Her Money Matters

Your 40s are often a decade of everything. Peak earning years, peak spending years, and peak responsibility years, and normally this is all happening at once. You might be raising teenagers, supporting ageing parents, navigating a relationship or separation, and stepping up in your career or business… all while wondering, “Am I actually on track financially?”

This is the decade where money starts to feel different. For many women, this is the point where they realise they’ve been managing life… but haven’t fully stepped into their financial world.

In this episode, Naomi and Helene break down the five things every woman needs to know about money in her 40s, combining real-life experience, practical strategies, and the mindset shifts needed to move from reactive to intentional when it comes to your finances.

In this episode, we cover:

Pick one area from this episode that resonated with you — cashflow, debt, super, kids’ costs, or protection — and take one action this week.

If you’d like help getting clarity and direction with your money, you can reach out:

In today’s episode, Naomi and Helene are discussing one of the most common questions that gets asked - especially by women in their 40s and 50s.

When you have got to the stage in life when you have some surplus cash every month, the million dollar question is ‘What do I do with this’?  Do you focus on paying down your mortgage so you can become debt free sooner, or do you contribute more to your super so it has longer to grow and support you in retirement?

On the surface, both options make sense, however there are many factors to consider including things such as timing, tax, risk, lifestyle, and even how you think and feel about money.

The key difference between paying down your mortgage (certainty) and contributing to super (growth)

In this episode, Helene and I dive into something that affects a lot of women when it comes to money, career, and life decisions: and that is Imposter Syndrome. 

We explore how Imposter Syndrome shows up in the financial world, everything from negotiating salaries and charging what you’re worth, to investing, building a business, or even just speaking confidently about money. We talk about how prevalent it is and especially with women, and the likely places in life that it will occur.

We drill right down into the psychology of Imposter Syndrome, about why your brain event thinks it needs to do this in the first place, through to tips to reduce the impact.

• What imposter syndrome is and why women are particularly prone to it

We’d love to hear any real stories you have about experiencing Imposter Syndrome, so if you would like to send us your story shoot it through to [email protected]

In Part 1 of our International Women’s Day special, Naomi sat down with Natalie Previtera to unpack the gender pay gap and super gap and explore why women continue to retire with less. In this second episode, Naomi and Helene broaden the conversation and look at the bigger picture behind those numbers.

International Women’s Day is a moment to recognise progress, but also to acknowledge the structural and societal factors that still influence women’s financial outcomes today. Many of the gaps we see in pay, retirement savings and investing are not random. They are the result of how work, care and financial systems have historically been designed.

In this episode, Naomi and Helene unpack the key statistics behind these gaps and explore why conversations about financial equality for women remain so important.

In this episode we cover:

• Why International Women’s Day still matters and the theme of Balancing the Scales

• The key statistics behind the gender gaps still affecting women and money

• The care gap and why women continue to carry the majority of caring responsibilities

• The impact of unpaid work and part-time employment on long-term financial security

• The divorce gap and how separation can affect women’s income and financial stability

• The investment gap and why women tend to hold more cash than growth assets

We have also borrowed a word from Aretha Franklin - R.E.S.P.E.C.T.. In our IWD theme of balancing the scales for women and money, what we are really talking about is financial respect, and that includes respect for women’s work, women’s time, women’s contributions, and women’s futures.

Turning February Teal

Most women are already investors however many don't actually realise it. If you have a super fund, you are invested. The real question is whether your investments are structured in a way that supports what is important to you and where you are comfortable investing.

In this episode, we unpack one of the most important principles in investing: diversification. Before you start choosing specific investments, before you explore themes or trends, this is where it all begins. Diversification is the foundation. When you build on the right foundations, everything else becomes clearer and more intentional.

Once you understand diversification, you open up a world of options. Investing becomes less about guessing and more about designing a portfolio that reflects your goals, timeframe and values.

• What diversification really means 

For those who would like to explore the data further, I reference Global X’s publication The Australian ETF Landscape, which provides a detailed snapshot of how the ETF market has evolved in Australia and the breadth of investment options now available. You can access the report here:

In this episode, I also refer to understanding your investment risk profile as part of building a diversified portfolio. If you would like a copy of a simple investment risk profile questionnaire to help guide your thinking, send me an email at [email protected] and I will happily send one through.

Lunar New Year is a time of renewal, intention and fresh starts, and in 2026 we step into the Year of the Fire Horse – a year symbolising courage, independence and forward momentum. In this episode, we explore what Lunar New Year traditions can teach us about money, and how to use this energy to get your financial independence moving in practical, grounded ways.

We open with a pop-culture moment that captures the Fire Horse spirit: Alicia Keys’ Girl on Fire and her iconic performance at the 2012 Music Video Awards alongside Olympic gold medallist Gabby Douglas – a strong reminder of what it looks like when women step into strength, momentum and self-belief.  Here's how it went.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0PvD9FoKfQ

From there, we unpack how money shows up in Lunar New Year traditions, including red envelopes, prosperity rituals, clearing the old to welcome the new, and the symbolism behind the Lunar New Year banquet – from fish and dumplings to longevity noodles and orange citrus fruits. We translate these traditions into practical money lessons for real life and outline simple, doable actions you can take this year to build momentum toward financial independence, backed by Fire Horse courage.

In this episode, we cover:

What Lunar New Year represents and why it’s a powerful time for fresh financial starts

The meaning of the Year of the Fire Horse and how to use its energy for money momentum

How money traditionally shows up during Lunar New Year (red envelopes, prosperity rituals, renewal)

The prosperity banquet and what each dish symbolises about abundance, growth and sustainability

Practical, action-focused steps to move your finances forward this year

Courage in action: facing your numbers, asking for help, and taking your first step

We hope you like this episode.