So Money with Farnoosh Torabi

Dive into the hidden costs of homeownership, from surprise repairs to fluctuating insurance premiums. Discover insights on navigating Parent PLUS loans while buying a home and smart steps to invest after clearing student debt. Learn the true costs of owning property and why fixed expenses aren’t always fixed. Farnoosh tackles the alarming affordability crisis in housing and shares strategies for financial empowerment, encouraging listeners to diversify investments while emphasizing responsible AI use.

Randi Crawford, a life coach who helps parents and young adults with launching and independence, brings a direct, no-nonsense approach. She discusses parenting boundaries, why moms over-function, and habits over numbers when it comes to money. Conversations include first-paycheck shocks, harms of helicoptering, setting rent and chores for kids at home, and modeling real financial trade-offs.

In this discussion, guest Alex Gailey, a personal finance reporter at Bankrate, dives into the housing affordability crisis plaguing America. She reveals that typical households are priced out of 75% of homes on the market. Alex highlights the impacts of low mortgage rates, rising housing costs, and stagnant wages. She offers insights on affordable regions and shares strategies for first-time buyers, including flexibility and creative co-buying solutions. Renting emerges as a viable wealth-building alternative to avoid becoming house-poor.

Explore how endings can spark personal growth and financial opportunities. Reflect on the impact of retail bankruptcies on consumer rights. Discover how a proposed cap on credit card interest rates might affect access to credit. Gain insights on cutting housing costs strategically while navigating lifestyle choices. Learn how to manage a 401(k) during a career break and the importance of socially responsible investing. Lastly, discuss integrating generosity into new business ventures.

Christine Benz, Director of Personal Finance and Retirement Planning at Morningstar and author of 'How to Retire,' shares her expertise on navigating retirement in today's landscape. She emphasizes the importance of de-risking portfolios as you age and recommends a flexible approach to withdrawal rates. The discussion includes the need for personalized planning, especially for women, and the realities of long-term care funding. Benz also highlights the importance of crafting a meaningful post-work life, beyond just the financial aspects.

In a lively chat, Jesse Mecham, founder of You Need a Budget (YNAB), shares insights from his two-decade journey in personal finance. He emphasizes the power of getting to zero—gaining control over finances instead of chasing wealth. Jesse outlines YNAB’s four rules, which transform budgeting into self-care. He explores unexpected spending habits of YNAB users and discusses the role of AI in finance. With practical tips for managing money intentionally, listeners learn how to ease financial anxiety and cultivate a healthier relationship with their budgets.

January doesn’t have to start with a financial overhaul. In this special Ask Farnoosh episode, Farnoosh shares why easing into the new year, rather than rushing to reset everything, can lead to better money decisions.She reflects on how she’s approaching 2026, what typically happens in the markets at the beginning of the year, and why January is a powerful time to slow down, learn, and reconnect with what matters most. From there, Farnoosh breaks down the week’s biggest money stories, including shifting grocery prices, growing anxiety in the housing market, canceled home purchase deals, the return of student loan wage garnishment, and new data suggesting homeownership may feel out of reach for more Americans.The episode also highlights two recent conversations on So Money — with David Bach on building wealth through simple, consistent habits, and with Terri Trespicio on the importance of writing as a practical career skill.Listeners then get answers to thoughtful questions about opening a new credit card after securing a HELOC, what it really means when entrepreneurs say they “didn’t pay themselves,” how HSAs work after enrolling in Medicare, and where to safely keep a $20,000 gift intended for a future home purchase. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode may surprise you.Because on a podcast about money, you might expect us to talk about budgeting, investing, negotiating, or saving more. And don’t worry; we’ll get to all of that.But today, we’re talking about a skill that quietly underpins every one of those things. A skill that compounds just like investing. A skill that strengthens your career, your confidence, your earning power, and even how you advocate for yourself in life.We’re talking about writing.In a hyper-AI world, where polished, generic language is now the floor, the ability to think clearly, express yourself distinctly, and tell your story has become a superpower.And that’s why I invited back someone you may remember from a past So Money episode: Terri Trespicio.[Try Terri's writing studio for a free week, January 12 -16, by clicking here.]Terri is a writing expert, teacher, and the author of Unfollow Your Passion. [She is also the co-host of a brilliant new podcast called Gen Artax where she and her sisters read from their adolescent diaries and journals.] She works with professionals across every industry, from engineers to executives to creatives to scientists, helping them clarify their thinking, stand out in crowded, automated spaces, and reconnect with their own voice in an age when it’s very easy to outsource your thinking to a machine.In this conversation, we connect some unexpected dots:Why writing is a form of critical thinking — not creativity reserved for “writers.”How AI can help after you do the thinking, but can’t replace itWhy your career, your money story, and your confidence all depend on your ability to articulate what you know, want, and believeAnd how writing can even help us process financial baggage, scarcity, and fear, especially as many of us enter the sandwich-generation yearsP.S. Try Terri's writing studio for a free week, January 12 -16, by clicking here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year! In this brand new episode, financial guru and NYT bestselling author David Bach returns to So Money to mark the 20th anniversary of The Automatic Millionaire, which has been expanded and updated, and to explain why its core message still holds up—even in today’s high-cost, AI-driven economy. Bach argues that we now live in an “automatic economy” that can quietly make us richer or poorer depending on how our money flows, and that paying yourself first through automation remains the most dependable path to financial security. Drawing on personal stories, market data, and lessons from living abroad in Italy, he reframes wealth as freedom, not just net worth, and makes a compelling case for starting small, investing consistently, and using money to build a life—not just a balance sheet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode aired originally on Sept 19, 2025.In this episode, Farnoosh opens with a personal story about a $5,000 fraud attempt on her business checking account—and what she learned about staying vigilant. She then breaks down today’s biggest money headlines: the Fed’s recent interest rate cut, why U.S. credit scores just saw their sharpest drop since 2008, shifts in the housing market, and why groceries and rent are still stubbornly high despite easing inflation elsewhere. Farnoosh also answers a wide range of listener questions from investing to estate planning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.