It's time for another Pocket Dial! That's where we pause to reflect on the money themes coming up on Other People's Pockets. Jared Ball is a professor of Communications and Africana Studies at Morgan State University in Baltimore and the author of "The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power." He helps unpack the lies around "passion work" and why it feels like you have to be out for yourself when it comes to finances.

Follow Jared at:

Instagram: @imixwhatilike

X: @imixwhatilike

Follow Maya Lau at:

X: @mayalau

Instagram: @itsmayamoney

TikTok: @itsmayamoney

What is this whole "financial-freedom-through-real-estate-investing" thing people are doing, and is it real? Maya interviews Deandra McDonald, a real estate investor and influencer with 320k+ followers on her TikTok, @simplerealestate. Deandra says she became financially free at 28 after five years of house-hacking (buy a property, rent part of it, live in the other part, and have your tenant pay your mortgage!). Deandra only found her path after several life choices went wrong for her in her early twenties. Now she uses her experience (and fun personality) to teach others her real estate ways. 

Follow Deandra:

TikTok: @simplerealestate

Instagram: @deandramcdonald

https://www.deandramcdonald.com/

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X: @mayalau

Instagram: @itsmayamoney

TikTok: @itsmayamoney

Have you ever thought about how money feels in your body? Or how sticking with a budget might start with healing your money wounds first? Today Maya interviews Bari Tessler, a financial therapist and author of "The Art of Money: A Life-Changing Guide to Financial Happiness." Bari explores what it feels like to even hear the truth about other people's money stories, and how to navigate our own.

Follow Bari Tessler at:

baritessler.com

Instagram: @baritessler

X: @baritessler

Follow Maya Lau at:

X: @mayalau

Instagram: @itsmayamoney

TikTok: @itsmayamoney

Today Maya interviews a couple we're calling D+A, because they wanted anonymity so they could discuss their finances openly. D+A are in love, engaged and have been living together for about a decade, but financially? They're just roommates. Separate bank accounts. Separate credit cards. One of them will ask the other to Venmo them $7 after a Target run. Why? Maya digs into their money pasts and fears and gets them to fact-check each other in real time.

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Twitter: @mayalau

Instagram: @itsmayamoney

TikTok: @itsmayamoney

Kyle Coon is a blind Paralympian triathlete on Team USA. Kyle was diagnosed with eye cancer at 10 months old and had his eyes removed at age 6. His blindness didn’t stop him from becoming a competitive rock climber, downhill skier, runner and triathlete. He revealed how personal finance is different as a blind person, and what it means to rest almost all your financial hopes on winning a medal in the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024.

Follow Kyle:

Instagram: @eyeronkyle

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Twitter: @mayalau

Instagram: @itsmayamoney

TikTok: @itsmayamoney

A few weeks ago, I had the cockamamie idea to fly to Shreveport, Louisiana. I wanted to visit a weed doctor, get a medical marijuana prescription, and then smoke weed and interview her while high. And that is exactly what I did! Jaya McSharma is a medical doctor and the co-owner of CannaCare of Louisiana, a medical marijuana clinic. Jaya is also an actress and filmmaker and has some wild stories about getting Bernie Madoff’ed out of basically her entire life savings.

Follow Jaya:

Instagram: @jayamcsharma

https://cannacarela.com/

Follow Maya Lau at:

Twitter: @mayalau

Instagram: @itsmayamoney

TikTok: @itsmayamoney

How does money mix with religion? Blair Pogue is a church leader who works for the bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. She's a longtime former priest at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul, where she helped manage the church's finances and encouraged people to give 10% or more of their income. She shares how much she's paid and whether it's enough — and how she tracked how much money each of her parishioners put in the offering plate.

Follow Maya Lau at:

Twitter: @mayalau

Instagram: @itsmayamoney

TikTok: @itsmayamoney

As a Muslim, Khalid Kadir navigates personal finance differently than most of his fellow Americans. That means not obtaining traditional loans (because you're charged interest, which is forbidden) or buying conventional insurance (because it often relies on speculation). Khalid, who teaches engineering at UC Berkeley, explains how following the rules of Islamic finance has meant a much less glamorous life than he might otherwise have, one with unexpected good karma.

Follow Khalid Kadir:

X: @iamkhalidkadir

Follow Maya Lau at:

X: @mayalau

Instagram: @itsmayamoney

TikTok: @itsmayamoney

Once upon a time, Chelsea Fagan was a financial mess. She had a credit score of around 450, debt that went to collections, and so many unpaid traffic tickets that she got arrested. She whipped herself into financial shape by writing about her journey at The Financial Diet, where she's co-founder and CEO. She explains why some of her employees earn more than she does and why you don't have to grind to succeed.

Follow Chelsea Fagan:

Instagram: @faganchelsea

Twitter: @chelsea_fagan

thefinancialdiet.com

Follow Maya Lau at:

Twitter: @mayalau

Instagram: @itsmayamoney

TikTok: @itsmayamoney

Can you put yourself through college by selling rocks on eBay? Philip Persson did! He's a geologist and mineral dealer who's been obsessed with digging things out of the ground since he was little. Sometimes it means trespassing. And sometimes it means confronting moral questions about where amazing crystals actually come from. Phil explains the connection between rocks and his path to financial stability.

Follow Philip Persson at:

Instagram: @perssonrareminerals

perssonrareminerals.com

Follow Maya Lau at:

Twitter: @mayalau

Instagram: @itsmayamoney

TikTok: @itsmayamoney