HerMoney with Jean Chatzky

We all have a list… things we watched our parents do as they got older and swore we'd never do ourselves. We'd stay active. We'd embrace technology. We'd get the hearing aid. And then life happens. Washington Post columnist and author Steven Petrow has been thinking about this for nearly 20 years, and he joins Jean today to talk about the aging and money mistakes we make despite our very best intentions, and how to find your way back to joy even in the darkest chapters.

Steven is the author of Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old and his latest book, The Joy You Make, and he brings his signature honesty and humor to conversations about aging, money, loss, and starting over.

In this episode, we cover:

Why we all turn into our parents in the end, and why that's not entirely a bad thing

How Steven found joy after losing both parents, going through a divorce, and watching his sister Julie battle Stage 4 ovarian cancer, all in the same year

Why joy isn't the fireworks, and the small, everyday moments that actually sustain us

Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck, is your guide to building a secure, steady income stream so you can age on your own terms and actually enjoy the retirement you've worked so hard for.
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Nobody wants to think about the possibility of losing their spouse to Alzheimer's. But what if planning ahead meant considering something as unexpected as divorce? That's exactly the question Susan is grappling with today.

Susan is 62, still working, and earning around $100K a year. Her husband is 65 and already retired. Together they've built a solid financial foundation — over $778K in investments, $181K in savings, and more than $762K in assets, all with no debt. By most measures, they're in great shape. But the potential cost of memory care and assisted living has them worried that everything they've worked for could be wiped out.

In this episode, Jean and Susan cover:

What a "Medicaid divorce" actually is, and whether it's a legitimate financial strategy

How Medicaid spend-down rules work and what they mean for married couples

What asset protection strategies exist beyond divorce

How to think through the emotional and financial costs of planning for a spouse's cognitive decline

If today's conversation made you think about how to protect your retirement, Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck, is the perfect next step.
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What if the most important phase of retirement is the one nobody talks about? This week, Jean sits down with Dana Anspach, CFP, to walk through the four phases of retirement outlined in her new book, Living Off Your Acorns: Your Guide to the Four Phases of Retirement, including the phase she argues matters most of all: the Pre-Go years.

Dana breaks down what to expect at every stage — from building your foundation before you retire, to navigating the emotional and financial shifts that come after — and shares the real stories of clients who had to course-correct, pivot, and reimagine what retirement could look like for them.

In this episode, Jean and Dana cover:

What the Pre-Go phase is, why it matters, and when it typically begins

Why so many high achievers struggle to envision retirement

What a $1 million retirement savings goal actually buys you in 2026

How to course-correct if you're behind on savings in your 50s and 60s

If today's conversation made you think about saving enough for your retirement, Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck, is the perfect next step.
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The economy added 172,000 jobs in May, nearly double what economists expected. So why did consumer sentiment just hit a record low? Why does everything still feel so hard?

In this episode, Jean sits down with Sarah Foster, Personal Finance Reporter at Bloomberg, to break down what's really going on beneath the surface of those headline numbers, and what it means for your job, your home, and your retirement savings.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why keeping your money in a traditional savings account right now means you're slowly losing ground

What the lock-in effect really means for women who want to downsize before retirement

How to think about home equity as a retirement tool

The one financial move Sarah says everyone should make right now

Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck, is available for pre-order now. It's your guide to building a secure, steady income stream that actually lets you enjoy the retirement you've worked so hard for.
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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

Learn more: Most people want protected income for life. Few realize that’s what annuities provide. This resource from LIMRA covers everything you need to know.
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