How can you spend and save in a way that lets you maximize your daily experience and keeps you on track with your money goals? Katie and Henah chat through balancing both short-term and delayed gratification, how to optimize for your life dreams, and when extreme stints in saving or paying down debt are worth it. Welcome back to #RichGirlRoundup, Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and MWK's Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month, we'll put out a...

If you feel like everything from your vet bills to your favorite grocery store chains are getting worse at the exact same moment they’re becoming more expensive, there might be a singular explanation: private equity. I dive in with guest Brendan Ballou, author of Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America and former special counsel for private equity in the Justice Department—baby's first federal investigation! Disclosure: Brendan Ballou’s views are his own, not the views of his...

Bachelorette parties have morphed into weekend-long celebrations, potentially costing upwards of several thousands dollars a pop. And when you’re in your 20s and 30s, you might find yourself heading to multiple bachelorettes and weddings a year—so what’s an aspiring #RichGirl to do? And how did it culturally become A Thing? Welcome back to #RichGirlRoundup, Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and MWK's Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month, we'll...

I’ve long entertained a logistically untenable fantasy of picking up and moving my life to Copenhagen for a season. Today, we explore what it takes to make a temporary or permanent international move. We have two guests, CPA Katelynn Minott of Bright!Tax as well as Chartered Wealth Manager Alex Ingrim of Chase Buchanan USA, who walk us through taxes, retirement accounts, cultural, and ethical considerations of living abroad. Transcripts, show notes, production credits, and more can be found...

Rich Girl BT wrote in saying, "We talk more money with friends—but once they know the salary, they'll hold it against you. For example, they'll say, 'You can afford $750 for two nights at my wedding.' But I don't want to spend that." So, how do we navigate these situations in an attempt to be more transparent about finances? Welcome back to #RichGirlRoundup, Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and MWK's Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month, we'll...

The world of status symbols and all their various manifestations (“quiet luxury,” “stealth wealth,” and even conspicuous dressing down as a backhanded sign of prestige) has operated in a more or less predictable way over the course of history—until now. Amy X. Wang, whose reporting for the New York Times uncovered a replica black market that’s exploded in popularity in recent years, joins me to discuss. Transcripts, show notes, production credits, and more can be found at:...

“Tax drag” can hold your money back from reaching its fullest potential—what is it, how does it work, and what do the outcomes look like? Plus, we share a wild money story involving $90,000 of debt. Have a money story of your own? Email us at [email protected], and we’ll anonymously share it. Welcome back to #RichGirlRoundup, Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and MWK's Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month, we'll put out a call for...

Writer Elise Loehnen (“On Our Best Behavior”) joined me to explore how our money stories make us spend, work, and live. Distinct cultural scripts shape our relationship with money, like “sloth” and “greed” or the idea that “a man should be a provider.” Even if you’re not consciously abiding by this societal shorthand, Elise says, it probably influences your attitudes. Transcripts, show notes, production credits, and more can be found at: https://moneywithkatie.com/money-stories-culture. Learn...

We're always told how expensive children are once you have them—but how do you prepare for them financially before they're here? How should you adapt or shift your budget when it comes to doctor's visits, insurance policies, TTC tools, and more? Welcome back to #RichGirlRoundup, Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and MWK's Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month, we'll put out a call for questions on her Instagram (@moneywithkatie). New episodes...

You know them, you love them, and you probably own them—but do you understand them? By “them,” I mean exchange-traded funds, or “ETFs.” We’re digging deep into these magical little devices (everything from fee structures, to diversification, to how “bond ETFs” might be a great replacement for your complex bond configurations). We’re joined by Samara Cohen, Chief Investment Officer of ETF and Index Investments at BlackRock—one of the largest providers of ETFs in the game—to see how she’s...

A recent Bloomberg Opinion piece said, "Your 401(k) will be gone in a decade," sounding off alarm bells in the MWK community. Is it true, and if so, what does it really entail? Welcome back to #RichGirlRoundup, Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and MWK's Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month, we'll put out a call for questions on her Instagram (@moneywithkatie). New episodes every week. Reminder: This is not financial advice; we are not certified...

If you've ever waded into personal finance content, you’re probably familiar with lifestyle creep. It gets a lot of airtime because it’s a natural financial experience: to spend more as you earn more. But because there's no positive equivalent about intentionally upgrading your lifestyle, all enhancements are cast through this "to-be-avoided-at-any-costs" lens. Fortunately for us, my evolution on the subject has been entombed for eternity on the internet. I dug through five years' worth of...

We've got some range for you today: Dissecting the recommendation to spend 30% on your housing (and if it's outdated), stories of folks receiving inheritances and homes from their parents, and a social experiment on gender and appearance. Welcome back to #RichGirlRoundup, Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and MWK's Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month, we'll put out a call for questions on her Instagram (@moneywithkatie). New episodes every...

If the entire US economy were worth $1,000, a few of those dollars would be driven by music and movies. Of those few dollars, just three people (of whom one is imaginary) were at the helm in 2023, driving 30 cents of it on their own: Barbie, Beyoncé, and Taylor, who together generated around $10 billion in economic value last year.  But despite this strong showing, women's media is still consistently belittled. Author, culture commentator, and host of the popular Be There in Five podcast,...

If your loved one keeps making bad money decisions, should you intervene? And if so, what’s the best way to approach it? Welcome back to #RichGirlRoundup, Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and MWK's Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month, we'll put out a call for questions on her Instagram (@moneywithkatie). New episodes every week. Reminder: This is not financial advice; we are not certified financial professionals—please do your own due...

Most of our listeners probably know they should be involved in the ~marital finances.~ But very few people, it seems, understand how signing a marriage contract legally changes their financial rights (I know I didn't back when I got married!). Whether you’re single and considering marriage one day, already happily married, or experiencing divorce, this episode is a must-listen. Content warning: This episode includes stories of intimate partner violence as well as financial abuse. This is not...

Rich Guy Gavin asks, "Is the 15-year mortgage worth it?" Plus, given how few people can afford them nowadays, Katie and Henah chat through if the 15-year mortgage is dead. We run the numbers, the factors to consider, and some workarounds to make the 30-year mortgage more appealing. Welcome back to #RichGirlRoundup, Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and MWK's Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month, we'll put out a call for questions on her...

The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins is financial independence canon. The premise boils down to elegant simplicity: Spend 50% of your income and invest the other 50% in one specific index fund, VTSAX. We ask the Godfather of FI about it all—covering everything from his reliance on VTSAX and the American economy, to managing market crashes, to the debate over homeownership. Reminder: This is not financial advice; please talk to a certified financial professional and do your own due...

Rich Girl Liz H. wanted to know: "How do I know if I'm too 'liquid?'" Chances are, you probably do have too much in your emergency fund—Katie and Henah chat through mental blocks and reframes to consider, when you might want to save more, and what Katie personally keeps in her own accounts. Reminder: This is not financial advice; we are not certified financial professionals—please do your own due diligence. Welcome back to #RichGirlRoundup, Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and...

Low-wage work is more prevalent in the US than any other high-income nation—and we've essentially seen 50 years of stasis in anti-poverty efforts. After reading four different books about why the US has such a difficult time minimizing poverty despite having relative abundance, we deep dive into the main issues that keep the poor in place. We also talk about ways to solve for poverty, like readdressing policy, improving allocations for spending, and more. Transcripts, show notes, production...

An Austrian heiress made headlines when she announced she would let 50 strangers decide what to do with $27M USD of her inheritance. Katie and Henah discuss the potential impact of this kind of social experiment, how the lack of inheritance and estate taxes disproportionately support inequality, and why "generational stability" might be worth striving for more than "generational wealth." Welcome back to #RichGirlRoundup, Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and MWK's Executive...

The abuse of prescription drugs on college campuses has skyrocketed in the last 10 years—and by extension, so too has the intricate ecosystem of college-aged dealers and distribution networks. So today, we're covering a multimillion-dollar fraternity drug ring scandal at the College of Charleston with the investigative journalist, Max Marshall, who covered it in his book, Among the Bros. We talk about power, privilege, and the near-total lack of consequences in this story — and how it serves...

What can you write off from your side hustle? Should your business be an S Corp? What's the best retirement account for self-employed folks? We cover it all, once again with the help of CPA & CFP Tim Steffen of Baird Wealth. Reminder: This is not financial advice; please do your own due diligence with a licensed professional. Welcome back to #RichGirlRoundup, Money with Katie's weekly segment where Katie and MWK's Executive Producer Henah answer your burning money questions. Each month,...

Tune in to this episode of BOSSY, the other podcast I host with entrepreneur Tara Reed, of Apps Without Code. This is a show we started at the end of 2023 to expand our surface area beyond just personal finance to entrepreneurship and career-focused conversations—you can hear new episodes every Thursday. This episode is our conversation about pivoting out of business slumps—aka, you've been trying something for awhile and it's just...not working. What do you do? What are your options? How do...