I'm so proud to present the pilot episode of a new show I'm hosting, Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story. In 1920, a broke immigrant in Boston became one of America’s richest, most infamous men—practically overnight. In just nine months, he swindled the modern equivalent of a quarter billion dollars, upended the world of finance, and etched his name into history as the mastermind behind one of the most notorious scams ever: the Ponzi scheme. Hosted by me and featuring award-winning comedian and ...
Jun 16, 2025•39 min
Hi! I'm dropping in this quick note to say that Other People's Pockets will be back with new episodes soon! Also! I have a special new project to share with you. I'm hosting a new podcast that tells the story of Charles Ponzi, a broke immigrant who became one of America's richest, most infamous men, practically overnight—and etched his name into history as the mastermind behind the Ponzi scheme. Hosted by me and featuring award-winning comedian and actor Sebastian Maniscalco, Easy Money: The Cha...
Jun 04, 2025•4 min
Today on Other People's Pockets, you're going to hear what it's like to receive financial planning advice, and the person receiving the advice is ... me! My income, savings, and retirement goals will get scrutinized by Isabel Barrow, director of financial planning at Edelman Financial Engines and frequent guest on the podcast Everyday Wealth, along with Jean Chatzky, financial journalist and bestselling New York Times author who is also the host of Everyday Wealth. This special episode of Other ...
Nov 15, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 36
It's hard to believe it, but this is the 35th episode of Other People's Pockets, which means it's the end of our first season! For this special episode, we reached out to some of our past guests for a "Look Back" -- an update on their financial situations & viewpoints. Cord Jefferson stopped earning money for a while and didn't know when more would come. Carmen González is learning how to apply for credit cards now that she's a U.S. citizen. Laura Lyster-Mensch decided she had been too cagey...
Oct 11, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Building credit. Being on your parent's cell phone plan. Learning to drive. There are many financial benefits to having a relationship with your family of origin. Today's guest, Jessica, has experienced what it’s like to not have those advantages. Jessica severed ties with her biological parents due to emotional abuse she experienced from them throughout her life. Jessica has built a strong network of friends — her chosen family — who contribute money when she needs a security deposit and give h...
Oct 04, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 34
How does a love of extreme weather translate into making money? Raychel Sanner is a storm chaser and co-founder of Tornado Titans, a media brand by self-described “weather nuts” who capture images of supercells, monsoons, blizzards and more. As a Choctaw trans woman born and raised in Oklahoma, Raychel is transforming the image of storm chasing away from being dominated by straight, white cis-men. Raychel chats about the income she gets from her day job, whether she could do storm-chasing full-t...
Sep 27, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Ismatu Gwendolyn is a mental health professional and life coach who is trying to rethink how we care for those in need. Ismatu has navigated sex work in order to afford life and graduate school, and they discovered that as a stripper, talking to men in a club was not so different than counseling a client as a therapist. Ismatu let us have a peek inside their personal finances to find out how this all comes together. Follow Ismatu: TikTok: @ismatu.gwendolyn Instagram: @ismatu.gwendolyn Follow May...
Sep 20, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 32
It's time for another Pocket Dial! That's where we pause to reflect on the money themes coming up on Other People's Pockets. Jared Ball is a professor of Communications and Africana Studies at Morgan State University in Baltimore and the author of "The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power." He helps unpack the lies around "passion work" and why it feels like you have to be out for yourself when it comes to finances. Follow Jared at: Instagram: @imixwhatilike X: @imixwhatilike Follow Maya La...
Sep 13, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 31
What is this whole "financial-freedom-through-real-estate-investing" thing people are doing, and is it real? Maya interviews Deandra McDonald, a real estate investor and influencer with 320k+ followers on her TikTok, @simplerealestate . Deandra says she became financially free at 28 after five years of house-hacking (buy a property, rent part of it, live in the other part, and have your tenant pay your mortgage!). Deandra only found her path after several life choices went wrong for her in her e...
Sep 06, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Have you ever thought about how money feels in your body? Or how sticking with a budget might start with healing your money wounds first? Today Maya interviews Bari Tessler, a financial therapist and author of "The Art of Money: A Life-Changing Guide to Financial Happiness." Bari explores what it feels like to even hear the truth about other people's money stories, and how to navigate our own. Follow Bari Tessler at: baritessler.com Instagram: @baritessler X: @baritessler Follow Maya Lau at: X: ...
Aug 30, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Today Maya interviews a couple we're calling D+A, because they wanted anonymity so they could discuss their finances openly. D+A are in love, engaged and have been living together for about a decade, but financially? They're just roommates. Separate bank accounts. Separate credit cards. One of them will ask the other to Venmo them $7 after a Target run. Why? Maya digs into their money pasts and fears and gets them to fact-check each other in real time. Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @mayalau Insta...
Aug 23, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Kyle Coon is a blind Paralympian triathlete on Team USA. Kyle was diagnosed with eye cancer at 10 months old and had his eyes removed at age 6. His blindness didn’t stop him from becoming a competitive rock climber, downhill skier, runner and triathlete. He revealed how personal finance is different as a blind person, and what it means to rest almost all your financial hopes on winning a medal in the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024. Follow Kyle: Instagram: @eyeronkyle Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter:...
Aug 16, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 27
A few weeks ago, I had the cockamamie idea to fly to Shreveport, Louisiana. I wanted to visit a weed doctor, get a medical marijuana prescription, and then smoke weed and interview her while high. And that is exactly what I did! Jaya McSharma is a medical doctor and the co-owner of CannaCare of Louisiana, a medical marijuana clinic. Jaya is also an actress and filmmaker and has some wild stories about getting Bernie Madoff’ed out of basically her entire life savings. Follow Jaya: Instagram: @jay...
Aug 09, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 26
How does money mix with religion? Blair Pogue is a church leader who works for the bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. She's a longtime former priest at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul, where she helped manage the church's finances and encouraged people to give 10% or more of their income. She shares how much she's paid and whether it's enough — and how she tracked how much money each of her parishioners put in the offering plate. Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @mayalau Instagr...
Aug 02, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 25
As a Muslim, Khalid Kadir navigates personal finance differently than most of his fellow Americans. That means not obtaining traditional loans (because you're charged interest, which is forbidden) or buying conventional insurance (because it often relies on speculation). Khalid, who teaches engineering at UC Berkeley, explains how following the rules of Islamic finance has meant a much less glamorous life than he might otherwise have, one with unexpected good karma. Follow Khalid Kadir: X: @iamk...
Jul 26, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Once upon a time, Chelsea Fagan was a financial mess. She had a credit score of around 450, debt that went to collections, and so many unpaid traffic tickets that she got arrested. She whipped herself into financial shape by writing about her journey at The Financial Diet, where she's co-founder and CEO. She explains why some of her employees earn more than she does and why you don't have to grind to succeed. Follow Chelsea Fagan: Instagram: @faganchelsea Twitter: @chelsea_fagan thefinancialdiet...
Jul 19, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Can you put yourself through college by selling rocks on eBay? Philip Persson did! He's a geologist and mineral dealer who's been obsessed with digging things out of the ground since he was little. Sometimes it means trespassing. And sometimes it means confronting moral questions about where amazing crystals actually come from. Phil explains the connection between rocks and his path to financial stability. Follow Philip Persson at: Instagram: @perssonrareminerals perssonrareminerals.com Follow M...
Jul 12, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 22
This episode contains adult content and listener discretion is advised. Maybe the sexiest voice you will hear on this show? Yumprincess Elle is a voice actor, writer and singer who stumbled into the world of creating audio erotica on a whim. Now she has an avid fan base and has built a new financial future by doing this style of online sex work. She says that as a disabled person, creating audio porn has transformed her relationship to money ... and to affording healthcare. Follow Yumprincess El...
Jul 05, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Laura Lyster-Mensh has witnessed people die, and through that she's discovered some surprising things: family-related financial shenanigans, aloneness, secrets. She's also realized that unlike being a birth doula or a hospice nurse, being a death doula is not a way to earn money. Why? Listen to find out. Follow Laura Lyster-Mensh: Twitter: @lauracollinslm Instagram: @lauraoncapitolhill Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @mayalau Instagram: @itsmayamoney TikTok: @itsmayamoney Hosted on Acast. See acast...
Jun 28, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Coss Marte is a lifelong entrepreneur and the founder of CONBODY, a workout program he created in prison that employs formerly incarcerated fitness instructors. He also founded CONBUD, a legal cannabis dispensary that's taking advantage of licenses being given to people convicted of marijuana-related offenses. Coss talked about why being in prison can be so expensive, and how finding a job post-incarceration is so difficult. Follow Coss Marte at: Instagram: @cossmarte Instagram: @conbudny Instag...
Jun 21, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Jeremy Bowditch is many things: Neighborhood Council Member in Los Angeles, Lakers fan, wine snob. He's not afraid to admit that what he does to make money — advertising — doesn't light his fire. Lately, he's focused on redistributing the wealth he discovered by marrying his wife, and on being transparent about how they actually afforded a house. Follow Jeremy Bowditch at: Instagram: @jbowditch Twitter: @jbowditch Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @mayalau Instagram: @itsmayamoney TikTok: @itsmayamon...
Jun 14, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Ingrid Nilsen was one of the quintessential YouTube stars of the 2010’s, known for her candid, girl-next-door style videos about makeup and "boyfriend-approved" outfits. Then one day, she quit YouTube, saying goodbye to her 8 million followers and the fortune that came with them. Now, Ingrid runs a fragrance company, The New Savant, that she co-founded with Erica Anderson. She gets a paycheck, but it ain't that YouTube money. Follow Ingrid Nilsen at: Instagram: @ingridnilsen YouTube: https://www...
Jun 07, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 17
At age 11, Uzziah Campbell founded Calm & Cure Candle Co. as a way to process the trauma of the pandemic and murders by police. Now 14, Uzziah has a growing savings account and is learning to manage the money from his business. His mom, Nakia, joins to discuss how it all comes together. Follow Uzziah and Nakia Campbell: Instagram: @calmandcure_candles Instagram: @the.mental.motivator calmandcurecandles.com Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @mayalau Instagram: @itsmayamoney TikTok: @itsmayamoney S...
May 31, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Ben Shewry has one of the top restaurants in the world, but even he needs to supplement his income. Ben is the New Zealand-born chef and owner of Attica, in Melbourne, Australia, a highly-acclaimed yet anti-"fine dining" establishment. He talks about his paycheck, his skater punk youth, and the definition of "selling out." Follow Ben Shewry: Instagram: @benshewry Attica: https://www.attica.com.au/ Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @mayalau Instagram: @itsmayamoney TikTok: @itsmayamoney See omnystudio...
May 24, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Wednesday Martin is a writer and social researcher whose #1 NYT-bestelling book, "The Primates of Park Avenue," revealed the inner world of rich Upper East Side mommies. Now, her anthropologist's eye is turned toward a different type of social currency: sex, erotic capital, cheating, "ethical" non-monogamy, and all things women's sexuality. And she reveals the tricky money conversations that go on inside her own open marriage. Follow Wednesday Martin: Twitter: @wednesdaymartin Instagram: @wednes...
May 17, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 14
It's time for a Pocket Dial! That's where we zoom out and reflect on what people are saying so far on Other People's Pockets. Mary O'Hara, an award-winning journalist whose work centers on social policy and socioeconomic class, helps us process what we're learning about people's income, class identity, and money secrets. Follow Mary O'Hara: Twitter: @maryohara1 Instagram: @maryoharawriter maryoharaproductions.com Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @mayalau Instagram: @itsmayamoney TikTok: @itsmayamone...
May 10, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 13
He's produced and mixed records for Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Sonic Youth and others, but Nick Sansano doesn't blow his royalty checks on fancy cars. How did this music maker build a life in expensive NYC despite the ups and downs of his field (and despite the sometimes ruthless politics of being an NYU professor)? Check out Nick Sansano in his band, Bronze Fondue . Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @mayalau Instagram: @itsmayamoney TikTok: @itsmayamoney See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...
May 03, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Her job involves eating her way through L.A., but Katherine Spiers also has a less-talked-about way her finances all come together. The host of the Smart Mouth podcast and founder of TableCakes Productions explains her pivot from food writing to business ownership, her culinary curiosities, and what really causes famines. Follow Katherine Spiers: Twitter: @katherinespiers Instagram: @katherine_spiers TikTok: @katherinespiers Listen to the Smart Mouth podcast here . Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @...
Apr 26, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Ever wonder how much the host of this podcast makes for doing ... this podcast? Maya Lau, host of Other People's Pockets, gets the tables turned on her by Jane Marie, host of the podcast The Dream and co-founder of the podcast studio Little Everywhere. Maya gets grilled about her financial life, her money history and the one thing that might make her feel like she finally has "enough." Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @mayalau Instagram: @itsmayamoney TikTok: @itsmayamoney Follow Jane Marie at: Twit...
Apr 19, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 10
At just 23, Sana Javeri Kadri founded a company that exploded an old-world colonialist industry – the spice trade. This small business owner who lives between India and California is testing the theory: Can you be an ethical, fair-paying boss, and still turn a profit? Follow Sana Javeri Kadri at: Twitter: @SanaJaveriKadri Instagram: @sanajaverikadri Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @mayalau Instagram: @itsmayamoney TikTok: @itsmayamoney See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on ...
Apr 12, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 9
