1672: Former White House Social Secretary Deesha Dyer

This week, Pam Krueger, founder of Wealthramp, joins to help answer listener questions about life insurance, investing, and debt management. Listen to Pam's interview from earlier this month, discussing ways to find a great financial advisor. Wealthramp is a platform that has matched over 20,000 individuals with fiduciary advisors and financial planners since 2019 and boasts client retention rates exceeding 98%. Wealthramp’s vetted advisor network spans the country and offers diversity in geography, specialization, gender, and fee structure. Visit Wealthramp.com/Farnoosh to start your search today.

Guest Neha Ruch, founder of Mother/Untitled, discusses the often deductive ways society characterizes stay-at-home mothers and is on a mission to rebrand this role to bring more dignity and respect to parents choosing to take a break from their careers to support their children and families. Neha's forthcoming book The Power Pause: How to Plan a Career Break After Kids--and Come Back Stronger Than Ever is available for pre-order.

Just days away from the next So Money Pop-Up Workshop, which will focus on “Couples and Money.” Register here. Today, we're in discussion with a a financially exceptional couple, Katie and Alan Donegan, who managed to quit their day jobs and retire when Katie was 35 and Alan was 40. We’ll hear how they calculated for this accelerated plan, how they’re living out their early retirement dreams, and advice for listeners on determining how much one needs to save for retirement. Learn more about the Donegans and their Rebel Finance School here.  

Join Farnoosh's next So Money Pop-Up workshop for couples. In today's Ask Farnoosh, listeners pose questions about managing money in your relationship, how to prioritize the various saving and investment accounts you contribute to, and should a couple take advantage of a 0% interest loan?

Today's show centers on ways we can protect ourselves from dangerous financial scams, many powered by AI. Our guest is Allison Baggerly, financial expert, author and founder of Inspired Budget. Sign up for Allison's free budget class here. The CUT article about the Amazon scam referenced in the show is here.

Deesha Dyer is the former White House Social Secretary under President Obama, meaning she was THE person responsible for state dinners, official functions, visits by Popes and presidents, performances by Beyoncé (!), and more. Deesha's new book UNDIPLOMATIC pulls back the curtain on White House life to funny, winning effect, but even more so, it documents a young Black woman's struggle to belong in our nation's most prestigious spaces. In 2009, at age 31, Deesha Dyer's finances were... messy. She'd dropped out of college, accruing a mountain of debt but no degree. She had an eviction on her record and bad credit. She plugged away at an admin job, while freelancing as an organizer and blogger of her beloved hip-hop / soul scene in Philly. (Hello, Jill Scott!) Inspired by the Obama campaign, she applied for a White House internship that she knew was a longshot. These jobs were for phenoms from Harvard and Howard. Not part-time community college students in their thirties with zero connections. To her shock, Deesha got the gig. For the first time in her life, she had a full-time job that reflected her passion for change. In just five years or so, she was in charge of a whole White House department.

Today's show: Managing a $100k inheritance; debt pay-down strategies; should I pay for a certification to switch careers if I'm in debt? Also: Farnoosh weighs in on Footballer Harrison Butker's ridiculous graduation speech directed at the women graduates.Sign up for the So Money Members Club.Get on the waitlist for the next Book to Brand here.

Author of the national bestselling novel THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE and host of the UNDER THE INFLUENCE podcast, Jo Piazza, joins the show to discuss the rich themes in her newest book.

Stay tuned for tonight's Webby's BTS, where So Money receives an award -- on Farnoosh's Instagram.Today's show covers the ins and outs of LLCs and S-Corps and how to determine which one (or both) is best for structuring your business. The guest is Hannah Cole, creator of Sunlight Tax. You can visit Sunlight Tax for resources mentioned in today's episode.

Join the So Money Members Club to gain access to Farnoosh on the go and a front-row seat to her monthly workshops.Today's episode addresses questions from the audience about career transitions. One listener is concerned that making a job switch could impact the finances in her relationship, as she is the sole breadwinner at the moment. Another listener struggles to pivot in her 40s, worried about the risks of "starting over" in a new career. Finally, one friend in the audience wants to know how to become more ready for retirement. Where should she park $400,000 in cash?