When I did a rent (and invest) vs. buy analysis back in January 2021 with a 2.6% interest rate, the results were pretty neck-and-neck. As rates climbed this year, I figured it would be fun (I’m using the word “fun” loosely) to revisit the exact same scenario with the higher rate. Depressingly, when we recorded this episode just last week, the rate was 5.95%. In the course of a single week, it’s now surpassed 7% as of publish (9/27/2022). How have the rates changed the math now and how does one r...
Sep 28, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast According to an APA 2022 Stress in America Survey, 87% of respondents listed inflation as a source of significant stress—and the researchers say no other issue has caused this much stress since the survey's launch. Money anxiety or "financial fear" is common, and to an extent, it can be healthy. If fear about inflation and running out of money prevents you from blowing every dollar on fast casual dining, and instead urges you to save and invest for the future, that fear directly benefits Future ...
Sep 21, 2022•48 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast Last week to kick off this two-part special, we explored the culture, economy, and education systems that built the millennial generation. If you haven't heard the first episode yet, I recommend going back to start with that first (https://link.chtbl.com/022a2-MX). Today, we’re digging into how “financial literacy” shifts reality on its axis, who the “winners” and “losers” are in our economic era, and why scamming has become a quintessential millennial pastime (Fyre Festival, anyone?). To top th...
Sep 14, 2022•56 min•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast Market uncertainty is on everyone’s mind. Given rising interest rates, inflation, the crypto crash, and other economic trends (hello, recession?), host Alex Lieberman talks about what this current climate means in the long term for beginner and seasoned investors alike, with Fidelity's Jurrien Timmer. About Fresh Invest: From market shifts to emerging asset classes, Fresh Invest breaks down the current financial climate, what it means to you as an investor, and actionable steps you can take to m...
Sep 08, 2022•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Months ago, I received this reader question: “It feels like I’ve done everything right, and yet I can barely make ends meet. Has life always been this…hard?” This stuck with me for a long time. They weren't the first to ask this, or the second or third. And ultimately, this question became the focus of this special two-part series. Because when I first started writing about personal finance in 2018, I believed the rules of the game were fixed, simple, and universally applicable. I had the tonic ...
Sep 07, 2022•42 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast Given the huge decision that came out of the White House last week about student loan forgiveness, we decided to create this special bonus episode all about the announcement and what it means for not just borrowers, but all of the US. We'll explore the current numbers of federal student loan borrowers, dive into the issues of taxes and inflations (while dispelling some myths!), and hear about the program and changes to expect from FINRA Certified Student Loan Professional® Meagan Landress of Stu...
Sep 01, 2022•28 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast If you’re normally a “casual commute” listener of The Money with Katie Show, prepare to park your car and whip out your notebook—today’s episode is a complex deep dive into exactly how you can set yourself up to pay no taxes or penalties in retirement on any of your pre-tax, taxable, and Roth funds, even if you retire in your thirties. We’ll dig into how much a couple would need to save and invest to retire early and then break down how they can strategically access those funds for the most opti...
Aug 31, 2022•52 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast If you consciously or subconsciously derive your identity from your work, what happens when that work goes away? Moreover, how do we reconcile the advice we hear from everyone from Steve Jobs to Steve Aoki to “follow our passion” (and, in case it wasn’t clear, monetize it) with the advice to also maintain some semblance of “work/life balance” or separation between the metaphoric church and state? Is it a bad thing to love your work, or is it something to strive for? My guest this week is the imp...
Aug 24, 2022•59 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast The central thesis for this episode is that when you think you have a spending problem, what you probably have is a purpose problem. This week, we’re getting philosophical—and I’m diving into a series of realizations I had when transitioning from Spendy McSpenderson to Sally Saver, about the role money played in my life pre- and post-”baptism by FI/RE.” (See what I did there?) I also chat with mindset and manifestation expert Haley Hoffman Smith (https://www.haleyhoffmansmith.com/) on the void m...
Aug 17, 2022•46 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast This episode is a logistical examination of how to put systems in place that help you balance your short-term and long-term spending goals—after all, “saving” is really just another name for “deferred spending,” and the ideal scenario we’d find ourselves in is one in which the money we need is available to us whenever we need it. It’s my hope that after listening, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to structure all of your savings and investing and—most importantly—you’ll eliminate the fea...
Aug 10, 2022•36 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast I sold my car in March 2021 and have (mostly) never looked back as part of a one-car couple, but my husband and I have been dabbling with the idea of getting a new car this year. Unfortunately, 2022 is…not a great time to buy a vehicle, as anyone who’s perused the used car market knows. It inspired this episode in which we break down the lease vs. buy decision in today’s car market with guest Jorge Diaz, author of Car Leasing Done Right (https://www.leasecosts.ca/en/book). As part of the episode...
Aug 03, 2022•53 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast Ah, the long-awaited deep dive is finally here! As someone who got married in a courthouse and in a big, traditional ceremony (to the same person, don’t worry), I feel I’m now qualified to do a thorough compare-and-contrast analysis of the two—and share the granular details of how much our ceremony cost. I’m diving into the budget ($25,000), the actual spend (...a lot more than $25,000), who paid, the things that shocked me, and the stuff I thought was worthwhile. I also do a deep-dive into the ...
Jul 27, 2022•51 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast Something I had never even heard of a year ago has been front and center in the financial news for the last few months: I Bonds. But I suppose it makes sense: Nothing tempts those seeking performance and those seeking safety alike quite like a guaranteed nominal 9.62% rate of return, right? But I fear they’re a distraction for young investors (and don’t worry, we address who they might make sense for in the episode). Plus, I invited Alan Ebright of Hodges Private Client—a wealth management firm ...
Jul 20, 2022•38 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast Nothing excites millennials and surprises baby boomers quite like our penchant for sharing how much money we make with one another. But salary transparency—one of the latest tactics for rectifying biases in hiring and compensation—is a means to an end, not the end itself. In this week’s episode, we explore the benefits and pitfalls of openly sharing compensation information within an organization—and how we can share in a way that actually helps one another. Plus, an interview with Jason Tartick...
Jul 13, 2022•47 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast This episode was inspired by a Medium article about a woman’s nine side hustles that replaced her full-time income. After reading it, I couldn’t help but think: “I know our generation loves the glamorized solopreneur thing, but at what point is it easier to just…have a full-time job?” I wanted to explore the obsession with the side hustle, the (unfair) demonization of the 9-5, and—importantly—how to expend energy in a more efficient way for a higher ROI within your traditional career path for th...
Jul 06, 2022•54 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast Given current market conditions, it seemed like a good time to revisit the age-old temptation for investors: Should I…try to stop the bleeding and make more active investment choices? Surely I could do better than -22%! In most personal finance circles, this question is heresy—but lucky for you, I like to rock the boat. We’re digging into the case against active, some oddly compelling arguments for it, and everything in between in this week’s episode. Don’t call the FI/RE department on me! (See ...
Jun 29, 2022•48 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast Every time the market experiences a drawdown, it feels like the echoing chorus of, “This time, it’s different,” gets more deafening. As the history buffs assure us, that’s very unlikely—but that doesn’t change the fact I want to hedge if it’s true. For many of us #n00b investors who started in the last decade, we’re experiencing a serious pullback for the first time (I no longer count the 30% COVID drawdown since it was so short-lived). I think it’s a (healthy) reminder that investing in the sto...
Jun 22, 2022•49 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast One of the single-most impactful determinants of our outcomes in life is our self-concept: Our identity. Whether we see ourselves as the victims of circumstance or victors over our challenges. It plays out in everything from miscommunications at work to compensation conversations. The victim mindset tells you that you're not in control of your outcomes, while the victor's mindset acknowledges that—while life isn't fair—you have some control over your outcomes and are capable of overcoming the ch...
Jun 15, 2022•47 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast If you've ever wondered how Money with Katie went from a $0 side hustle to a half-million venture in two years (and if you can do the same!), then this episode is for you. Today, I'm getting into the weeds and sharing exactly how Money with Katie makes money, all things sponsorships and affiliates, and even ventures I tried that didn't quite pan out. I share real numbers and stories, beyond just the surface-level stuff you've heard before. And because becoming a creative entrepreneur often means...
Jun 08, 2022•54 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast Let’s kick this off with an admission: We don’t have a prenup. In today’s episode, I’ll tell you why—and why we probably should’ve gotten one. We also talk with Kim Davis (former Wall Street attorney, present managing director at the Bahnsen Group, and founder of the Fiscal Feminist) about: How the “stay-at-home” spouse can protect themselves financially Why the prenup agreement is like an insurance policy for your marriage What Kim thinks about joint credit cards How much to budget for a prenup...
Jun 01, 2022•50 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast A couple months ago, I got really anxious about income. Aside from ~lite paranoia~ being one of the core tenets of my personality, my concern was (probably) justified. Rumblings of a recession on the horizon, #stonks going down, and the fact that Money with Katie was my sole source of income started to make me feel a little…vulnerable. So I started looking into alternative investments. While I deeply considered real estate and passed for the time being, I discovered an amazing world of online co...
May 25, 2022•58 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast The best part about living in 2022 is the fact that you don’t have to know anything about investing to be a successful investor thanks to products like Betterment (and financial technology more broadly). But what if you do want to manage your own investments? Then what? Before I learned about Paul Merriman and Chris Pedersen’s Two Funds for Life strategy, I never really knew what to tell people aside from do your research and best of luck to you, madam. So this week, I’m joined by Chris (who cre...
May 18, 2022•48 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Lauren from Career Contessa joins me this week for a revelatory conversation about the myth of the elusive “dream job.” Ironically, it took getting my dream job to realize it’s…still a job. Wait a second, why does this still feel like work sometimes? So why does acknowledging this myth and moving past it matter? Because the illusion that there’s a “dream job” out there for you (the career version of a soulmate) leads to both expectation hangovers and disappointment when—surprise!—even a job you ...
May 11, 2022•41 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast ...because who's more qualified to talk about the challenges of being a mother than someone without kids, right?! Right?! 3.5 million women were pushed out of the workforce in March 2020 because of caretaking challenges. Overnight, we dropped to 1988 levels of women’s workforce participation, which confirms the theory that there’s a causal relationship between childcare availability and affordability, and women’s workforce participation. Hear from your favorite childless woman (yours truly!) and...
May 08, 2022•49 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast So much of personal finance and early retirement #literature is predicated on the 4% safe withdrawal rate that it’s easy to forget that the “rule” was discovered in the 1990s by the original Freak in the Spreadsheets, Bill Bengen. And man, the financial media loves to splash sensational headlines about the 4% rule all over the place (“The founder of the 4% rule just changed it!”). You know the kind. But there are a lot of misconceptions about the 4% rule, including the recent criticisms that it’...
May 04, 2022•44 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast Today's episode is about the current reality of the US housing market (and stock market, to some degree) and how it's—paradoxically—not actually good for anyone, renters and owners alike. The one group it is benefiting? Investors. The episode dives into why I think a cooldown is inevitable, and focuses more on why human shelter turning into an inflated asset class is dangerous for everyone who needs a house to live in. Look no further than Canada’s precarious situation and increasing homelessnes...
Apr 27, 2022•49 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast Today's episode is all about outsourcing, a topic around which my views have evolved over the years. (Read: As you get older and busier, you're less interested in "doing it all," apparently.) We discuss how to determine what's worth outsourcing in your life and how much to pay for it, as well as address some common objections. My guest today, Farnoosh Torabi, is an icon in the personal finance world (and a mother of 2!) and she's got some #hottakes on the value of her (and your) time. You can ch...
Apr 20, 2022•48 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast Today, my friend Nick Maggiulli (COO of Ritholtz Wealth Management & former data scientist, as well as author of Of Dollars & Data and his new book, Just Keep Buying) joined me to talk about something that’s been (justifiably) freaking me out a little bit lately. To boil it down to its most layman's terms is the government’s money printing the reason why stocks and homes are worth so much more now, and does that mean we’re headed for a crash? More to the point: What the hell do we do about it? I...
Apr 13, 2022•34 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast Worried you're behind, or may not have enough money to retire someday? You may have less cause for concern than you think. Today’s episode dives into the math behind why you may need to save less than you think for retirement, with two solid examples from my own life. Plus, an interview with Kim Curtis, a nationally recognized wealth management advisor and President and CEO of Wealth Legacy Institute, where she dives into what we actually need to be worried about in retirement. Hint: It’s likely...
Apr 06, 2022•26 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we're digging into negotiation tips that actually work—no perfecting crafty word play, performing mental jujitsu on a recruiter, or documenting months of "wins" required. Since I'm not a negotiation expert (just a gal who enjoys negotiating), I brought in two guests today: Miranda Martin, a CEO Coach who speaks to money mindset, and a dear friend of mine, Career Coach Darci, who speaks to compensation research and recruiter relations. Here's the blog post that complements this piece—it's ...
Mar 30, 2022•43 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast 
