HerMoney with Jean Chatzky

Annuities might be one of the most misunderstood financial products out there – and they come with plenty of opinions…as well as questions. Are the fees really that high? Do advisors just push them for the commission? Could an annuity actually be the missing piece of your retirement plan? 

On this episode of the HerMoney Podcast, we’re cutting through the noise with two leading experts: Michael Finke and Tamiko Toland of LIMRA’s Retirement Income Institute. They’re busting the biggest annuity myths, answering questions straight from our HerMoney Community and helping you figure out whether this type of protected income deserves a spot in your financial future. 

Listen in to hear them cover:

A jargon-free explanation of annuity types and terms to be aware of

What to know if you’re buying an annuity – including how fees work

Whether there’s a “right” age to purchase an annuity

The next steps to take if an annuity sounds right for you

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For white-collar workers, the recent headlines about AI are more than a little bit fear-inducing. AI could automate millions of white-collar jobs within 18 months. College graduates are booing commencement speakers who bring it up. And women — whose jobs are three times more likely to be automated — are falling behind on AI adoption. So what do you actually do?

Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor has answers. Her new book, How to Start: Discovering Your Life's Work, grew out of a question her Columbia University students asked her that she couldn't shake: how, in this environment, are we supposed to find our life's work? The answer, it turns out, applies just as much to a woman reinventing herself at 52 as it does to a 22-year-old just starting out.

In this episode, Jean and Jodi get into:

The two things every successful, happy person has: craft and need

Why your messy, nonlinear résumé might be your biggest asset right now

How to get a real human being to respond to your job outreach in the age of AI screening

Jodi's three tips for cold outreach that actually work

And if you're thinking about what your financial future looks like through all of this change, pre-order Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck — your guide to building income that lasts as long as you do.
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A new study shows Americans expect to delay retirement by four years as the cost of living rises…and 4 in 10 aren't confident they'll have enough money to last. If that sent you into a spiral, this episode is your permission to exhale.

Historian, real estate investor, and early retiree Joseph S. Moore, PhD, spent years stress-testing three centuries of American financial advice, and what he found will reframe the way you think about retirement. His new book, How to Get Rich in American History: 300 Years of Financial Advice That Worked (and Didn't), makes the case that retirement anxiety is nothing new, and that every generation that's felt it has ended up being fine.

Then, Jean sits down with Lacy Garcia, founder and CEO of Willow, an award-winning platform that connects women with vetted fiduciary financial advisors who actually understand their lives. Jean and Lacy get refreshingly honest about the money moves they wish they'd made sooner: investing earlier, finding an advisor before they felt "ready," keeping an emergency fund, and having the money conversations they'd been putting off. 

Find a fiduciary advisor through Willow: hermoney.com/findanadvisor 

📚 Pre-order Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck
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We've been told to lean in, speak up, ask for the raise, and take up space. But what happens when doing everything right still isn't enough?

Journalist and financial expert Stefanie O'Connell joins Jean to talk about her deeply researched new book, The Ambition Penalty: How Corporate Culture Tells Women to Step Up — and Then Pushes Them Down.

In this conversation, Jean and Stefanie dig into why the girlboss era failed us, why women are penalized not for a lack of ambition but because of it, and what we can actually do about it.

They cover:

Why being fluent in the language of empowerment is not the same as actually being empowered

How the ambition penalty follows women outside the workplace 

Why you can't outwork inequality, but you can outorganize it

What it really takes to build a life where your ambition is championed, not penalized

And if you loved today's conversation, don't miss Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck — your guide to building a secure, steady income stream that lets you actually enjoy the retirement you've worked so hard for.
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If you've been feeling financially anxious lately, the numbers back you up. A record 55% of Americans say their financial situation is getting worse, and 67% say they're more afraid of running out of money than dying. 

This week, Jean sits down with Carrie Joy Grimes, author of the new book The Joy of Money, for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about financial anxiety, behavioral science, and exactly what wealthy people are doing with their money right now.

In this episode, we cover:

What wealthy people do differently with their money during volatile markets

The Life Happens Fund: why a basic emergency fund isn't enough and how to build a real financial cushion

The three-step self-compassion practice backed by behavioral science that helps you stop shame-spiraling over money mistakes

The "Good Enough Retirement Vision" exercise that will help you stop feeling paralyzed about the future

And if today's conversation got you thinking about your financial future, don't miss Jean's brand new book, The Forever Paycheck.
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