In this week’s Ask Farnoosh episode, Farnoosh unpacks your top financial questions with the looming threat of a recession on everyone’s mind. Should you prioritize paying off debt or building up savings? Is it ever wise to cash out a Roth IRA? What’s the deal with doctor-specific mortgage programs? And how can you move money between brokerage accounts without triggering taxes?

Farnoosh also breaks down the latest CNBC CFO Council survey, which reveals growing pessimism and recession forecasts.

What if the secret to extraordinary wealth isn’t about betting on the next big thing, but buying something tried-and-true—like a plumbing business, a car wash, or a cleaning company? What if the future of entrepreneurship isn’t on Wall Street or in Silicon Valley, but on Main Street—if only we knew how to seize it?

My guest today is Codie Sanchez, founder and CEO of Contrarian Thinking, a digital education platform and media company with over 6 million followers

In her new book, Main Street Millionaire: How to Make Extraordinary Wealth Buying Ordinary Businesses, Codie lays out her bold argument: that buying profitable, established, cash-flowing businesses is the most underrated path to building wealth—and that now is the time to act. Why? Because America is facing a generational handoff. Over 40 million Americans are hitting retirement age, and baby boomers—who currently own nearly two-thirds of small businesses with employees—are poised to sell. Codie calls it a “silver tsunami,” and for those who know how to navigate it, it could mean once-in-a-generation opportunity.

In our conversation, Codie opens up about her own unlikely journey from journalism to Wall Street to Main Street. We talk about how she made the leap, the psychological hurdles to entrepreneurship, and how she thinks about power, relationships, and the future of work in an AI-driven world.

Today, I’m sharing something a little different in the feed.

As some of you may know, I recently launched a new podcast called Leading By Example in partnership with iHeartMedia and Ruby Studios. Over there, I’ve been diving into powerful conversations with changemakers who are redefining leadership in their own unique ways—and today, I wanted to bring one of those episodes to the So Money audience.

In this episode, I sit down with Kathleen Griffith, a serial entrepreneur who walked away from an unfulfilling corporate career and went on to build Build Like a Woman—a movement and business that’s helping women create the lives and careers they truly want. Through her company Grayce & Co, Kathleen has overseen more than $500 million in marketing strategy for major brands like NIKE Women and Verizon.

Kathleen opens up about the bold decisions she made to pivot her life, what she’s learned along the way, and how she’s empowering other women to build—with intention, courage, and heart.

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This week on Ask Farnoosh, I’m sharing highlights from a financial literacy workshop I hosted at the Bloomfield Library, where I met incredible women navigating major financial crossroads—some filled with uncertainty, others with courage and clarity.

In this episode, I answer:

• What to do when your parents disapprove of your marriage because you earn more than your partner and have taken on a traditionally “masculine” role.
• How to stay financially informed and empowered even if your spouse handles most of the household finances.
• Whether a newly single mom who recently lost her partner should sell her home and move to a more affordable area—and how to approach that big decision with confidence.

Plus: A quick breakdown of the Fed’s latest interest rate decision—what Chair Jerome Powell said, why rates are holding steady, and what it means for your mortgage, savings, and debt.

J. Dana Trent joins to share stories from her childhood as the daughter of a drug dealer, taught to cut up weed as a pre-schooler to support the family business. Her memoir, Between Two Trailers, chronicles the trauma from her troubled past and Dana’s ultimate reconciliation with her past life and parents.

More about J. Dana Trent: She is an accomplished professor and award-winning spirituality writer with a master’s degree from Duke.

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We’re diving deep into one of the most pressing financial issues of our time—student loans. If you or someone you love has ever felt the weight of student debt, wondered why the system feels so broken, or questioned what real solutions might look like, this episode is for you.

Joining us is Jillian Berman, a veteran financial journalist who has spent more than a decade reporting on the student loan crisis. She’s the author of the new book Sunk Cost: Who’s to Blame for the Nation’s Broken Student Loan System and How to Fix It, which unpacks the history, politics, and policies that have turned student debt into a trillion-dollar burden.

In our conversation, Jillian and I will explore how we got here, who’s profiting from this mess, and what needs to change to make higher education more affordable and student loans less of a financial trap. We’ll also talk about recent developments—like legal challenges to loan forgiveness, changes to repayment plans, and what new threats borrowers should have on their radar.

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News of tariff hikes rattled the stock market this week. How to maneuver through the financial uncertainty? To help us navigate this emotional terrain, we are reairing an interview with financial therapist Aja Evans. Aja's new book, Feel Good Finance, is the guide we all need right now, offering practical strategies for untangling our money emotions and building a healthier relationship with our finances. In today’s episode, Aja will help us:

• Understand how our early experiences shape our financial habits and anxieties.
• Learn how to address money conflicts in relationships with grace and communication.
• Avoid rash financial decisions in moments of heightened emotion or uncertainty.
• Set boundaries around social pressures and financial FOMO—whether from friends or social media.
• Create practical, personalized systems for organizing and managing money that actually work for you.

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Menopause used to be a whispered word, something women were expected to endure quietly. But that’s changing—and fast. Women are reclaiming this stage of life, demanding better care, and rewriting the narrative. And leading the charge is my guest today, Emmy-winning journalist and menopause advocate, Tamsen Fadal.

With a career spanning over three decades in television news, Tamsen has transitioned her focus towards empowering women navigating midlife changes.Her latest endeavor, the book How to Menopause: Take Charge of Your Health, Reclaim Your Life, and Feel Even Better Than Before, serves as a comprehensive guide to help women manage the multifaceted aspects of menopause.

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What if the dream you’ve been chasing—the one you’re sure will bring you happiness—turns out to be a myth?

Today’s guest, Sam Vander Wielen, knows this feeling firsthand. She was a successful corporate lawyer who believed that starting her own business would finally make her happy. But when she left law to become an entrepreneur, she realized that fulfillment doesn’t come from business success alone—it’s something you have to cultivate for yourself.

Sam is now a leading legal educator for online entrepreneurs, helping business owners legally protect their work and scale sustainably. She’s the founder of Sam Vander Wielen LLC, where she’s helped over 350,000 entrepreneurs with DIY legal templates and business education, and she’s the host of the podcast On Your Terms®. Her new book, When I Start My Business, I’ll Be Happy?, takes readers inside her journey and reveals what it really takes to build a fulfilling, profitable business—without burning out or falling into the trap of tying your self-worth to your work.

Today, Sam and I talk about the biggest mindset mistakes new entrepreneurs make, why your business shouldn’t be your identity, and the practical legal steps every online business owner needs to take to stay protected. Plus, she shares insights on pricing strategies, marketing in the age of AI, and what actually works when scaling a business.

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Farnoosh Torabi welcomes back Georgia Lee Hussey, founder of Modernist Financial, to discuss a range of financial topics amid current political and economic uncertainties. They examine President Trump's tariff proposals and the theory that they might be engineered to induce a recession for lower interest rates. The conversation extends to the importance of vigilance in financial contracts and professional services amid deregulation efforts. Georgia advises on maintaining financial stability by using credit unions and thoughtful money management. Listener questions cover housing arrangements with partners, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and the significance of ancestral wisdom in financial decision-making. The episode emphasizes strategic financial planning, resourcefulness, and the potential benefits of credit unions and diversified investments.

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