This week on Ask Farnoosh, we're tackling some of life's biggest financial decisions—from navigating a major income gap in a relationship to deciding whether a promising restaurant venture is worth the investment. Plus, what should you prioritize when you're trying to save for a home while also preparing for retirement?

Farnoosh answers listener questions about maintaining financial independence before marriage, evaluating a potential angel investment opportunity, choosing between a brokerage account and a traditional IRA, finding trustworthy financial advice, and building a down payment fund in a high-cost housing market. She also shares resources for managing healthcare costs and weighs in on whether married couples should file taxes jointly or separately

Before the mailbag, Farnoosh breaks down the latest jobs report, explains why a strong labor market may keep the Federal Reserve on hold when it comes to interest rates, celebrates National Donut Day, and sounds off on a teen financial literacy competition that may be testing the wrong skills altogether.

Listener questions include:

• How do we manage money fairly when one partner earns significantly more?
• Should we invest in a chef friend's new restaurant?
• Is it better to file taxes jointly or separately?
• How can I save for a house down payment faster?
• Should I open a traditional IRA or a brokerage account if I earn too much for a Roth IRA?
• How do I find a financial advisor I can trust?
• What resources can help consumers navigate healthcare costs?

Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

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What does it mean to build wealth when the world hasn’t always made space for your identity? That’s the question at the heart of today’s conversation, and the driving force behind a powerful new book reshaping how LGBTQ+ people think about money, belonging, and the future. On this episode of So Money, I’m joined by Nick Wolny, a longtime personal finance journalist, columnist for OUT Magazine, and now the author of Money Proud: The Queer Guide to Generate Wealth, Slay Debt, and Build Good Habits to Secure Your Future

Nick brings a candid, deeply human lens to the financial lives of queer people, from the emotional and cultural realities that shape money choices to the systems and habits that help rebuild stability, confidence, and long-term security. His own story, which he describes not as self-help but as a kind of spiritual reckoning, is woven throughout the book and sets the stage for an honest, energetic, and eye-opening conversation.

This episode originally aired on Dec 17, 2025.

Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

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Gold has captivated humanity for thousands of years—but why?

In this episode, Farnoosh sits down with author and financial historian Dominic Frisby to explore the fascinating story behind one of the world's most coveted assets. Drawing from his new book, The Secret History of Gold, Dominic explains how gold shaped empires, fueled exploration, influenced wars, and continues to play a powerful role in global finance today.

The conversation covers why gold remains a popular safe-haven investment during uncertain times, the emotional and psychological hold it has on people and cultures, and why countries like China continue to accumulate vast reserves. Farnoosh also shares her own family's connection to gold as an Iranian-American and explores the generational tradition of passing gold down as a store of wealth.

Plus: Dominic weighs in on whether Bitcoin is truly "digital gold," what central banks know that everyday investors may not, and the smartest ways to add gold to your portfolio.

Check out Dominic's Substack The Flying Frisby

Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

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This week on Ask Farnoosh, we're tackling one of the biggest money questions of all: When can I retire?

Inspired by a viral Instagram reel about repeatedly refreshing a retirement calculator in hopes of finding financial freedom, Farnoosh breaks down how to determine your retirement readiness—and why retirement may not be the right goal at all. Instead, what if the goal is optionality?

In this episode:

• Why so many Gen Xers are obsessed with retirement calculators
• How to calculate your "freedom number"
• The 4% rule explained simply
• Why Social Security may be worth more than you think
• How home equity changes the retirement equation
• Four retirement personality types
• Practical ways to move your retirement date closer
• Why burnout—not retirement—may be the real issue

Plus:

• Farnoosh weighs in on the controversy surrounding Belle Burden's bestselling memoir Strangers following a recent New Yorker investigation.
• An update on the new Trump Accounts program, including why Farnoosh believes it could become one of the most powerful wealth-building tools for children.

Related Listening:

Retiring on Social Security Alone

Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

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What if the most important inheritance you leave your family has nothing to do with money?

Not stocks. Not real estate. Not a trust fund.

But instead, a written record of your values, your hard-earned lessons, your family stories, your regrets, your hopes — the wisdom you want future generations to carry forward.

Today’s guest, Eric Becker, calls this an “ethical will.” He originally wrote one for his children years ago, never imagining that after the devastating loss of his daughter Kara, he would one day rediscover the document and find that it would help guide him through grief and back to himself.

Eric is the Founder and Co-Chairman of Cresset Family Office & Private Wealth Management, a multi-family office overseeing more than $237 billion in assets under management and advisement. Before that, he co-founded Sterling Partners, the private equity firm that raised more than $5 billion across eight funds, and throughout his career has advised founders, entrepreneurs, and ultra-high-net-worth families on how to build businesses — and lives — that endure.

His bestselling book and new podcast, The Long Game, explore exactly that: what separates companies, families, and leaders who survive for generations from those that disappear.

In this conversation, we talk about the hidden traits of enduring companies, why culture matters more than most founders realize, how to recognize “moments of truth” in business and life, and why one of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is: “What am I tolerating that I shouldn’t be?”

We also get into stoic philosophy, parenting, family meetings, AI, investing for the long term, and the surprising parallels between building a resilient company and building a meaningful life.

Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

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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.

This episode originally ran on April 8, 2026

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.

Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

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This week on Ask Farnoosh, Farnoosh tackles some of the biggest personal finance questions listeners are wrestling with right now, from AI-powered banking tools to buying a home in today’s expensive market and whether it’s smart to pay off debt early.

Farnoosh begins with a look at OpenAI’s new personal finance tools that allow select ChatGPT users to connect their financial accounts directly to AI. She breaks down what the feature can do, why some consumers are intrigued, and why others are understandably nervous about privacy and security. She also shares fresh housing market data showing more buyers are moving forward despite mortgage rates remaining above 6%, and why waiting for ultra-low rates may no longer be realistic.

The episode also explores a viral MarketWatch story about a couple who became millionaires in their early 30s despite modest incomes. Farnoosh unpacks the real lessons behind the headline: avoiding excessive student debt, consistently investing at least 15% of income, buying reliable used cars, keeping housing costs manageable, and staying financially flexible enough to seize opportunities when they arise.

• Can you buy a new home if you already own one with a mortgage? Farnoosh answers a newlywed listener’s question about purchasing a larger home while keeping her husband’s current house as a future rental property. She explains how lenders evaluate debt-to-income ratios, when future rental income may count toward mortgage approval, and why it’s important to run the numbers carefully before deciding whether becoming a landlord is truly worth it.
• Should you pay off a car loan early, even if it might impact your credit score? Another listener asks whether paying off the final $1,000 on a car loan could hurt their credit. Farnoosh explains the difference between revolving credit and installment loans, how credit mix factors into your score, and why the emotional relief of becoming debt-free can sometimes outweigh purely mathematical investing advice.

Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

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Today’s episode is about neurodivergence, the workplace, and a question that more families and employers are beginning to confront: Why are so many talented people still struggling to get hired and succeed at work simply because the systems around them weren’t designed with them in mind?

My guest is Dr. Helen Genova, Associate Director of the Center for Autism Research at Kessler Foundation, where she also directs the Social Cognition and Neuroscience Laboratory. She’s also an Assistant Research Professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

Today, we’re focusing on one area where her work is having an especially profound impact: helping autistic young adults navigate the hiring process and workplace culture, while also helping employers rethink what inclusion and talent recognition can actually look like.

We’ll talk about why job interviews can be such a major barrier, the hidden communication mismatch happening in workplaces every day, the importance of self-advocacy and employer education, and what all of us—whether we’re managers, coworkers, parents, or job seekers—can do to build more supportive and successful work environments.

Learn more about the KF STRIDE program.

Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

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Women today are more educated than ever. More ambitious than ever. More likely to be breadwinners, business owners, and leaders in their households and communities. And yet — despite decades of progress — the pay gap persists, women continue to hit barriers at work, and many still feel punished for wanting both financial success and personal fulfillment.

My guest today says that’s not a coincidence. It’s a system.

Stefanie O’Connell Rodriguez is back on So Money with her powerful new book, The Ambition Penalty, which examines how corporate culture encourages women to strive, achieve, and “lean in” — only to penalize them once they begin claiming real power, money, and authority.

In this conversation, we unpack the myths we’ve been sold about ambition and meritocracy, why women are still more likely to face backlash for negotiating and asking for raises, and how inequality at work is deeply connected to inequality at home. Stefanie also shares why the rise of both “girlboss” culture and the tradwife movement miss the bigger picture — and what actually needs to change if we want more equitable outcomes for women.

Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

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This week: A possible Covid-related tax refund, the demographic with the biggest student loan defaults, can AI help with your money….and All-things 529 plans and college savings with Patricia Roberts.

Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

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