So Money with Farnoosh Torabi

In today's episode of Ask Farnoosh, I answers your biggest questions about breaking down credit scores, prioritizing your expenses, helping family members with finances and saving to buy a house.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.

In today's episode of Ask Farnoosh, I answer your biggest questions about quitting your job, AmEx returns, starting investing, budgeting for young couples, my favorite guest financial habits and diversifying your investments.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 a guilty pleasure. And that guilty pleasure is an entire channel… known as Bravo.  From the Real Housewives of Beverly Hilss to Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. And today, we have one of my favorite Bravolebrities: Millionaire Matchmaker Patti Stanger. She is the star and executive producer of the network’s hit series “The Millionaire Matchmaker” currently in its eighth season. If you’ve never watched the show Patti connects high net worth clients with women seeking love. The idea being that busy successful men don’t have time or the wherewithal to really make a meaningful connection on their own… And she flips it sometimes, too. I’ve watched her match millionaire women with men... and she’s also connecting same sex couples too, which is wonderful.What I admire most about Patti is her business savvy. She’s an experienced third-generation matchmaker. She founded her company, the Millionaire’s Club, in January 2000 and 15 years later it boasts more than 100,000 members available for its clients. Prior to launching this business Patti served as the Director of Marketing for Great Expectations, one of the oldest dating services in the United States. Early in her career, she spent 10 years in the fashion industry.Patti is also an accomplished author, columnist, radio show host and recently getting into the wine and spirits industry.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.

Imagine earning six figures…but being broke. Earning over $100,000…but facing the same amount in credit card debt.This is where the story of Brian Brandow begins. When trying to book a family vacation back in 2010, Brian says he hit a wall. All of his five credit cards were maxed out and he had no available cash. At the time he was making a great salary of $120,000 as an IT manager – more than enough to afford a vacation – and he quickly realized he and his wife needed to make a change. They were living far beyond their means, and had accumulated a whopping $109,000 in debt.So Brian and his wife set out to take control of their finances and their journey t tp financial freedom began. Brian educated himself on personal finance, his wife went back to work to bring in extra income, and they were able to clear the debt in just over 50 months or 4 years. Without having to worry about paying off debt, they now are able to contribute to an emergency fund, retirement savings and college funds for their three kids.Today, Brian’s goal is to help others in similar situations through his blog Debt Discipline, and personal coaching sessions, where he teaches budgeting and getting on the right financial track.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.

A few weeks ago, my friend Kathy Braddock, the managing director of real estate company William Raveis, joined me for an interview. She had some great advice and insights on real estate and growing a successful business. Today, I am continuing that conversation with the founder of William Raveis, Mr. Bill Raveis himself.Bill founded William Raveis in one room over a grocery story in Fairfield, CT in 1974. He borrowed $2,000 to launch his firm – a firm which last year sold more than $8 billion worth of real estate. It is now the largest family-owned real estate company in the northeast with over 100 offices.Bill was the 1988 recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, among many others for his achievements in business. He also gives speeches across the country and has been published in numerous financial and real estate publications including Forbes Magazine and Real Estate Today.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’s guest proves that some people can transform a quirky hobby into a profitable business.Joe Brewer reached out to me with his story a few weeks ago.  His quirky hobby is arcade and pinball repairs and restoration. Salvaging an old, abadoned Ms. Pac Man arcade machine turned into a hobby of restoring vintage arcade and pinball machines which were found through Craigslist, online forums, or simply word of mouth.Joe has such a passion for this that he even has a full-blown arcade – Brewer's Arcade, it’s called -  in his home that you can actually visit. It’s open to the public a couple times per year.To date, he’s made a profit flipping games that he has restored and then sold and makes extra income running a YouTube channel, Brewers Arcade, which specializes in left handed guitars and you guessed it, arcade games!A little financial background on Joe - He and his wife live an anti-debt and fairly frugal lifestyle – their only debt is a mortgage where they make extra payments when possible.  They both live within 2 miles of their jobs and save money by either walking or biking to work.  Joe was even able to start a program at his office that pays employees a small stipend to take alternative transportation to work.Joe and his wife’s lifestyle are an example of how you can find unique ways to make extra cash to pay down debt and hopefully, retire at an early age.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 I have the great honor of welcoming on the show my friend and design guru Nate Berkus. I've wanted to interview him since launching, but he’s had quite a busy year including celebrating the 20th anniversary of his design firm, and even more excitingly, becoming a father. He and husband Jeremiah are now the proud dads to Poppy Brent Berkus. Some background on Nate: In 2002 Nate was invited to make over a small space for “The Oprah Winfrey Show," after which he became a featured design expert for the show and continued to garner national press in publications such as Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Us Weekly, People, O Magazine, Lucky and InStyle, among others. Following the debut of his branded line of home products, Nate’s first book, "Home Rules" (Hyperion) was released in 2005 and went on to become a New York Times bestseller. “The Nate Berkus Show,” a daily syndicated first-run talk show hosted by Nate, launched in September 2010 and returned for a second season in the fall of 2011. I had the privilege of being a guest expert on the show and working with Nate to help families save money. In 2011, Nate also enjoyed a new role as executive producer on the Disney and DreamWorks film “The Help.” Nate’s design firm, Nate Berkus Associates, which he founded in 1995, continues to design interiors across the country and around the world. In fall 2012 Nate brought his branded line of home goods and accessories to Target stores nationwide. In addition, he published his second book, “The Things That Matter” (Spiegel & Grau). His fabric collection, which is sold at Calico Corners, launched in January 2013. It is also available at Fabricut and launched at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores in August 2014. Nate was host, judge and executive producer of NBC’s “American Dream Builders” which aired in spring 2014.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.

In today's episode of Ask Farnoosh, I answer your biggest questions about selling collectibles, pre-tax and post-tax money decisions, finding side-hustles, multiple savings accounts and what to do with inheritance.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.

In today's episode of Ask Farnoosh, I answer your biggest questions about paying off medical bills, starting a 529 plan, building your online brand and buying vs. leasing a car.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.

We are rounding out our series today with a Penn State grad, a fellow Penn State grad. I didn't know he was a Penn State grad until after we booked him, but very excited to introduce all of you to Jeff Johnson. He is a millionaire next-door at the ripe age of 37. He and his wife, Amanda follow disciplined, pragmatic and balanced financial behaviors, and they've acquired a net worth of more than a million dollars. They simply live a rather modest lifestyle in a two-bedroom townhouse in New Jersey, they enjoy the simple life experiences with their family and friends. Jeff and Amanda met while they were at Penn State University, similar to my husband and I. After graduating, they had a five-year long distance relationship. Amanda actually completed her doctorate of Clinical Psychology during that time frame and during the relationship while they were long distance, they had become each accustomed to certain conservative spending habits that they now continue to follow during their marriage. It's really nice to find your financial soulmate. That's Jeff and Amanda. Since getting married nine years ago, they've been able to successfully eliminate all their debt including car loan and student loans. They do still have a modest mortgage and as I said in the process, they have earned themselves over a million dollars. They reached that at age 34. They are 37 now. Jeff currently works at a pharmaceutical company, Amanda worked as a staff psychologist at a local college before taking a leave of absence to raise their 2-year-old son.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.