So Money with Farnoosh Torabi

What are good ways to pay off my mortgage faster?How do I involve my spouse in our retirement planning without scaring him off with the numbers?I feel like something is always happening to us and we have to use the money we've saved to pay something off. Now, we're left wondering how we'll afford daycare in 9 months. Help!Answering your questions this week with co-host and So Money listener Steven Blivess.To learn more or share a question for an upcoming Ask Farnoosh Friday episode, visit www.somoneypodcast.com.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.

Tricia Brouk is our guest today and she does it all: she works in film, tv, theatre, and is a writer, director, and choreographer. She’s also the founder of The Big Talk, a popular service where she uses her expertise in the art of public speaking to make other big talks and keynotes a success. Her clients have gone on to earn 7-figure income streams, receive invitations to speak with the FDA, and speak at TEDx events around the country.Tricia recently produced a documentary called The Dinner is Full about a man named Chris who started the 747 Club, a dinner club for strangers to gather and meet authentically around simple pasta sauce. Her next musical is Committed, coming in February 2018. This show tells the story of eight psychiatric patients struggling with their mental illnesses in a 1989 psychiatric ward. The aim of the show is to de-stigmatize mental illness through honesty, humor, and art.Tricia is also the producer of TEDxLincolnSquare, and the host of the podcast The Big Talk, where she currently interviews people who talk for a living.Tricia and I discuss:Why being a starving artist is neither sexy nor So MoneyHow she managed to make money while traveling on the road with her dance company.If an employer won’t pay you what you’re worth,if you discover a male coworker is making twice as much? Should you take the job? Quit? Sue? Tricia has a detailed personal story.How to convince investors to invest in your risky theatrical production.For more about Tricia visit www.triciabrouk.comTo learn more about her speech services and download Tricia’s free ebook The Art of the Start visit www.thebigtalknyc.com.To learn more visit www.somoneypodcast.com.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.

The topic today is college savings. So many of you write-in asking,"Farnoosh, where should I save for my child's college education? Is a 529 still the best option?" Some even want to know about how to save for our unborn children! I get it. College is expensive today, let alone 18 or 20 years from now.   To help us tackle college savings plans, we have the co-founder and COO of CollegeBacker Abby Chao joining us. Prior to launching the company, Abby was a senior associate and social sector fellow at McKinsey & Company.What's interesting is that only 30% of Americans know what a 529 plan is. That's where CollegeBacker wants to help. It's a new company that's educating parents around it and make it easier for them to save up for their child's college costs. Their trick: involving your community of friends and family. At CollegeBacker you can open a 529 plan and invite others to contribute.  Abby and I discuss 529 pros and cons of starting an account like this. It's not a given that a 529 is the best way to save and that it's a right fit for all families.What if you save diligently into this account and your child doesn't attend college or receives a full scholarship? What happens to the money? I was pretty surprised by some of the answers. There are also some potential legislative changes to the 529 this year that may or may not expand its impact.  We talk about all of this, as well as Abby's own impressive career resume. Her "So Money" moment was when she was at work and convinced her bosses to give her a promotion and a raise...and reimbursements for graduate school!   CollegeBacker would like to offer So Money listeners a $25 match if you sign-up. You can visit collegebacker.com/somoney for more information.To learn more about Abby and CollegeBacker visit collegebacker.com or follow her on Twitter @AbbyChao.To learn more visit www.somoneypodcast.com.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.

I have two daughters, 12 and 14... how do I teach them to invest?Does closing a checking or savings bank account affect your credit score?Is a Roth IRA or 457b government deferred compensation plan better for a 27-year old who is planning for retirement for the first time?Answering these questions of yours and more on this week's show with So Money friend and Profit Boss Radio host Hilary Hendershott.To learn more about Hilary's event on Friday, January 19th in San Jose, CA visit www.profitbosslive.com.To learn more visit www.somoneypodcast.com.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.

Health is wealth, right? Many of you have New Year’s resolutions to be healthier in 2018. So, I thought it would be appropriate to bring on a guest today who is an expert on, particularly, pelvic relief. The topic is a little sensitive, a little private. Sometimes we don’t talk about this issue very openly.Both for men and women, particularly us moms after having babies, this can be an area of tension and pain. But as Isa says, “If your pelvis isn’t healthy, your money can’t be healthy.” What’s that correlation about? Isa will explain.She's a licensed physical therapist and an expert in women’s health. She's the founder of pelvicpainrelief.com, which is an online educational portal. Isa also has a healing center here in New York City. She is the author of five books on the topic of women’s health and she says that her passion for pelvic health was born from her own personal hardships after the birth of her first daughter, Ella. Isa also talks about the benefits of growing up poor, the childhood experiences that transformed her relationship with money and has benefited her as an entrepreneur and as someone who is very So Money.To receive the female pelvic freedom checklist visit pelvicpainrelief.com/pelvicstarterkitb. Isa is also hosting a FREE Live Masterclass on January 17, 2018, you can join here: pelvicpainrelief.com/fpa-jan-2018-webinar-optin.To learn more visit www.somoneypodcast.com.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.

From earning $7/hr abroad in his country Slovenia to running a six-figure online business, our guest today is So Money. Online business coach Primoz Bozic works with world-class experts (think: celebrity make-up artists, songwriters, high performance coaches, etc.) to turn their expertise into an online business and create what he describes as "the absolute best content online." Primoz started out as a programmer in Slovenia earning minimum wage and eventually went on to become a student of I Will Teach You To Be Rich and former So Money guest Ramit Sethi.We discuss not just his business and journey but also some of the cultural differences between the U.S. and Slovenia, especially when it comes to money. It is culturally unacceptable to talk about money in Slovenia. Primoz does not feel comfortable talking about his success with family or friends. So, that was an interesting conversation!To learn more visit www.somoneypodcast.com.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.

What are signs that a seller is being scammy on a resale site? How do I identify items around the house worth selling? I'm on track to get promoted but the increase in pay my supervisor mentioned was underwhelming... How should I go about negotiating for more money?Answering these questions of yours with special co-host and former So Money guest (EP 226) Shannon Wilburn, co-founder of Just Between Friends consignment.To find a Just Between Friends event near you visit jbfsale.com.For more information or to share a question for an upcoming show visit www.somoneypodcast.com.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.

Sheila Bair is the former FDIC Chair and, at one point, was named Forbes 2nd most powerful woman in the world. Her agency was responsible for steering us through the financial crisis of 2008. She received numerous awards and recognition for her work during this time.She's had a distinguished career in government, academia, as well as financial roles. Her work has been published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and countless other places.During our show today, Sheila and I catch up because we were in touch during the crisis. I often would call her desk to learn about what was going on and get some updates or fact check for my reporting. She was always available for my questions. So, I jumped at the opportunity to interview her as we embark in a New Year. I got a chance to ask her what has history taught her as she looks to where the market is headed? How is the economy doing? Could we see a recurrence of the calamities of 2008 and 2009? Sheila tells me her newest obsession is retirement. She has partnered with robo advisor Blooom. It's a robo advisor for your 401(k). I want to know how does it work? How is it special? So, she gives us the details and also shares her personal financial stories - how she was raised as a middle class child, how she is raising her children from a financial standpoint, her money mindset, and so much more.To learn more visit www.somoneypodcast.com.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.

Today is the first day of the New Year. So, I wanted to start off with a theme that I’m really working for in the New Year, which is making your own rules, being a badass and just being your So Money-ist. Therefore, I couldn’t think of a more appropriate person to have us kickoff 2018 than Katia Beauchamp.She's the co-founder and CEO of Birchbox, which is a leading beauty subscription service and store. She and I connected last time on CNBC's Follow The Leader. I had the chance to follow her around for 48-hours. I learned Katia is a force. You can just Google her. She is a leading voice and champion for all women who work.During our time together today, we discuss being unapologetic about having it all and wanting it all, how companies can create an environment where women can feel the freedom to have their families and thrive at work and how she and her husband manage their personal finances. I had to go there because I’m super nosy, and I’m glad to report that she was game.To learn more visit www.somoneypodcast.com.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.

Should we use most of our cash savings to pay off our credit card debt? My biggest challenge is budgeting… should I open a bank account with a major bank to help save and budget? How do you deal with both saving for retirement and paying off student loans?Answering these questions of yours and more on this week’s Ask Farnoosh with special co-host and business money strategist Justin Krane.This episode originally appeared on Friday, September 29, 2017 as episode 632.To learn more visit www.somoneypodcast.com.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.