1899: My Frightening Financial Stories

Financial fear is common and quite frankly, normal. In this episode, Farnoosh breaks down some of the pivotal financial moments in her life where the underpinning emotion was fear. Starting all the way back in her early childhood. Then we hit the mail bag and answer questions about life insurance for kids, using a Roth IRA as an emergency account and where to allocate charitable giving this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine a world where you were no longer expected to compete. That’s the world today’s guest, Ruchika T. Malhotra, invites us to imagine—and to start building.You may remember Ruchika from her last appearance on So Money, when she turned our understanding of imposter syndrome upside down, revealing it not as a personal flaw, but as a systemic one. Her new book, UNCOMPETE: Rejecting Competition to Unlock Success, does something equally radical: it questions the very belief that competition is healthy—or even necessary—for success.Ruchika argues that our obsession with rivalry and scarcity thinking has made us anxious, exhausted, and disconnected. She calls for a new framework built on collaboration, abundance, radical generosity, inclusion, and solidarity—principles that might sound soft, until you realize how much they fuel innovation, well-being, and long-term wealth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the year winds down, many of us are asking, "What should I take care of financially before December 31st? What can wait until the new year? And how can I build a spending plan that actually reflects the life I want to live?"We're going to explore all of this, including how to think about emergency funds, the current economic cycle, and how that might affect our plans, as well as the myths around working with a financial planner. To help answer these questions, I've got a great guest, Adrianna Adams, CFP, and Head of Financial Planning at Domain Money, which is a modern financial planning platform on a mission to make expert guidance more accessible, personalized, and transparent.Adriana has worked everywhere from Wall Street to startups and now leads a team helping clients align their money with their goals and their values.**I am not a client of Domain Money. I am paid by the Firm to promote its services, which means they I have a financial incentive to say positive things. This should not be taken as investment advice, and results for clients may differ.**To learn more about Domain Money visit www.domainmoney.com/somoney Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is a replay from April 11, 2025.Joining me today for a very special Ask Farnoosh episode is Maggie Johndrow, a seasoned wealth advisor and partner with Johndrow Wealth Management. Maggie brings her signature calm, clear-headed guidance to our turbulent financial times — and let's be honest, we could all use a little Maggie in our wallets right now.In this episode, we tackle some of the most pressing money questions on your mind as headlines swirl with talk of tariffs, market volatility, and a possible recession. Maggie walks us through:•The behavioral traps investors are falling into right now (hello, regret aversion and herd mentality) — and how to avoid them.•Her smart and simple "three-bucket strategy" for managing your investments during uncertain times, especially if you're nearing retirement or need access to cash soon.•How tariffs might hit our wallets — from rising consumer prices to the potential ripple effects on jobs, inflation, and the Fed's next move.•What to prioritize financially if you're worried about a layoff or loss of income, including how to protect your emergency fund, health insurance, and long-term goals like retirement and college savings.•And perhaps most reassuring of all — why making small, consistent investing moves still matters more than trying to time the market perfectly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Farnoosh sits down with beauty icon Anastasia Soare, founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills and author of the new memoir Raising Brows. Known as the “Eyebrow Queen,” Anastasia shares how she built a billion-dollar brand from scratch after immigrating from communist Romania with nothing but determination. She opens up about learning the “alphabet of finance” in America, the early days shaping brows in a rented salon room, and the business risks that changed her life. Anastasia also reveals how she convinced Nordstrom to take a chance on her products, her unforgettable live TV moment shaping Oprah’s brows, and the negotiation lessons that still guide her today. She talks candidly about working alongside her daughter Claudia, what keeps her motivated decades into her career, and how she continues to innovate while staying grounded. This is a story about beauty, grit, and building an empire one brow—and one bold move—at a time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feminist dating coach and Date Brazen founder Lily Womble shares how to invest in your love life the same way you invest in your financial future with intention, clarity, and confidence. Drawing from her new book Thank You, More Please, Lily explains how to move beyond the algorithm-driven dating grind and cultivate what she calls Essence-Based Preferences—a framework for attracting the relationships that truly align with your values. We explore the parallels between financial and emotional abundance, why self-worth is the ultimate currency, and how to stop “settling for less” in both money and love. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's questions: Ways to build smarter budgets, earn extra money outside the 9-to-5, tackle those hefty annual credit card fees, and a pro tip for anyone struggling with medical debt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new study reveals that more people want to quit their jobs now than during the Great Resignation. Whether it’s to find better-paying work to address the rising cost of living, or simply to leave their company or industry and start fresh on a professional path they actually enjoy, the big question remains: Will they quit?Our guest today is helping people overcome that hurdle.Goli Kalkhoran is a Master-Certified Life Coach and former attorney who helps unfulfilled professionals create a career (and life) they truly enjoy. She’s the host of the Lessons from a Quitter podcast, where she de-stigmatizes quitting and offers resources and inspiration for individuals looking to pivot in their established careers.In this episode, we discuss:Why our culture is so afraid of quittingHow to afford quitting — both financially and energeticallyGoli’s own journey of quitting her law career and the many pivots that followed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Money touches every part of a relationship — from who pays the bills to who feels free to spend, to how faith, privilege, and even family expectations shape the way we see our financial roles. But for many couples, these conversations stay on the surface — focused on budgets or account balances — instead of the deeper emotions and power dynamics underneath.My guests today, Heather and Douglas Boneparth, set out to change that. They’re the husband-and-wife duo behind the new book Money Together, a guide that goes beyond financial planning to explore the real forces that drive how couples handle money — things like caregiving, identity, gender, faith, and generational wealth.Heather is a corporate attorney turned author and financial advocate; Douglas is a certified financial planner and founder of Bonafide Wealth. Together, they spent years interviewing more than 60 couples and experts to unpack what really happens behind closed doors when money meets love.In our conversation, we talk about what they discovered — why traditional money advice often fails couples, how gender roles and caregiving reshape financial power, how to talk about privilege or family wealth without resentment, and why sometimes the healthiest financial decision is saying “no” to money that comes with strings attached. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Farnoosh dedicates Ask Farnoosh to one of the most pressing money topics in America right now: debt relief. Visit SoMoneyLinks for resources.With household debt topping $17.7 trillion and credit card balances at record highs, Farnoosh answers real listener questions about tackling debt, from when to pause investing to whether it ever makes sense to use home equity or refinance student loans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.