You’ve heard of the gender pay gap – but there’s a quieter crisis unfolding for millions of women: the retirement gender gap. Whether you’ve taken time out of the workforce to care for a loved one, are a Gen X’er racing toward retirement with less saved than you’d like, or recently lost a spouse and are suddenly in charge of finances you’ve never managed alone, this episode is for you. In it, two experts from LIMRA , Chief Marketing Officer Tina Beckwith and Retirement Income Institute Fellow Su...
May 20, 2026•34 min•Ep. 528
Nicole is 56, single, and living in Raleigh, North Carolina, and she has a spreadsheet for everything. After her divorce left her saddled with debt, she spent two decades building a budget system so airtight she hasn't carried a credit card balance since. Now she's earning over $100k a year, paying off every card in full, and chipping away at a student loan she could settle tomorrow if she wanted to. But when Nicole spent a week tracking every dollar for A Week in Her Wallet , she made a surpris...
May 15, 2026•33 min
If financial uncertainty is keeping you awake at night, this episode is for you. Author and journalist Simone Stolzoff joins Jean to talk about his new book, How To Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World That Demands Answers , and why learning to sit with the unknown might be the most powerful financial skill you can develop right now. And in this week's Mailbag, Jean is joined by Lacy Garcia, founder and CEO of Willow , to help three listeners navigate inflection points in their lives: h...
May 13, 2026•1 hr•Ep. 527
T his week, Jean sits down with Louise, 56, a high-tech executive who's burned out, stretched thin, and seriously asking herself whether it's time to walk away from her career. Louise has done everything right: she and her husband have $3.2M in retirement accounts, over $400k in vested stock, a home worth almost $2 million, and 529s for the kids. But with a family of six to cover, and healthcare costs that could rival a mortgage, the math is murkier than it looks. Jean helps her think through wh...
May 08, 2026•28 min
It was 1996 when a young journalist named Beth Kobliner published a book called Get A Financial Life, and for a whole generation of women in their twenties and thirties, it became the money bible they didn't know they needed. Thirty years later, Beth is back with a completely updated fifth edition, and the timing couldn't be more perfect. This week, Jean sits down with Beth for a wide-ranging conversation about what thirty years of writing and talking about personal finance has taught them both,...
May 06, 2026•30 min•Ep. 526
What does it actually look like to spend just $400 in a week… intentionally, joyfully, and with a clear-eyed plan for the future? This week on A Week in Her Wallet , Jean sits down with Ann, a 63-year-old Early Childhood Director from upstate New York, who is on a mission to build what she calls her "rich enough old lady future self." Ann brings in over $100k a year, but her spending week clocked in at under $400, not because she's depriving herself, but because she's figured out exactly what sh...
May 01, 2026•34 min
What's the best financial advice you've ever received? Not the trendiest tip or the hottest stock pick; what’s the wisdom that actually holds up over a lifetime? That's exactly the question Diane Harris, Deputy Editor of Kiplinger , put to 35 of the most trusted voices in personal finance…and the answers are as practical as they are profound. In this episode, you'll learn: Why "spend less than you make" is still the foundation of everything, and what Jean says happens when you don't Peter Lynch'...
Apr 29, 2026•32 min•Ep. 525
What does it actually feel like to be on the cusp of retirement and wonder if you're doing it right? This week, Jean sits down with two listeners, Nancy and Melissa, who are both asking the same underlying question: How do I make sure I don't run out of money in retirement, while still actually enjoying my life? First, Jean talks with Nancy, 68, a soon-to-be retired nurse with $850K saved, a pension, and Social Security on the way. Nancy wants to renovate her bathrooms before she stops working, ...
Apr 24, 2026•33 min
Did you know that claiming Social Security at 62 instead of 70 could mean locking in a permanent 30% cut to your monthly benefits for life? In this episode, Jean sits down with Marcia Mantell, founder of Mantell Retirement Consulting and author of Social Security: Lightly Toasted, Not Burnt , to talk about what's really going on with Social Security's solvency, why Congress will almost certainly act before the fund runs dry, and how to make the best claiming decision for you. In this episode: Th...
Apr 22, 2026•38 min•Ep. 524
What does a real week of spending look like for a busy working mom who also happens to be a landlord? This week on A Week In Her Wallet, we're heading to Annapolis, Maryland, to follow Larisa, a 48-year-old HR Director with a combined household income of $375,000, two kids in competitive sports, a dog, and a rental condo she's owned since her twenties. We talk through it all: how she keeps a separate checking account just for rental income and expenses, why she almost always orders ahead for pic...
Apr 17, 2026•35 min
You’ve planned for retirement. You’ve built your savings, mapped out your Social Security strategy, and thought through market risks. But what happens if one day, you can’t manage your money at all? It’s an uncomfortable question – and one many people avoid. Yet, research shows that cognitive decline can quietly undermine financial decision-making, often earlier than we expect, and with serious consequences. On this special episode of HerMoney, sponsored by LIMRA , Dr. Chris Heye , LIMRA Retirem...
Apr 15, 2026•34 min•Ep. 523
You saved diligently for your kids' education, and now that chapter is closing. So what happens to the money? Can you protect those tax benefits and roll the funds into something new? We're getting into it. This week, Jean is joined by Lacy Garcia, founder and CEO of TrustWillow.com , a personalized advisor-matching platform that connects women and their families with vetted, fiduciary financial advisors who are legally required to act in your best interest, and who have been trained specificall...
Apr 10, 2026•23 min
Do you actually know where your money went last week? Not roughly...where it actually went. Every coffee, every impulse buy, every bill that hit all at once on a Monday morning when you were least expecting it. A Week in Her Wallet is a HerMoney limited series where real women from our community track every single dollar they spend for one full week, and then sit down with Jean Chatzky to talk about what they learned. Because the way we spend says so much about what we value, what we're afraid o...
Apr 09, 2026•2 min
At HerMoney, we're always trying to make money a little less intimidating; breaking down the big, complicated stuff into things you can actually use in your real life. And when it comes to understanding the economy, nobody does that better than today's guest. Alex Mayyasi is a contributor to Planet Money , the NPR podcast that has spent seventeen years making economics genuinely entertaining, and he and the team have just written a book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Yo...
Apr 08, 2026•46 min
You've heard the rules. Subtract your age from 100. Go 60/40. Play it safer as you get older. But what if those long-held guidelines have been steering you wrong and costing you? Yale finance professor James Choi returns to HerMoney to share groundbreaking research that could change the way you think about your investments forever. His new asset allocation formula goes far beyond the traditional rules of thumb, factoring in your income, your savings, your risk tolerance, and something most inves...
Apr 03, 2026•34 min
Q1 2026 has been a lot. Tariffs. Oil above $100 a barrel. A war in the Middle East. Recession chatter. Stock market swings. And the creeping feeling that something has shifted in the economy… and not for the better. This week, Jean Chatzky sits down with economist and fan-favorite guest Kathryn Edwards for a full Q1 economic report card and a roadmap for what Q2 might bring. In this episode: The K-shaped economy explained Why the White House's 4% growth projection was never realistic, and how we...
Apr 01, 2026•36 min•Ep. 521
When was the last time you felt truly in control of your time? Not your calendar, not your to-do list…your time ? If the answer is "I can't remember," this episode is for you. Jean Chatzy is joined by Andy Hill, AFC, founder of Marriage, Kids, and Money, and author of Own Your Time: 10 Financial Steps to Put Your Family First and Escape the Corporate Grind . Together, they tackle your most pressing mailbag questions about the real tension so many of us are feeling right now: how do you balance s...
Mar 27, 2026•28 min
You're earning more than you ever have. You're doing everything you were told to do. So why does it still feel like you can't get ahead? This week, Jean sits down with Hanna Horvath, CFP, personal finance journalist, and writer behind the Substack Your Brain on Money , to talk about why so many women are struggling with money right now, and why it probably has a lot less to do with your choices than you think. In this episode, you'll learn: Why GDP being up and your life feeling hard are not con...
Mar 25, 2026•35 min•Ep. 520
Markets are swinging. There's a war with Iran. Oil is spiking. And if your stomach has been dropping every time you look at your portfolio, Stephanie Link has something to say about that. Stephanie is Chief Investment Strategist and Portfolio Manager at Hightower Advisors, and a longtime CNBC contributor with more than 30 years of experience managing money through every kind of market cycle. She joined Jean Chatzky this week to cut through the noise and tell us exactly what she's doing with mone...
Mar 20, 2026•32 min
When retirement plans fall apart, we tend to assume it’s because someone overspent – maybe on travel, hobbies, or helping the kids a little too much. But, often, that’s not what does the real damage. It’s healthcare costs. Dr. Carolyn McClanahan – a physician turned fee-only financial planner – joins Jean Chatzky on this special episode of the HerMoney Podcast, sponsored by LIMRA , to share how unexpected health costs impact women, and how you can better prepare so they don’t derail your financi...
Mar 18, 2026•32 min•Ep. 519
Oil prices have surged past $100 a barrel, three ships were struck near the Strait of Hormuz just yesterday, and the word "recession" is creeping back into the conversation. And we’re all feeling more than just a little bit anxious about what that means for our money. On this special bonus episode, Jean Chatzky sits down with Claudia Sahm , former Fed section chief, senior economist under President Obama, and creator of the Sahm Rule, a recession indicator that has been 100% accurate going back ...
Mar 12, 2026•30 min
What if everything the wellness industry is selling you is actually making your life worse…not longer? This week, Jean Chatzky sits down with Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, oncologist, bioethicist, and author of Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long, Healthy Life , for one of the most thought-provoking conversations we've had on HerMoney. Then we're joined by Lacey Garcia, founder and CEO of Willow , for this week's mailbag. Because once you've thought hard about how long you might actually live...
Mar 11, 2026•48 min•Ep. 518
Over the next decade, roughly $30 trillion is expected to move into the hands of women, and the question isn't just what women will inherit. It's what they'll build . This week, Jean Chatzky sits down with Janine Firpo, an impact investor and co-founder of Invest for Better, to talk about Our Sheconomy , a data-backed initiative that models what the world would look like if women had held equal economic and political power since 1925. But this episode isn't just about a hypothetical future. It's...
Mar 06, 2026•31 min
Why do we keep doing the things we know aren’t good for our finances? Whether it’s emotional spending, avoiding a growing credit card balance, over-controlling every dollar, or saying “yes” to spending when we really mean “no”. So many of our money habits aren’t about math; they’re about emotion. This week, Jean Chatzky sits down with licensed marriage and family therapist and mental health educator Kati Morton , author of the new book Why Do I Keep Doing This? , to unpack the psychology behind ...
Mar 04, 2026•35 min•Ep. 517
What does a real week of spending look like for a 55-year-old director of technology earning $212,000 a year? In this episode of A Week in Her Wallet , Jean Chatzky talks with Kortne, a Texas-based executive, marathoner, and mom of two adult daughters, who tracked every dollar she spent over seven days. Kortne grew up in a working-class family in Detroit and says she’s intentional about enjoying her money now — especially when it comes to experiences. She’s run all six Abbott World Marathon Majo...
Feb 27, 2026•40 min
Have you saved and saved and saved… but now feel unsure about how to spend? On this week’s episode, Jean Chatzky sits down with entrepreneur and bestselling author Mike Michalowicz to talk about why managing money isn’t a math problem, it’s a behavior problem. Mike opens up about losing everything after selling two multi-million-dollar companies, how lifestyle inflation and ego nearly destroyed his finances, and the emotional moment with his daughter that forced him to completely rethink how mon...
Feb 25, 2026•50 min•Ep. 516
Are private equity, private credit, and crypto coming to your 401(k)? And if they do, should you invest? In this episode, Jean Chatzky sits down with CFP® professional and Summit Place Financial founder Liz Miller to break down the new push to allow alternative investments, such as private equity, private credit, and cryptocurrency, in retirement accounts. In This Episode We Cover: What private equity and private credit actually are (in plain English) Why Wall Street is eager to bring alternativ...
Feb 20, 2026•36 min
If you’ve read economic headlines recently and thought, “Well, that’s not comforting,” you’re not alone. Market swings and broader economic uncertainty are enough to make even confident investors second-guess their strategies. And here’s the hard truth: Wall Street doesn’t care if you’re retiring next year. It doesn’t care if you’re five years away. And it definitely doesn’t care if you’re lying awake at night wondering if you’ve done “enough.” The good news? You can take steps to build confiden...
Feb 18, 2026•38 min•Ep. 515
More American women are single than ever before, but our financial system is still built for couples. In this episode, Jean Chatzky sits down with finance journalist and author Renée Sylvestre-Williams to unpack the hidden financial penalties of being single (aka The Singles Tax ) and what solo earners can do to protect themselves, build wealth, and plan for retirement on their own terms. We're talking about: What the “Singles Tax” really is—and where it hits hardest Why single women may need la...
Feb 13, 2026•28 min
What does financial freedom really mean? Not just a healthy retirement account or a growing investment portfolio, but the ability to walk away from a situation that isn’t right. To say no. To have choices. In this episode, Jean sits down with writer and speaker Paulette Perhach , whose essay about building a “ F*ck Off Fund ” has resonated with women for nearly a decade. Together, they explore how financial independence evolves over a lifetime, from the early years of building an emergency cushi...
Feb 11, 2026•31 min•Ep. 514
