Stay in touch and sign up for Paco’s weekly email newsletter, The Nerdletter. If you’d like to contact us about the show or ask Paco a question about finances, call our hotline at 1-833-ASK-PACO, email us at weirdfinancepod (at) gmail.com or submit your questions here. We’d also love your listener feedback about the show; here’s a short survey.   In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Robert E. James II and Stephen H. Gordon about the role banks play in closing the racial wealth...

Stay in touch and sign up for Paco’s weekly email newsletter, The Nerdletter. In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Damain Gomez about his 20 years of experience as a working actor in Los Angeles, from his first paying job to how he got his union status, his perspective on the strike and why he feels hopeful, the ups and downs of a career in the arts, and the value of creativity. Born in San Francisco but residing in Los Angeles, Damian(@mrdamiangomez) has made a career for...

Stay in touch and sign up for Paco’s weekly email newsletter, The Nerdletter.  In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Hannah Williams about her own struggle with being underpaid because of a lack of salary transparency, the job she’s created for herself asking strangers how much money they make, the pros and cons of salary transparency and tips to start talking about salary and money with co-workers and friends. Hannah Williams (@salarytransparentstreet) is a popular Gen Z Finance...

Stay in touch and sign up for Paco’s weekly email newsletter, The Nerdletter. In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Liz Tran about her philosophy on money, how her past experiences have shaped her relationship with money, how her biggest financial failure gave her the most confidence, the role of gratitude and receptiveness in getting what you want and Buddhist economics. Liz Tran (@heyliztran) is an executive coach to the CEOs and founders of tech companies. Altogether, her...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Pamela Rosario about her path to becoming a self-employed intellectual property attorney, the importance of setting up your business properly, the financial implications of working for yourself, and how to navigate and understand creativity in the context of intellectual property and the law. Pamela (@pamelarosariolaw) is a Dominican attorney raised in NYC with over a decade of legal experience. She currently specializes in Intellectual...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Angel Trinidad about their philosophies around goal setting, reprogramming her mindset around money and scarcity, how helping others through the tools we create can be the most meaningful work we do, the challenges of sudden wealth and the idea of abundance being shared enoughness. First-generation, queer, Filipina American, Angelia “Angel” Trinidad (she/they) is the CEO and Founder of Passion Planner. After graduating from UCLA with a B.A. in...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Molly White about how she became one of the most vocal critics of web3, crypto decentralized finance, and web3, the limitations and false promises of these technologies, the parallels between the current AI hype and the previous crypto hype and how cannot be divorced from its societal impacts. Molly White (@molly0xFFF) is a software engineer, writer, and critic of the cryptocurrency industry. She founded and maintains the website Web3 is Going...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Leo Aquino about their experience immigrating to the United States, their path to becoming a personal finance journalist, how being true to yourself can translate into earning more money, the impact of anti-trans bills on trans people's finances, and advice for taking small actions towards personal financial transformation and social change. Leo Aquino (@queerandtranswealth)​​ is a poet, screenwriter, storyteller, and award-winning journalist...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Paul Montoy-Wilson about the importance of a mindful money practice, how his app, Allo works and helps users create a mindfulness and awareness around their spending, Paul's experience selling his previous company and coming into a life-changing sum of money, and how Paul applies mindful money practices to his own finances. Paul Montoy-Wilson, originally an Electrical Engineering student at Stanford, pivoted to Computer Science following the...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Bryce Adams about her entrepreneurial journey, how she got started as an OnlyFans creator, her philosophies about money, how she deals with the stigma of being an OnlyFans creator and her thoughts on creating content in the age of artificial intelligence.  Bryce Adams (@fitbryceadams) is a serial entrepreneur who built her first multi-million dollar business right out of high school. Most recently, she's known for being the #1 liked creator on...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Amanda Holden about her journey from working in finance to teaching women how to invest, common myths that keep women from investing, paycheck routines, ethical investing, when to start saving for retirement, and easiest way to get started on your investing journey. Amanda Holden is an award-winning money writer, speaker, educator, and... ex-finance bro. You may know her as @dumpster.doggy on the internet, where she can be found dishing out...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Darren Robinson (@darrenrobinson), guitarist in the band  Phantom Planet. They discuss Darren's journey in the music industry, getting a record deal, working with friends over many decades, his love of cryptocurrency, and navigating investing. Tune in to hear about the challenges and rewards of pursuing art and the intersection of creativity and finance. This episode also features The Economic Outlook with financial astrologer Susan Gidel....

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Shruti Joshi about the power of different perspectives, how financial literacy helps with mental health, how spending money reflects our identity and values, and how every decision is a financial decision. Shruti (@shruti_jo) is the Chief Operating Officer of Facet, and is widely recognized for driving efficient, rapid growth at B2C and B2B companies across every stage, from startups to enterprise businesses. A former consumer tech founder and...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Sarah Faith Gottesdiener about cultivating enoughness, how poor boundaries impact our finances, the spiral of healing in everyday life,  creating a playful relationship with creativity, and nurturing an abundance mindset. Sarah Faith Gottesdiener (@gottesss) is an artist and business owner living in Los Angeles. She designs books, podcasts, and life curriculums for thousands of people around the planet. Her business, the Moon Studio, brings...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Daryl Fairweather about how economics is fundamentally about decision making, why housing is so expensive, how climate change might impact housing, and the philosophical reasons why a land value tax makes sense. Daryl Fairweather (@FairweatherPhD) is the chief economist of Redfin. Her insights have been featured on 60 Minutes, CBS Evening News, as well as in the New York Times and Washington Post. Prior to joining Redfin, she was a senior...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to iO Tillett Wright about his childhood in New York, how growing up in the scarce environment and surrounded by poverty has shaped him, his journey to homeownership, how he cultivates abundance and inner peace in his life, and the importance of community-oriented work. iO Tillett Wright (@iolovesyou) is an author, screenwriter, producer, and podcast creator. He has been a public speaker, photographer, journalist, artist, curator, and actor. iO...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Braxton Brewington about debtor’s unions and why they’re important, how debt is used as a form of power, how unions and collectives can work together and create leverage, debt strikes, and the state of student loans. Braxton Brewington is an organizer and spokesperson for the Debt Collective (@thdebtcollective) —the nation's first union of debtors. Braxton is a North Carolina native and proud North Carolina A&T State University graduate—the...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Erin Lowry about her latest book, Broke Millennial Workbook, how she’s changed her advice on emergency fund savings, ways to move away from hyper-individualistic thinking to community-based thinking, how to have conversations with your parents about money, and advice for people who are struggling in the current economy. Erin Lowry (@brokemillennialblog) is the author of Broke Millennial, Broke Millennial Takes On Investing, Broke Millennial...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Shaun Evaristo about the path he took to become a dancer and choreographer, how he’s overcome his fear of numbers and the idea that he’s bad with math, and how he’s navigating through the biggest loss of his career thus far. Shaun Evaristo (@shaunevaristo) is a Filipino American dancer and choreographer. He has worked with well-known artists such as Justin Bieber, Pharrell Williams, Miguel, Tae Yang, and much more. Creator of the dance brand...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Erin Levine about the value and importance of prenuptial agreements, advice on how to approach marriage to avoid divorce, how to talk to your partner about money, and the growing cost of divorce. Erin Levine is a lawyer turned founder of award-winning, venture capital-backed justice tech company, Hello Divorce. Erin is revolutionizing the broken divorce system by combining easy-to-use digital tools with integrated expert advice to make the...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Jay Handy about how we value art, having a meditation practice, starting an asset management firm, how art and investing intersect, art as an asset class, and the intrinsic value of art in our lives. Jay Handy has his MFA from the Lesley College of Art and Design and is an alum of Harvard Business School. He co-founded SignalPoint Asset Management, where he has been a financial advisor and senior portfolio strategist for 15 years and counting....

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Lindsay Bryan-Podvin about her journey in becoming a financial therapist, healthy and unhealthy ways of dealing with financial anxiety, the four money personas, and how to know when it’s time to seek financial therapy. Lindsay Bryan-Podvin (@mindmoneybalance) is a biracial financial wellness expert, speaker, and author of "The Financial Anxiety Solution." A practicing social worker since 2012, she uses a shame-free approach to help people get...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Roja Gashtili about their mutual obsession with power and money, being first generation, the myth of meritocracy, especially when it looks somewhat successful, the financial anxiety that comes along with pursuing writing, the amount of generosity and wealth it takes to do that, nepo babies and why we’ve seen such an uptick on “eat the rich” movies. Roja Gashtili worked on the Oscar­-nominated, No End in Sight and was an associate producer at...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Pamela Capalad about the path to becoming a financial planner, building a financial literacy program for kids, the unique struggles first-generation folks have with navigating wealth building, her holistic approach to financial planning and Sea Change, a financial planning service specifically for people of color. Pamela Capalad (@brunchandbudget) is a Certified Financial Planner™ and Accredited Financial Counselor™ and has been in financial...

In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to business owner, dog groomer, actor, and creative professional Jess Rona about how she went from bathing dogs at PetSmart to building a burgeoning dog grooming business, becoming a celebrity groomer, taking financial risks, believing in yourself, and the power of an online and in-person social network. Jess Rona (@jessronagrooming) is an actress and comedian that has turned her day job as a dog groomer into a successful and adorable brand called...