HerMoney with Jean Chatzky

Epizode

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  Ep 545: Getting the Most Out of Medicare: What You Need to Know 16.09.2026 32min

  Medicare can feel like a maze of parts, plans and deadlines – and getting it wrong can cost you. On this episode of the HerMoney Podcast, sponsored by LIMRA, Jean sits down with mother-daughter Medicare experts Diane Omdahl and Melinda Caughill of 65 Incorporated to break down exactly what you need to know: when to enroll, how to choose between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, and what's changing in 2027 that could catch beneficiaries off guard – from Part D drug plan shakeups to insurers pulling back from Medicare Advantage. We cover: The basics of Medicare – who's automatically enrolled and who isn't, and when you should start prepping to make Medicare decisions A quick guide to Parts A, B, C and D, plus where Medigap fits in Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage: the key differences and why the choice matters more than you think What to know about switching plans later – and why timing is everything What's changing with Part D and Medicare Advantage in 2027 A tool that can help simplify comparing your options during open enrollment After you’ve listened, if you’re ready to dig in, LIMRA’s 5-step guide to planning for healthcare costs in retirement is a great place to start. It will help you get organized, understand your options, and know what to ask your advisor about building a healthcare strategy before you retire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  “Should We Give Up a $350K Lump Sum for a Bigger Guaranteed Pension?” 11.09.2026 18min

  Jenna joins Jean Chatzky on this week's episode for another AMA conversation, this time digging into a decision that sits right at the heart of Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck: Is it worth giving up more money on paper for the peace of mind that comes with guaranteed income? In this episode: Why Jenna and her husband are reconsidering the lump sum after years of assuming it was the obvious choice Jean's take on why retirees with pensions tend to spend significantly more than retirees with the equivalent balance sitting in a retirement account How guaranteed income can free up the rest of a portfolio to be invested more aggressively Why Jenna says choosing peace over optimization is exactly how she and her husband got their finances in order in the first place Want a signed copy of The Forever Paycheck? Leave The Forever Paycheck a review on Amazon, screenshot it, and email it to [email protected] to be entered to win. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Ep 544: Is the 4% Rule Dead? Jean Chatzky on Building a Paycheck That Never Runs Out 09.09.2026 35min

  We've gotten really good at teaching people how to save for retirement. But almost nobody teaches you what to do the day you stop earning and have to start spending. That's the gap Jean set out to close in her new book, The Forever Paycheck: The New Retirement Strategy to Spend More, Worry Less and Never Run Out of Money, and on this episode, HerMoney Chief Content Officer Kathryn Tuggle turns the mic around and interviews Jean about it. In this episode, you'll learn: What a "forever paycheck" actually is, and how it fills the gap between Social Security and what your life will cost The surprising research on why retirees with a pension spend twice as much as those with the same money in a 401(k) How much of her own portfolio Jean is annuitizing, and how she decided on that number The one exercise Jean says is the best way to get comfortable with spending in retirement And if you've already read The Forever Paycheck, leave a review on Amazon and send Jean a screenshot at [email protected]; you'll be entered to win a signed copy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The Secret To Building Wealth As A Normal Person 04.09.2026 29min

  Do you feel like you're middle class? You might not be. Pew Research shows the U.S. middle class has shrunk from 61% of households in 1971 to closer to half today. So what does building wealth actually look like for regular people right now? This week, Jean sits down with Joel Larsgaard, co-host of the How To Money podcast, to talk about building wealth as a normal person, no finance degree or trust fund required. Joel opens up about the money struggles that shaped his childhood and led him into personal finance, then breaks down his "craft beer equivalent" philosophy: identifying the handful of things worth spending real money on, so you can cut back guilt-free everywhere else. In this episode: Why fewer Americans are middle class than they think Joel's "craft beer equivalent" approach to spending How to handle "funflation" without going into debt Simple, specific investing advice for DIY investors We're giving away signed copies of Jean’s new book, The Forever Paycheck! Leave HerMoney a review on Apple Podcasts, screenshot it, and email it to [email protected] to be entered to win. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Remembering Gloria Steinem: Money, Power & Feminism (2017 Interview) 03.09.2026 17min

  Gloria Steinem died today at 92, and we're revisiting a conversation that's stayed with Jean for almost a decade. Recorded live at the Paley Center in 2017 at an event called Winning Plays: Black Women, Feminism, and Empowerment, this episode brings together Gloria Steinem and financial journalist Stacey Tisdale for a wide-ranging conversation on money, power, and freedom. It's a conversation about resilience, self-worth, and what it really means to bet on yourself financially at any age. More from Stacey Tisdale: Stacey's site, Mind Money Media: mindmoneymedia.com Winning Play$, Stacey's financial literacy nonprofit for students: winningplays.org Got a question about The Forever Paycheck, retirement, Social Security, or annuities? Send it to [email protected], and Jean may tackle it in an upcoming mailbag episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Ep 543: Is This Stock Market Too Good to Be True? Karen Finerman's Honest Take 02.09.2026 23min

  The S&P 500 is on pace for a fourth straight year of double-digit gains, something that's only happened once before since 1928, and that last time ended with the dot-com crash. So naturally, a lot of us are wondering: is this too good to be true? Jean sits down with friend of the show Karen Finerman, co-founder and CEO of Metropolitan Capital Advisors and longtime panelist on CNBC's Fast Money, to talk through what this run really means, and what (if anything) you should be doing about it. They get into: What even counts as a "good" economy when companies are growing by doing more with fewer people Why Karen refuses to try to time the market The stocks and sectors she's excited about right now  Her simple, no-frills advice for anyone just trying to keep their 401(k) on track Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, send a screenshot to [email protected], and you’ll be entered to win a signed copy of Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The Simple Framework for Planning the Retirement You Actually Want 28.08.2026 12min

  Most of us pictured our lives as a straight line: high school, college, a job, marriage, a house, kids…one milestone after another. Then life happened. A divorce. A layoff. A move. A pandemic.  This week, Jean Chatzky goes solo to make the case that a messy, non-linear life isn't a failure; it's just what a normal life actually looks like.  In this episode, you'll learn: The "5 Ws and an H": six questions to ask before you retire How to apply design thinking to your own retirement plan Why the real risk in retirement isn't running out of money, but never spending the money you worked so hard to save Want a signed copy of The Forever Paycheck? Leave HerMoney a review on Apple Podcasts, screenshot it, and email it to ⁠[email protected]⁠ to enter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Ep 542: We Fact-Checked Social Media’s Worst Financial Advice With Jill Schlesinger 26.08.2026 34min

  FinTok is full of people giving confident financial advice… and a lot of it is dead wrong. This week, Jean sits down with CBS News Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger, and host of the new podcast Money Moves, to call out the worst financial trends going viral right now, answer real questions from HerMoney listeners, and share how to tell good financial advice from the bad. In this episode: Jean and Jill’s list of “5 things that are always worth the money”  Jill's top 3 worst pieces of financial advice circulating on TikTok right now, and what to do instead Jill's simple test for vetting any piece of financial advice before you act on it Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  "I'm 3 Months Into Early Retirement. How Do I Make the Money Last?" 21.08.2026 32min

  You've heard of FIRE, Financial Independence, Retire Early. And maybe your first reaction is: those people are a little extreme. But what if you stripped away the extreme version? What if early retirement just meant leaving the workforce in your late 50s, or stepping back a few years before 65… on your own terms? That's exactly what we're digging into in this special mailbag episode with the co-hosts of the Catching Up To FI podcast.  Together, Bill and Jackie answer your real questions, including: How do you plan for health insurance before Medicare kicks in? How much cash do you really need on hand when you retire early? I've been financially independent for three months. How do I reallocate my portfolio now that I'm in drawdown mode? How do you plan for FIRE when you're also caring for an aging parent? 📩 Send your questions to [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Ep 541: Protected vs. Growing: The Split Your Portfolio Actually Needs 19.08.2026 37min

  When's the last time you looked at your portfolio and felt genuinely confident it could weather a bad year? For most of us, the answer is some version of "I'm diversified — stocks for growth, bonds for safety — so I should be fine." But in 2022, stocks and bonds both posted double-digit losses at the same time, and the "safe" part of the plan turned out not to be so safe after all. That gut-check sent researchers looking for a third option, one that doesn't make you choose between growth and protection, but blends the two. This episode, sponsored by LIMRA, digs into that research with Dr. Wade Pfau, a fellow with LIMRA's Retirement Income Institute and a leading voice in retirement research, and Brad Pistole, President and CEO of the Ozarks Retirement Group and host of Safe Money Radio. We cover: Why 2022 was the wake-up call that made people question the classic stock/bond mix What "protection" actually means as its own asset class, and how fixed index annuities fit in The tax advantages that can help protected assets outperform bonds on an after-tax basis Why there's no universal "right" ratio for stocks vs. protected income, and how to find your own number Ready to take the next step? Get up to speed on annuity solutions that can help you build a more secure retirement by using this guide from LIMRA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  A Rejection Expert on How to Ask for What You Want (Even If The Answer Is No) 14.08.2026 35min

  You know that feeling when you should ask for the raise, have the hard money conversation with your partner, or push back on a bad deal… and you just don't?  On today’s episode, Jean Chatzky sits down with Jia Jiang, the guy behind the viral "100 Days of Rejection" experiment, and author of the new book, Easy Discipline: An Unconventional Way to Achieve Ambitious Things.  Jia argues that lasting discipline comes from making hard things feel genuinely enjoyable, a lesson he learned firsthand while navigating undiagnosed ADHD. In this episode, Jean and Jia cover: Whether rejection therapy is actually a healthy way to build resilience What it means to love the process instead of just chasing the result The four principles of Easy Discipline — Enjoyment, Artistry, Systems, and Yourself — and how to apply them to your financial life Jean’s new book, The Forever Paycheck, is now available for pre-order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Ep 540: The One Question That Will Change Your Relationship With Money 12.08.2026 49min

  What if the secret to never worrying about money again isn't earning more or spending less? Jesse Mecham, founder of the beloved budgeting app YNAB (You Need A Budget) and author of the new book Never Worry About Money Again By Answering One Question, is joins us to dig into why so many of us carry a constant low-grade hum of money anxiety — even when the numbers are fine — and how asking three simple words, "What's it for?", can change everything.  Then, Lacy Garcia, founder and CEO of Willow, joins Jean to discuss Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden, the book that has taken over book clubs, group chats, and DMs everywhere this year. Willow is also hosting a follow-up webinar, Empowering Her Finances, August 25th at 12 ET: Register Here! You can find Lacy and the team at Willow at hermoney.com/findaadvisor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  $100k Used to Mean You’d Made It. Now It Barely Covers Groceries. 07.08.2026 34min

  $100,000 used to mean you'd made it. Today, in some cities, it barely covers groceries — and there's a real reason that gap feels so wide. This week, Jean sits down with Mark Hamrick, Chief Economic Analyst and writer of The Hamrick Brief, to unpack why the official numbers so often miss how people actually feel about their money. Mark recently built his own economic measure, HAPI (the Hamrick American Prosperity Index), designed to answer one question: are people actually getting ahead, or just running in place? Plus, Mark shares the one economic "skill" he believes matters most in this moment of nonstop change — and how to build it, even if it doesn't come naturally. In this episode, you'll learn: What HAPI measures, and why Mark built it as the mirror image of the Misery Index Why real wage growth — not just unemployment — is the number that actually predicts how "ahead" people feel The real odds of a recession in the next 12 months, according to economists Want to make sure you never run out of money, no matter what’s happening in the economy? Pre-order Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Ep 539: Why Retirees Are Too Scared to Spend Their Own Money (And How to Fix It) 05.08.2026 33min

  You saved. You invested. You did everything right. So why does spending your own money in retirement feel so terrifying? This week, Jean sits down with Terri Fiedler, President of Retirement Services at Corebridge Financial, to dig into why the spending side of retirement is so much harder than saving, and what you can do about it right now. They cover: The "retirement paradox": why 60% of retirees whose assets have grown still can't bring themselves to spend Why guaranteed lifetime income is the single biggest confidence booster for retirees The three questions everyone should be asking five to ten years before they retire Resources mentioned in this episode: Corebridge Financial's decumulation research: corebridgefinancial.com/decumulation Jean's new book: The Forever Paycheck HerMoney's conversation with Dana Anspach: The Retirement Phase Nobody Talks About Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Is a Vitamix Actually Worth $600? A Consumer Reports Expert Answers Your Biggest Home Spending Questions 31.07.2026 22min

  You know that feeling when you're staring at two versions of the same appliance and have absolutely no idea which one is actually worth it? Today we're getting some answers. Jean Chatzky sits down with Tanya Christian, Senior Home and Appliance Writer at Consumer Reports, for a special mailbag episode answering your real questions about the stuff you actually want to buy,  or are wondering if you should. In this episode: Is a Vitamix actually worth $600? (And when to buy one if you want it) Should you ever buy an extended warranty? What actually matters when choosing a mattress The truth about "cooling" pillows and sheets Links mentioned: Subscribe to Bread and Butter by Consumer Reports. Send your mailbag questions to: [email protected] Pre-order Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Ep 538: The Four-Day Workweek Is Real – So Why Don’t We Have It Yet? 29.07.2026 30min

  Every few weeks, another tech titan promises to hand us our time back. Jamie Dimon says a shorter workweek is coming. Elon Musk says AI will make work optional. Bill Gates is predicting two-day workweeks. Sounds amazing, except we don't actually need AI to get there. The research proving a shorter workweek works has been sitting in front of us for over a decade. This week, bestselling author and veteran journalist Joanne Lipman joins Jean Chatzky to unpack the gap between what these executives are promising in public and what they're actually demanding from their employees in private. In this episode, Jean and Joanne cover: Why the same executives predicting an AI-powered leisure future are also the most insistent on five-day, in-office weeks What over a decade of four-day workweek research shows about productivity, revenue, and burnout Why new technology almost never reduces our workload  Preorder Jean's new book: The Forever Paycheck is your guide to building a secure, steady income stream in retirement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Four Women Get Honest About Retirement Planning, Financial Peace, and the Money We Leave Behind 24.07.2026 38min

  Do you have enough? And how do you even know? In the third and final episode of HerMoney's series with AARP, From First Paycheck to Forever Paycheck, Jean Chatzky and her roundtable tackle the biggest question in personal finance — what does financial security actually feel like, and how do you build something that doesn't just sustain you, but actually gives you peace? Hannah Williams sold her business and walked away with a life-changing payout, and has never been more stressed.  Viviana Vazquez recently hit $100,000 in investments and says she already feels like she has enough.  Ashley Parker thinks about what would happen if she suddenly had to make it on her own, and making sure she always could.  And Carly Roszkowski shares the AARP data that keeps her up at night: 65% of women 50 and older don't feel confident about retirement, and nearly half of those still working have less than $50,000 saved. Jean also introduces a concept that changes everything: decumulation.  This is the third and final episode of From First Paycheck to Forever Paycheck, a three-part series in collaboration with AARP exploring women's financial lives across generations, from your first job to retirement and the legacy you leave behind. If you haven't listened to episodes one and two yet, go back and start there; this conversation builds on everything we've covered. Jean Chatzky's new book, The Forever Paycheck: The New Retirement Strategy to Spend More, Worry Less, and Never Run Out of Money, is available for pre-order now and publishes September 8, 2026. Whether you're looking to save money, manage debt, or prepare for retirement, AARP has resources and tools to help you prepare for your financial future to reach your goals. Get started at www.aarp.org/retirementreadiness. Want to calculate your FIRE number? We recommend this calculator from our friends at NerdWallet.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Ep 537: Why Your Medical Bills Are Bankrupting You and What You Can Do About It Today 22.07.2026 57min

  Your doctor isn't the enemy. So why does it feel like you're fighting them, and losing? This week, Jean Chatzky sits down with Dr. Jordan Grumet to talk about his explosive new book The Healthcare Heist: How Physicians and Patients Can Unite to Transform Healthcare. As a hospice physician who spent over two decades watching families drown in paperwork and impossible bills, Jordan has a clear-eyed diagnosis of what's actually wrong with American healthcare. Then, Lacy Garcia, founder and CEO of Willow, joins Jean to tackle the financial decisions women put off the longest…updating your estate plan, moving money out of savings and into investments, and protecting yourself financially no matter what life throws at you.  If today's conversation left you wanting more Doc G, you're in luck. Jordan has been on HerMoney twice before, once to talk about how to find your purpose, and once to dig into the money regrets people share at the end of their lives. Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck, is your guide to building a secure, steady income stream in retirement. Find a vetted fiduciary advisor at hermoney.com/findanadvisor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The House of Cards: What Happens to Your Money When Life Blows Up the Plan 17.07.2026 39min

  Did your life turn out exactly the way you planned it? Nobody says yes. Not one person. In the second episode of HerMoney's three-part series with AARP, From First Paycheck to Forever Paycheck,  Jean Chatzky gets personal, sharing that at 40, she was fired, got divorced, and lost her father all in the same year. And the women around the table don't hold back either. Ashley Parker reveals she was in the bottom 5% of earners on The New York Times politics team, and nearly doubled her salary the moment she left.  Hannah Williams shares the terrifying moment her veteran husband had a dental emergency with no insurance and no options. Viviana Vazquez opens up about being the financial safety net for her entire family, including a $10,000 out-of-pocket dental bill for her mom.  And Carly Roszkowski talks about her husband's mid-life career pivot, and what it really means to become the breadwinner. Together, they tackle the financial trade-offs that millions of women face every day — stepping back from work, carrying the mental load, navigating the sandwich generation, and trying to build a safety net when life keeps pulling the floor out from under you. This is episode two of From First Paycheck to Forever Paycheck, a three-part series in collaboration with AARP exploring women's financial lives across generations, from your first job to retirement and the legacy you leave behind. Go back and listen to episode 1 in the series here! Jean Chatzky's new book, The Forever Paycheck: The New Retirement Strategy to Spend More, Worry Less, and Never Run Out of Money, is available for pre-order now and publishes September 8, 2026. Whether you're looking to save money, manage debt, or prepare for retirement, AARP has resources and tools to help you prepare for your financial future and reach your goals. Get started at aarp.org/planningforchange.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Ep 536: AI and Your Money: What It Can Do, What It Can't, And Where It Could Get You Into Trouble 15.07.2026 33min

  What happens when you let AI run your life? In her book, I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything, award-winning journalist Joanna Stern chronicles her yearlong experiment integrating AI into every aspect of her day-to-day, from healthcare and money management to household chores and, yes, even an AI-powered massage therapist. On this episode of the HerMoney Podcast, sponsored by LIMRA, Stern joins Jean Chatzky to share the most important lessons she learned, and to dig into how AI can genuinely help you with your money, as well as where it can still lead you dangerously astray.  Listen in to hear them cover: The biggest ways AI can help you save both money and time Why one of Stern’s biggest money-saving AI experiences started in a dentist chair The key things to watch out for when you’re letting AI help with your finances  For more on how AI can (and can’t) help you with your money – especially when it comes to planning for retirement –  check out this guide from LIMRA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices