confidence.

They cover:

How to assess your retirement landscape without needing a “perfect” answer

Social Security, including whether to wait to claim and what you gain by delaying

How to take your retirement budget for a test drive before you retire

Why the day you stop saving and start withdrawing is your riskiest, and how to adjust your asset allocation as you near it

How guaranteed income changes how much risk you can afford to take

The emotional side of retirement, including figuring out who you’ll be next and what will give your days meaning

Lester’s 3 must-dos for the decade before retirement: understand your spending, know your assets, and get to know yourself

Ready for more? This free guide from LIMRA walks you through the key milestones to consider as retirement approaches, helping you move from simply saving for this chapter to actually living it to the fullest.
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