We’re diving into modern dating today—and not the glossy, swipe-right version—but the real, complicated, emotionally loaded landscape so many of you are navigating right now.

What happens when you’re financially independent… maybe even out-earning your partner… and the old rules no longer apply?

Why are some women opting out altogether, saying “I’m good on my own”… while others are leaning into this rising “tradwife” movement as a kind of antidote to burnout and girlboss culture?

And in a world of endless options, dating apps, and shifting power dynamics—how do you actually find a relationship that lasts?

My guest today is someone who has spent years studying exactly this.

Amy Chan is the author of UNSINGLE: How to Date Smarter and Create Love that Lasts and the bestselling Breakup Bootcamp. Dubbed the "scientific Carrie Bradshaw" by The Observer, she has helped thousands of singles transform their love lives through her world-renowned Breakup Bootcamp and Dating Bootcamps.

And in our conversation, we’re getting into everything—from the psychology of attraction and why dating feels so exhausting right now… to how money, ambition, and identity are reshaping relationships in real time… and what it really takes to build love that lasts.

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This episode is brought to us by Louis Jadot, a thoughtful way to elevate date night without overspending.

On this week’s Ask Farnoosh, we’re getting real about last-minute tax strategy, including why filing an extension might actually be one of the smartest financial moves you can make. (Hint: if you’re self-employed, it could buy you months of extra time to fund a SEP IRA and lower your tax bill.)

We’ll also break down how to think about your tax refund: how to use it wisely, where to prioritize, and why it’s not a bonus… it’s a second chance.

And then, we zoom out to something a lot of us are quietly feeling: it’s getting really expensive just to have a social life.

Dating. Relationships. Even grabbing dinner with friends.

New data from Louis Jadot reveals that 56% of Americans say rising costs are changing how often they go on dates, and more than 1 in 4 have stopped dating altogether to save money.

Welcome to the era of loveflation.

In this episode, we unpack what that means for your wallet and your relationships, how to stay connected without overspending, how to navigate who pays on a date, and how to align your financial values with your personal life.

Plus, at the end: my honest take on who should pay on the first date, and how to handle it without making things awkward.

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It’s rare in personal finance that someone comes along and doesn’t just offer advice—but completely rewires how we think about money, work, and what it means to live a good life.

My guest today did exactly that.

Pete Adeney—better known as Mr. Money Mustache—helped ignite the FIRE movement long before it was trending on TikTok or debated on cable news. His message? Radical, at the time: Spend less, live intentionally, invest wisely—and you might just buy yourself the freedom to walk away from traditional work decades early.

And here’s the thing—Pete didn’t just write about it. He lived it. Retiring in his early 30s, raising a family on his own terms, and building a cult-like following of readers who wanted to do the same.

I’ve actually had a front-row seat to his journey. We first met more than a decade ago, filming in his backyard in Colorado, when his blog was just beginning to take off. Back then, his ideas felt… almost rebellious.

Today? They’re part of the mainstream conversation.

But Pete hasn’t stood still—and neither has life.

In this episode, we catch up on everything: what early retirement really looks like after a decade, how his thinking on money, family, and even divorce has evolved… and why, despite having “enough,” he’s still rethinking what a rich life actually means.

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This special bonus episode of So Money is brought to you by TurboTax Experts for Business.

And today, we are tackling a topic that so many of you are thinking about right now… taxes.

If you are freelancing, consulting, running a side hustle, or fully self-employed, this episode is for you.

Because here is the truth. No one really prepares you for this part of entrepreneurship. One minute you are feeling proud of the income you are generating on your own, and the next you are wondering, wait… what does this mean for my taxes?

Joining the show is CPA and TurboTax expert Lisa Greene-Lewis, who has more than 20 years of experience helping individuals and small business owners navigate the tax code. She has also been self-employed herself, so she gets it. The overwhelm, the confusion, and yes, the fear of doing something wrong or leaving money on the table.

We unpack:

• The biggest mistakes solopreneurs make when filing taxes and how to avoid them
• What you actually need to know if you are earning income outside a traditional job
• Why quarterly estimated taxes matter and what happens if you skip them
• Deductions you might be missing, including home office, startup costs, and even your car
• How to stay organized without making this a full-time job
• What really triggers an audit and what does not
• Whether filing an extension is a smart move

How TurboTax Can Support You

One of the things I appreciate about TurboTax Experts for Business is that you have options.

You can file your taxes working alongside an expert, or you can hand it off to a pro who can do it for you! - either way, you’re matched with an expert that knows your specific industry. That part is key. Whether you are a freelancer, consultant, or small business owner, you can get matched with someone who knows your world.

They also offer year-round support, which means you do not have to wait until next April to ask your questions. And with new tools, including AI features, they can help you stay organized and even uncover deductions you might not realize you qualify for. Visit TurboTax.com/Business to learn more.

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Tiffany Aliche—also known as The Budgetnista—has spent over 15 years helping millions of women take control of their money, rebuild after financial setbacks, and create lasting wealth. She’s the founder of the Live Richer Movement, a New York Times bestselling author, and one of the most trusted voices in personal finance—because she doesn’t just teach the theory… she’s lived the comeback.

Her book, Get Good With Money, now out in paperback, is a roadmap to what she calls financial wholeness—mastering the ten essential areas of your financial life, from budgeting and saving to investing and estate planning.

But in this conversation, we go deeper—and more current.

We talk about:

• Why this economic moment feels different—even for high earners
• What Tiffany learned from losing everything during the last recession—and how it shaped her approach today
• The five foundational pillars everyone needs to revisit right now: budgeting, saving, debt, credit, and income
• Why “the math isn’t mathing” for so many households—and what to do when cutting back isn’t enough
• Creative, real-world ways to boost income (from renting assets to leveraging skills you already have)
• And how to manage financial anxiety in a world that feels increasingly uncertain

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

It’s spring break, and while I’m taking a little time offline with family, I didn’t want to leave you hanging. In this episode of Ask Farnoosh, we’re revisiting some listener questions from earlier this year—straight from the January mailbag—but don’t worry, these topics are just as timely and relevant today.

We’re covering:

• How to navigate student loans—especially when family is involved
• What to do with extra cash once you’ve paid off debt
• How to approach investing when the market (and headlines) feel uncertain

Special Announcement:

Registration is now open for Book to Brand, my immersive, in-person event happening October 9 in New York City. Join top publishers, agents, and authors to learn how to build a platform that gets attention—and results.

👉 Early bird tickets are available now at booktobrand.co

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Guest Sahirenys Pierce is a financial educator, speaker, and the creator of The High Five Banking Method—a simple but powerful framework that helps people organize their money with purpose, reduce financial stress, and actually follow through on their goals.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How financial trauma shapes our decisions (often without us realizing it)
• Why traditional budgeting fails so many people
• The five-account system that can simplify your entire financial life
• And how to create stability—even when the economy feels anything but stable

We also get into her personal story—from losing her childhood home… to becoming the financial voice she wished her family had back then.

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

What if the biggest threat to your career… isn’t losing your job—but becoming irrelevant before you even get one?

Right now, we’re watching something seismic unfold in the workforce. College grads are struggling to land entry-level roles. Companies are hiring more cautiously—or not at all. And quietly, in the background, AI is beginning to reshape not just which jobs exist… but whether entire career paths survive.

In fact, a recent survey of 5,000 unemployed Americans found that only 15% would choose a four-year college again knowing what they know now.

That’s not just a statistic. That’s a warning.

Today, we’re bringing on someone who is not just observing this shift—but actively building solutions inside it. Chieh Huang, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Pelgo, is working at the front lines of what he calls the “intersection” of AI and the job market—helping workers reskill, reposition, and stay in the game.

In this conversation, we unpack:

• Why entry-level jobs are quietly disappearing
• The surprising roles AI is actually creating
• What employers are really thinking right now about hiring
• Why your ability to learn quickly may matter more than your degree
• And how to use AI—not avoid it—to stay competitive

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In this Ask Farnoosh Friday, we’re tackling one of the biggest questions right now: how do you stay financially steady when everything feels uncertain?

Joining me is returning guest and trusted voice in personal finance, Georgia Lee Hussey, CFP and founder of Modernist Financial. [Grab her free financial toolkit] Together, we unpack the emotional and practical realities of this moment—from market volatility and recession fears to tax season surprises and the rapidly evolving role of AI in our careers.

We start with the money anxiety so many of you are feeling right now. What’s really driving the fear around the markets? And how do you respond without sabotaging your long-term plan? Georgia shares how she coaches clients through uncertainty—and why downturns may actually be opportunities, especially if you’re still in your earning years.

Then, we dig into tax refunds. If yours is bigger this year, Georgia explains why it may not be the “win” it seems—and how to think more intentionally about what to do with that money.

We also explore the future of work in an AI-driven world—including why skills rooted in the humanities, creativity, and critical thinking may become even more valuable, not less.

And finally, we zoom out to what matters most: how to stay grounded, make thoughtful decisions, and build financial resilience in a world that can feel anything but stable.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How to manage market anxiety and avoid emotional investing
• Why downturns can benefit long-term investors
• What your tax refund is really telling you
• The hidden costs behind recent tax policy changes
• How AI is reshaping jobs—and where new opportunities lie
• Why creativity, writing, and empathy are becoming power skills
• Smart ways to prepare financially for uncertainty

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

Brooke Taylor is a former Google executive turned researcher and coach who has spent years studying a phenomenon called the success wound —interviewing more than 5,000 women to understand why so many accomplished, capable people still feel like it’s never enough.

Her new book, Healing the Success Wound: Align Your Ambition, Find Lasting Career Fulfillment, and End the Cycle of Never Enough, puts language—and solutions—to something I think so many of us have felt but couldn’t quite articulate.

In our conversation, we unpack

• What the “success wound” really is…
• Why achievement can become a stand-in for self-worth…
• The five archetypes of high achievers who struggle with fulfillment…
• And how all of this shows up not just in our careers, but in our finances, our relationships, and even how we parent.
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We also talk about Brooke’s own turning point—what she calls her “spiritual awakening breakdown”—and how it led her to rethink everything she thought she knew about work, ambition, and identity.

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