We’re told to use money affirmations like “I am rich” and “I am always discovering new sources of income” to increase our abundance. We’re even told that we can manifest our way to a completely new life using the power of positive feelings and good vibes. But do money manifestations really work?  Amanda Montell had the same question. In her new book, The Age of Magical OverThinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, she digs into our obsession with manifestations, nostalgia, confirmation bias,...

It’s no secret that women’s wealth is growing (hello, Great Wealth Transfer) and that we’re investing in the stock market in larger numbers than ever before. A 2023 study by Fidelity found that 60 percent of women are invested in the stock market, up from just 44 percent in 2018. Michele Cagan, author of Stock Market 101, wants to see that number get even higher.  Cagan has spent her career as a CPA and financial mentor working with clients to demystify investing because she knows that...

Ambition…let’s talk about it. We’ve been told it’s not a dirty word, that it’s ok (actually more than ok) for women to be ambitious. We’ve been told we should strive for C-suite positions, the corner office, and to continue reaching for higher and higher paying roles.  For Jennifer Romolini, these messages were working, yet reaching the top did not fulfill her in the way that she thought it would. In her new book Ambition Monster, she chronicles how being overly ambitious and reaching the top...

Here’s one thing we know — America runs on women – our paid work, our caregiving work, and our invisible work keeps the country going — and it’s taking its toll. According to the American Psychological Association’s 2023 Stress in America survey, women say they’re feeling stressed, misunderstood, and alone. The survey also found that women were more likely to say they “strongly agree” that no one understands how stressed we are and we were less likely to report that we can get over our...

According to the 2024 World Happiness Survey, we’re pretty unhappy as a country this year. And although there are plenty of external reasons for us to be unhappy — sky-high costs at the grocery store, mortgage rates hovering around 7%, and credit card debt soaring – we’re all about controlling what we can control and that includes prioritizing our well-being over all else (no summertime sadness here).  Stephanie Harrison, author of: “New Happy: Getting Happiness Right In a World That’s Got It...

In this Mailbag, Jean talks to Patti and Patrick about the substantial student loan debt they’ve incurred on behalf of their daughter. They explore various ways to pay it down, including using a home equity line of credit or tapping into retirement funds. Jean gives detailed guidance on the best approach to consolidate the debt. The episode also touches on the broader financial responsibilities parents face, and the importance of open communication with children about the realities of...

Is your budget working? The 50/30/20 budgeting rule — one of the most popular budgeting methods that has been around for 20 years — was created by Elizabeth Warren (yes, that Elizabeth Warren) and has largely been seen as the “gold standard” of budgeting ever since. But does it work for today’s economy? There’s also reverse budgeting, which we use in our Finance Fixx program, and has helped our participants save an average of $1,500. The point is, we have options, and our goal with our money...

In 2010, Lauren Cobello (formerly Lauren Guetman) created an entire brand as “the coupon lady” after she shared her story of how she got her family out of $40,000 in debt by couponing and budgeting. By 2016, she was posting multiple times a day, wrote a few books about couponing and budgeting, and was filming family finance videos with her kids and her husband as main fixtures in her online universe.  But here’s the thing about creating a brand and a community around your personal story —...

In this special Mother’s Day Mailbag edition, Jean talks to mother-daughter duo Mollie and Chris about Mollie’s recent divorce. Jean addresses questions on how to make sure Mollie’s ex-husband's finances are no longer tied to hers, and we tackle how best to combine Mollie’s multiple retirement accounts.  Join the HerMoney community! For the latest episode drops and financial news-you-can-use, subscribe to our newsletter at Hermoney.com/subscribe! Takeaways: Closing a joint bank account and...

Money touches everything in our lives. And for women, who have long been documented to earn less than men, save less than men, and invest less than men, the stereotype is often that we’re doing money “wrong.”  But it’s getting old. We know that statistically, women are better investors than men are, we fare better during times of recession, and we’re often more thoughtful about our budgets. Yet the stereotypes persist: the “girl math” trend of recent years tried to insinuate that we’re messy...

In this special Mailbag edition, Jean and Kathryn Tuggle, HerMoney CCO, are on the mic answering questions from our listeners. First, we hear from a recently retired listener who has all of her money in Certificate of Deposits (CDs) and is wondering what to do next. We also hear from someone who is looking for resources that can help teach her three kids about money.  Join the HerMoney community! For the latest episode drops and financial news-you-can-use, subscribe to our newsletter at...

Eleven years ago, Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” hit the shelves and became an instant hit. Her feminist manifesto encouraged women to stop holding themselves back from working to reach positions of power and instead lean on other women’s experiences to help them. Now, many women are pushing back on the “lean in” approach that placed so much responsibility on individual women rather than the societal and economic structures around them. They’re also questioning if they really want to have it all...

In this special Mailbag edition, we hear from a listener whose daughter is getting her first summer job. She’s wondering if it’s best to put the money in a high-interest savings account, or a Roth IRA. We also hear from someone who subscribes to the FIRE movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and is so focused on saving that she’s not able to keep money in an emergency account for true emergencies.  In our news of the week, some steps you can take if you’ve been waiting weeks (or...

Lately, have you been more intentional about the time you spend working? What about putting more effort into finding financial freedom? These are two hot-button topics with Millennials these days, particularly with regard to the time we spend working — specifically, the four-day workweek.  About a month ago, Bernie Sanders proposed legislation that could make this the new reality for all of us. But Holly Trantham and her company, The Financial Diet, were ahead of the curve when they...

A recent essay in the Wall Street Journal made the case that women are both happier — but also overall but sadder — in our daily lives than men are. Why? We’re juggling countless competing priorities on our never-ending to-do lists, including managing our jobs, wrangling our kids' schedules, and keeping up with everything at home.  Betsey Stevenson, economist and professor at the University of Michigan, has conducted groundbreaking research in this field. She joins us to talk about why...

Navigating money issues with your family is hard. Navigating money issues with your family is even harder when you’re a first-generation American. First-generation children of immigrants face unique cultural and emotional barriers and often find themselves at the intersection of building a financial life for themselves and supporting their parents financially.  Gigi Gonzalez found herself facing this dilemma when she got serious about her finances and realized the information she was reading...

Think, for a second, about all of the things you do before you head to the gym or go out for a run. Do you wear special running shoes? How do you tie them? Do you give yourself a pep talk on days when you’re just not feeling it? Is there a certain playlist you always listen to?  Dr. Mike Norton, author of: “The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness The Surprising Power of Everyday Actions,” says while working out at a certain time of day may be a habit, all of these little things we do...

Money touches everything in our lives — including our health. And women know there’s one topic that has long been ignored in American society, to the detriment of millions of women: menopause.  It’s a big deal. By 2030, 1 billion women worldwide will have entered (or will be about to enter) menopause and on average, medical costs for menopausal women ages 45 to 54 are 47% higher than they are for women of the same age who don’t exhibit menopause symptoms. Dr. Lisa Mosconi discusses her new...

How much of your money do you spend on the clothes in your closet? Now what about your time? In other words, how much time do you spend staring into the abyss of your wardrobe? One study says that over the course of her lifetime, a woman will spend a full year in front of her closet from age 16 to 60, just deciding what to wear. And this doesn’t include all of the other time we’re supposed to spend making our closets more manageable and our wardrobes more streamlined.  Kim France says it’s...

Have you ever gotten a message on Facebook that looks something like this? “HEY GIRL, I HAVEN’T SEEN YOU IN A WHILE, YOU LOOK AMAAAAZING. DO YOU WANT TO LOOK EVEN BETTER AT YOUR NEXT EVENT? BUY MY MASCARA AND I’LL THROW IN A FREE GIFT. BUT HURRY, SALE ENDS AT MIDNIGHT.” Yeah…those messages.  While it may be easy to brush these off, roll our eyes, and hit delete, a surprising number of women in America are caught up in these businesses, known as multi-level marketing schemes, or MLMs. In...

In this special Mailbag edition, listener Anya seeks advice on a real estate investment dilemma. She and her partner have invested in pre-construction property, but the property value has fallen, leaving them with a significant shortfall. We also hear from Christa, who recently got a new job and a big raise (go Christa)! She’s wondering how to best invest the extra money she’s getting every paycheck. In our news of the week, the consequences of paying over the manufacturer’s suggested retail...

Think about the conversations you have every day. There are the ones you have with your friends over coffee to catch up on life, the ones you have with a family member while walking the dog, and countless others throughout your week. While it may not seem like it, every conversation (yes, even the mundane ones!) is a negotiation, and once we have the skills to know which type of conversation we’re in, we can use every single conversation to better connect with those around us.  That’s what...

In this special Mailbag edition, listener Carolyne calls in to ask whether it’s time to leave the nonprofit job she’s had for more than three years. Her organization is facing major changes and challenges, and she’s unsure whether to stay and embrace the chaos or look for something else that offers more stability and better pay. In our news of the week, we break down why you should be aiming to get as close to $0 back on your tax refund as possible. If you already got a big return this year,...

When we envision the type of person who falls for a financial scam, there are usually a few key characteristics that come to mind:They may be elderly, using a landline phone, or in a state of panic as the person on the other end of the line informs them that if they don’t hand over $10,000 immediately, they’ll be arrested. But those stereotypes are just plain wrong.  Charlotte Cowles, the Cut’s financial advice columnist and a longtime freelance business columnist for The New York Times, fell...