HomeEc

Where are Nick & Moraya? Planning some yummy upcoming episodes. In the meantime, enjoy this bonus episode on human capital, employee well-being, workplace culture, behavioral economics and investment returns - hosted by Nick.

Welcome to a special episode of HomeEc, where we explore money, relationships, and everything in between. While developing our financial wellness platform, we’re sharing this insightful CFA Society of Philadelphia webinar, moderated by host Nick Ashburn.

Visit PersonaWealth.com to take our free financial psychology assessment and uncover your money blind spots. In future episodes, we’ll dive into user stories and actionable steps to improve financial well-being.

• ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance): This episode focuses on the "S"—how companies treat employees.
• Human Capital Factor: An investment metric showing companies with strong employee sentiment outperforming benchmarks by 3-6% annually.
• Good Job Strategy: A model proving that investing in employees leads to operational and financial success.
• Intrinsic Motivators: Factors like recognition, purpose, and fairness that drive employee engagement beyond pay.

• Nick Ashburn (Host): Founder/CEO of PersonaWealth, former Head of Responsible Investing at PNC Bank, and sustainable investing expert at Wharton.
• Sarah Kalloch: Executive Director, Good Jobs Institute; MIT Sloan lecturer; expert in job quality and business performance.
• Bart Houlahan: Senior Partner, Irrational Capital; Co-founder of B Lab and the B Corp movement.

💡 "Making the invisible visible is a superpower." – Nick Ashburn

💡 "Service jobs are the bedrock of communities—we must make them good jobs." – Sarah Kalloch

💡 "The human capital factor is based on employee sentiment—how they feel about their employer." – Bart Houlahan

✔️ Good Jobs Drive Business Success – Companies with strong employee cultures outperform financially.

✔️ Human Capital as an Investment Factor – Employee sentiment is a leading indicator of business success.

✔️ AI & Workplace Transformation – Companies with strong cultures will navigate AI disruption more effectively.

📚 Learn More:

• Good Jobs Institute
• Irrational Capital
• B Lab & B Corp Certification
• MIT Living Wage Calculator

📲 Follow Us: Instagram/TikTok @homeecpod

🌐 Websites: PersonaWealth.com | HomeEcPodcast.com

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Nick and Moraya talk with Dr. David Musto from Wharton about Finiverse, an app designed to help families navigate college financing decisions.

Dr. David K. Musto - Ronald O. Perelman Professor in Finance and Faculty Director of the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance at the Wharton School. Expert in consumer credit, predatory lending, and financial distress.

• $1.7 trillion student loan debt affects 43 million Americans (average $38,000 per borrower)
• Finiverse uses "multiverse" approach to simulate different financial outcomes
• Parents start "pre-suffering" about college when children are still in elementary school
• Children pick up on college financing anxieties even when not directly discussed
• Safe learning environments where students feel represented significantly impact outcomes
• Finding the right educational environment (teaching styles, diversity, culture) is as important as financing

• Research 529 college savings plans in your state for tax advantages
• Look beyond college "sticker prices" to understand actual costs after financial aid
• Understand federal vs. private student loans (federal loans offer more protections)
• Learn about income-driven repayment options for federal student loans
• Consider multiple educational pathways rather than focusing on one option
• Discuss what "psychological safety" in education means for your specific child

• Talk openly about family financial resources and limitations
• Start age-appropriate conversations about education costs earlier
• Create psychological safety for children to ask questions about college
• Explore with your child: "Where do you feel most comfortable learning?"
• Discuss environments where your child feels respected, challenged, and engaged
• Consider how identity, diversity, and belonging impact educational experience
• Observe what settings bring out your child's natural curiosity and strengths

• "You're making this borrowing decision and taking this multiverse approach to thinking about your future." - Dr. Musto
• "The unknown creates so much fear in our brains. Curiosity helps you push past fear." - Moraya
• "Student loans represent a fundamentally complex cost-benefit analysis because the benefit is uncertain." - Dr. Musto
• "You're going to be the only advocate for your kid." - Nick

• Finiverse.org - Interactive college financing simulation app
• Federal student loan income-driven repayment programs
• FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
• 529 College Savings Plans
• HillmanTok - Digital community where Black educators teach Black history and culture, demonstrating how communities create culturally affirming learning spaces in the present moment

• Website: www.homeecpodcast.com
• Social Media: @homeecpod
• Email: [email protected] + [email protected]

Whether you're years away from college decisions or currently navigating them, we welcome you to our ongoing conversation about managing the financial, emotional, and relational aspects of education planning. You are not alone in your presuffering anxieties; we share them, even though two of our combined three children have not yet started kindergarten.

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As Americans prepare to legally wager an estimated $1.4 billion on the Super Bowl, we address sports betting, gambling addiction, and mental health with Dr. Lia Nower, Director of the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University.

Key Terms

• Pathways Mode for Problem and Pathological Gambling: A framework identifying three main pathways to gambling disorder: behaviorally conditioned (no pre-existing conditions), emotionally vulnerable (pre-existing mental health conditions), and antisocial impulsivists developed by Blaszczynski and Nower and published in 2002
• Interval Ratio Reinforcement: Pattern where uncertain payoff timing increases anticipated reward
• Mixed Venue Gambling: Combined online and land-based gambling, linked to higher disorder rates

Chapters

• 00:00 Sports Betting Intro
• 06:30 Gambling Addiction Expert Background
• 18:45 Online Gambling Tech Impact
• 25:30 Family Financial Impact
• 32:00 Addiction Prevention
• 42:00 Gambling Help Resources

Gambling Addiction Warning Signs

• Increased isolation
• Loss chasing
• Hidden gambling activities

Problem Gambling Prevention

• Betting limits
• Cash-only gambling
• Separate bank accounts

📱 Connect With Us:

• IG/TikTok: @homeecpod
• General: [email protected]
• Nick: [email protected]
• Moraya: [email protected]
• Personawealth.com
• homeecpodcast.com
• Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers 
• BFFTherapy.com

🆘 Emergency Resources

• National Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-800-522-4700
• National Council on Problem Gambling: ncpgambling.org
• Rutgers Center for Gambling Studies: gambling.rutgers.edu

Recovery and prevention work best when shared with others and adjusted to individual needs. For more insights on navigating financial wellness and relationships, visit HomeEcPodcast.com

#GamblingAddiction #FinancialWellness #MentalHealth #SuperBowl

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Nick and Moraya continue their series on the sandwich generation with an insightful conversation featuring Mindy Mozenter from Senior Living Specialists Philadelphia. While the episode provides concrete steps for senior care planning, it goes beyond typical checklists to explore the deeper emotional terrain of aging and family dynamics. Through candid discussion, they surface often-unspoken challenges: gender roles in caregiving, power dynamics, shame, and the beliefs about not deserving a good life as we age. The conversation offers both practical strategies and emotional wisdom for navigating these difficult but essential family discussions.

Mindy Mozenter - Senior Living Specialists (Philadelphia)

• 16 years of experience working with seniors
• Serves on nonprofit boards that align with her purpose, focused on senior care and arts in dementia

• Establish Power of Attorney (medical and financial)
• Create emergency contacts and "What If" scenarios
• Document passwords and financial information
• Assess home safety and mobility needs

• Maintain engagement through community involvement and purpose. 
• Consider physical and emotional therapy for both health and social connection

A Beautiful Connection: During our conversation about maintaining purpose while aging, we discovered Mindy's connection to Clearwater, the environmental non-profit Moraya's grandparents (Pete and Toshi Seeger) started in the 1960s - a reminder that meaningful connections can emerge even in difficult conversations about aging, the universe will give us a sign, wink, or even a laugh if we are willing to listen. As Mindy shares what a force of nature Toshi was. 

From Mindy:

"Be their kid again, not their caregiver. You want to go there and have a conversation, say 'Dad, tell me about where your parents came from in Ireland' [...] Not like, 'Did you bathe today?'"

"How small has your world gotten?"

From Nick: "Beyond checklist goals, we need to understand their 'why' - their higher purpose and identity. It goes to 'I love you, I'm a loving parent, I'm a loving child.' When we start from these internal values, that's where the real conversations begin."

From Moraya: "We need purpose not just in these big career related moments, we need that to age well - engagement, education, and purpose."

• Area Agency on Aging (AAA) - Available in every county
• Penn's Village (Philadelphia area)
• ARTZ Philadelphia (Arts and dementia program)
• Mindy Mozenter: [email protected]

📱 Join Our Kitchen Table Conversations

• Website: www.homeecpodcast.com
• Social Media: @homeecpod
• Email: [email protected] + [email protected]

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Sandwich Generation Series Lowering the Barrier to Connections and Caretaking

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode discusses grief, loss, and mentions suicide. If you're struggling, text, call, chat 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (24/7).

In this episode, Nick and Moraya explore loneliness in the sandwich generation and ways to build deeper connections while caregiving. They respond to a listener's letter about friendship and sibling dynamics, discuss how to lower barriers to connection, and share personal stories about grief and family values. 

🥘 Main Course Topics:

• Responding to a listener navigating caretaker loneliness
• Building deeper intimacy in friendships 
• Personal stories of grief, including Moraya's memories with her grandparents Toshi & Pete Seeger and Newport Folk Festival - particularly timely as a drop of their legacy is highlighted in Edward Norton's Oscar-nominated performance in "A Complete Unknown" about Bob Dylan's early years played by Timothée Chalamet.
• Discussion of "The Rabbit Listened" by Cori Doerrfeld

🫕 Memorable Quotes:

• "Why do we wait until after someone's gone to ask the questions that matter? What if we found the courage to ask them now?" - Moraya
• "How can we process everything we're carrying if we're carrying it alone?" - Nick
• "Your friend reaching out with 'How are you?' - that's an invitation to connect." - Moraya

📑HomeEc Key Terms:

• Sandwich Generation: Caring for both aging parents and children under 18
• Openface Sandwich Generation: Adult children caregiving their parents without kids
• Club Sandwich Generation: Multiple generations of caregiving at once, including in the same generation
• Emotional Pursuer (EFT): A partner who responds to relationship stress by moving toward the other to meet attachment needs
• Emotional Withdrawer (EFT): A partner who responds to relationship stress by moving away to protect attachment needs.
• Genogram: A visual tool that expands on a family tree to map relationships, patterns, and dynamics across generations, revealing inherited behaviors and attitudes about topics like money and gender roles.

📖Chapter Guide

• 00:00 Introduction and Setting the Stage
• 04:07 The Sandwich Generation: Definitions and Experiences
• 08:10 Understanding Genograms and Family Systems
• 17:08 Listener Letter: Seeking Support and Connection
• 30:53 Navigating Elder Care Decisions
• 42:56 Breaking Barriers in Difficult Conversations
• 48:29 Emotional Support and Connection loop

📱 Join Our Kitchen Table Conversations

• Instagram/TikTok: @homeecpod
• [email protected]
• [email protected]

Want more wellness recipes? Sign up for our monthly newsletter on the HomeEcPodcast.com website.

⚠️ Disclaimer: The advice in this show are a guide and sharing personal stories are for entertainment. Please speak directly with a professional for personalized guidance.

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• Target Audience: Those facing the challenges of caring for children and aging parents
• Focus Areas: Financial health, caregiving, and family dynamics
• Key Themes: Personal wealth management, intergenerational relationships, emotional well-being

• Understanding family dynamics and values
• Managing emotional and financial burdens
• Building effective support systems

• Construal Level Theory: A social psychology theory that describes how people represent objects, events, or situations, based on their perceived “psychological distance.” In other words, depending on how near or far the concept feels in relation to time or physical space (e.g., retirement in 30 years or physically looking at houses you are interested in buying) you may think about it in more abstract or concrete terms.
• Genogram: A detailed family diagram that goes beyond a traditional family tree to map out relationships.

"The value modeled for me from the women in my family is about welcoming people in, caretaking and burning out.” - Moraya

1.Complexities of the Sandwich Generation

• Balancing caregiving roles
• Managing financial responsibilities

2.Understanding Money Attitudes

• Impact of family history
• Financial schema development

3.Navigating Family Systems

• Gender roles in caregiving
• Legacy and influence

4.Building Support Systems

• Creating boundaries
• Managing burnout

• 00:00 Defining the Sandwich Generation
• 06:50 Emotional and Financial Burden
• 15:59 Legacy of Creativity and Influence
• 19:20 Gender Roles and Financial Dynamics
• 28:02 Family and Money Attitudes
• 31:19 Navigating Loss and Responsibility
• 38:54 Meeting People Where They Are

Discussion prompts. If you want to battle shame and lean into deeper change, share and process it with a friend, instead of trying to fix it. 

1. How did your family talk about money when you were a child?
2. What's one money value from your upbringing that doesn't fit with who you are today?
3. Which money lessons from your childhood have you chosen to keep?
4. How does your financial upbringing compare to your partner's?
5. If you could go back to have a conversation about money with your family, what age and topic would you choose?
6. What's the most important message about money you want to teach your children?

• Socials:

Instagram/TikTok: @homeecpod

• Email:

General: [email protected]

Moraya: [email protected]

Nick: [email protected]

• Websites:

For more insights on navigating family dynamics and financial wellness, subscribe to our newsletter at HomeEcPodcast.com

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Prep Time: 40 minutes Serves: Those looking to set meaningful, sustainable goals and create lasting change - whether it's saving money (2025's top American resolution according to Statista) or paying off debt (CFP Board's #1 financial goal for next year)

• Word of the Year methodology
• Goal-setting science and research
• Creating personal psychological safety with your New Years Resolutions
• Understanding the "why" behind your goals

Dr. Lindsay Roberts is a professional coach, speaker, and founder of Lindsay Roberts & Co., specializing in psychological safety, resilience, and leadership development. She currently serves as the Director of Learning & Development for a leading direct-to-consumer insurance organization. With advanced degrees in Sport and Performance Psychology and Interdisciplinary Leadership, Lindsay has over a decade of experience empowering individuals and teams to achieve exceptional results.

Her impressive background includes:

• Master Resilience Trainer for the U.S. Army
• Head of Talent Development at a Fortune 500 company
• College professor
• Doctoral research on psychological safety in the nuclear energy industry

"The bottom line is relationships matter - even in our relationship with our goals." - Dr. Lindsay Roberts 

"If we're comfortable, we're doing it wrong." - Ted Lasso wisdom

• Choosing a meaningful Word of the Year
• Understanding the science behind successful goal setting
• Creating emotional anchors for decision-making
• Review past patterns and identify recurring themes - what feeling in your body kept coming up this year? What is that like?
• Schedule regular check-ins and be open to adjusting your goal as part of the journey

• Choose your Word of the Year + Infuse it into your goals 
• Schedule monthly check-ins with an accountability partner
• Journal about your desired feelings for 2025
• Embrace flexibility as a way to battle shame and to rehumanize goal setting

Instagram/TikTok: @homeecpod Email: [email protected], [email protected] [email protected] Website: Personawealth.com + HomeEcPodcast.com

Track their monthly progress through our newsletter and social media as they explore paths to growth and vulnerability. Experience their shared moments of shame, joy, and mutual support—revealing how different identities shape unique approaches even with the same "Word of the Year" as they dig into how to be deeply rooted in core values.

Want more wellness recipes? Sign up for our newsletter on the HomeEcPodcast.com website.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prep Time: 40 minutes Serves: Those looking to set meaningful, sustainable goals and create lasting change - whether it's saving money (2025's top American resolution according to Statista) or paying off debt (CFP Board's #1 financial goal for next year)

• Word of the Year methodology
• Goal-setting science and research
• Creating personal psychological safety with your New Years Resolutions
• Understanding the "why" behind your goals

Dr. Lindsay Roberts is a professional coach, speaker, and founder of Lindsay Roberts & Co., specializing in psychological safety, resilience, and leadership development. She currently serves as the Director of Learning & Development for a leading direct-to-consumer insurance organization. With advanced degrees in Sport and Performance Psychology and Interdisciplinary Leadership, Lindsay has over a decade of experience empowering individuals and teams to achieve exceptional results.

Her impressive background includes:

• Master Resilience Trainer for the U.S. Army
• Head of Talent Development at a Fortune 500 company
• College professor
• Doctoral research on psychological safety in the nuclear energy industry

"The bottom line is relationships matter - even in our relationship with our goals." - Dr. Lindsay Roberts 

• Choosing a meaningful Word of the Year
• Understanding the science behind successful goal setting
• Creating emotional anchors for decision-making
• Review past patterns and identify recurring themes - what feeling in your body kept coming up this year? What is that like?
• Schedule regular check-ins and be open to adjusting your goal as part of the journey

• Choose your Word of the Year + Infuse it into your goals 
• Schedule monthly check-ins with an accountability partner
• Journal about your desired feelings for 2025
• Embrace flexibility as a way to battle shame and to rehumanize goal setting

Instagram/TikTok: @homeecpod Email: [email protected], [email protected] [email protected] Website: Personawealth.com + HomeEcPodcast.com

Track their monthly progress through our newsletter and social media as they explore paths to growth and vulnerability. Experience their shared moments of shame, joy, and mutual support—revealing how different identities shape unique approaches even with the same "Word of the Year" as they dig into how to be deeply rooted in core values.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prep Time: 40 minutes Serves: Those navigating complex family dynamics and seeking healthier ways to communicate during holiday gatherings

• Attachment theory & family systems
• Holiday triggers & emotional responses
• Communication strategies
• Financial conversations in relationships

"The family system wants to go to homeostasis." - Nick

"Do you want to be right, or do you want to be in relationship?" - Moraya

"The little things are how we are modeling wellness for our family too." - Moraya

1. Understanding attachment in family dynamics
2. Managing emotional triggers during gatherings
3. Navigating financial conversations with partners
4. Building psychological safety in family settings

• Practice curiosity instead of judgment
• Identify your support system before gatherings
• Take "adult timeouts" when needed
• Remember change is gradual - "it's building a muscle"

• Try an adult time out this week before you burn out
• Prep before an event to reduce the resistance to reaching out if you feel activated
• Journal prompt - when do you often say to yourself when you want to leave a conversation or gathering?

• Instagram/TikTok: @homeecpod
• Email: [email protected], [email protected] [email protected]      
• Website: Personawealth.com + HomeEcPodcast.com

Want the full financial wellness recipe? Check out our newsletter for an expanded version with more data, insights, and action steps!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prep Time: 45 minutes Serves: Anyone seeking relief from holiday spending pressure and craving more intentional ways to celebrate without breaking their budget or spirit.

Nick Ashburn is the CEO and founder of Calibrate where he's redefining our relationship with money to support overall well-being, bringing experience from leading responsible investing at PNC Bank and directing impact investing at Wharton. From singer to Fulbright scholar to fintech founder, his unique journey shapes his approach to making financial wellness more accessible and personal.

Moraya Seeger DeGeare, MA, LMFT is a Black Biracial therapist and sought-after expert advising in tech and marketing. She is featured in NPR's Life Kit, Forbes, and Vice, bringing over a decade of experience helping couples build strong sustainable intimate relationships. As co-founder of BFF Therapy and couples therapist at Evolve Therapy, she combines her multicultural upbringing and clinical expertise to create honest conversations about wealth, culture and wellbeing.

• Research shows we lose about 50% of our friendships every 7 years (Science Daily)
• Black Friday 2024 spending hit $10.8 billion, up 10.2% (CBS News)
• Average holiday spending forecast: $1,000 per person, up 14% from 2023
• 48% of parents report guilt driving holiday overspending

• Holiday spending pressures & family dynamics
• Shopping psychology & emotional triggers
• Gender differences in holiday spending
• Marketing tactics during holiday season

"We're not here to tell you how to get rich quick or that you shouldn't have that latte or avocado toast... we're leaning into what makes you – you." - Nick

"Marketing, social pressure, emotional spending, family expectations are in a lot of families. You don't even wanna do any of this. It has nothing to do with your shame, but your mom, your aunt, someone's gonna be like, 'I can't believe you didn't do more.'" - Moraya

• Set realistic budgets before shopping starts
• Consider alternative gift approaches (experiences, homemade)
• Communicate financial boundaries with family
• Focus on traditions over transactions

• Instagram/TikTok: @homeecpod
• Email: [email protected], [email protected] [email protected]
• Website: Personawealth.com + HomeEcPodcast.com

Want the full financial wellness recipe? Check out our newsletter for an expanded version with more data, insights, and action steps!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.