What does a financial advisor actually do when you're staring down a layoff...or trying to avoid one? In this bonus episode of our Surviving the Layoff series, Katie and Amanda sit down with Tina Hoang, a Northwestern Mutual financial advisor with over a decade of experience. Spoiler: she's part financial planner, part career coach, part therapist. Honestly, we could all use a Tina.

We talk through the money moves you should be making before anything goes wrong, what NOT to do the second you get that pink slip (put down the 401k, we mean it), and why Tina's approach to financial planning goes way beyond the numbers.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• The financial basics everyone should have in place — layoff or not
• How to figure out your "safe zone"
• What mistakes people make after a layoff — and the 401k move that could cost you 40%
• Whether you should negotiate your severance
• How to evaluate a job offer beyond just the salary number
• When to reach out to a financial advisor — and how to find one you actually click with
• Why Tina calls herself a "saver from yourself"
• The in-service distribution rule at age 55 that most people have never heard of

ABOUT TINA HOANG:

Tina Hoang is a financial advisor with Northwestern Mutual based in Dallas, Texas. With over ten years of experience, she specializes in comprehensive financial planning — covering both the defensive side (insurance, risk planning) and the offensive side (wealth accumulation and investments). Before financial advising, Tina spent a decade as a personal trainer, which explains a lot about how she coaches clients through the emotional side of money.

CONNECT WITH TINA:

Phone/Text: 972-663-7237 Email: Tina.T.Hoang@nm,com

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) — borrowing against your home asset
• 401(k) in-service distributions at age 55
• Roth IRA vs. pre-tax vs. after-tax contributions
• The "mega backdoor Roth" and why most people are confusing it with something else
• Myers-Briggs and culture index assessments

This episode is part of our Surviving the Layoff series. Catch up on all episodes at lessthanexpert.com.

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