HerMoney with Jean Chatzky Jean Chatzky Her Money

Although by now we’ve all found our new ‘COVID routines,’ we’ve also found our COVID ruts, with more drudgery and ‘adulting.’ Katina Mountanos, mindset coach and author of ‘On Adulting’ breaks down how we can all embrace our responsibilities without letting go of the joy in our lives. She offers formulas for getting off the hamster wheel of work-gym-sleep, and she shares some of her favorite ‘perspective shifts’ to make it through stressful times. In Mailbag, we talk about reinvesting after losing money in the stock market, saving for retirement in an HSA, and how to save for retirement after being laid off. In Thrive, job interview follow-up etiquette during COVID times. 

Home sales are up, and you have real estate questions! We’re diving into all of them. First, we hear from a listener who is unsure whether or not to sell her condo, even though she’s losing money every month. We also tackle a question from a listener who was outbid on a home, but then the sellers came back to her and offered her the chance to buy the house. Another listener writes in with a question on doing IVF vs. building an addition onto her home, and one woman is seeking guidance on the different methods of financing large home projects. Lastly, we hear from a listener who just refinanced in 2018, and is wondering if she should refinance again.

Many women leave the workforce to care for someone they love. But how do we do it while compensating for our lost savings opportunity? Even a one year career break can mean $160,000 less by retirement. Kathy Murphy, President of Personal Investing at Fidelity Investments, offers real solutions for weighing the pros and cons of a career break, and shares concrete steps we can take to reduce the financial impact. In Mailbag, saving in an emergency fund, second act careers, and helping a parent save for retirement. In Thrive, getting reimbursed for work-from-home expenses. 

We love saving money, but how much is too much? Bill Perkins, author of ‘Die With Zero’ argues that the more time and money we can invest in our experiences during our lifetime, the richer our lives will be. Bill makes the case that we should all be spending more of our time and money exploring the world, savoring our relationships, and pursuing our dreams. In Mailbag, we take questions from a listener who is worried that all she does is “work and save,” a woman who wants to diversify her investments, and a listener who is curious how filing taxes with her partner may impact his public service loan forgiveness. In Thrive, every financial document to gather in the event of an evacuation.

Ask any woman on the street today, and she’ll probably tell you she’s shouldering more worry, more responsibility, more of the invisible “mental load” than ever before. And. We. Are. Exhausted. But what’s to be done? Eve Rodsky, author of “Fair Play” walks us through the steps we can take to level the playing field in our homes, and change the dynamic of women shouldering the brunt of childrearing and domestic responsibilities. In Mailbag, Jean advises a woman looking for a lower management fee for her retirement account, and guides a mom on 529 investing. Lastly, in Thrive, Jean dishes on how to control financial clutter in four simple steps. 

As appealing as an investment in real estate sounds, many of us don’t want to be landlords, which is why we’re talking about investing passively in real estate, via real estate syndications. Annie Dickerson and Julie Lam, co-founders of Goodegg Investments, walk us through exactly what real estate syndications are and how they work, the minimums needed to invest, and the typical returns expected. In Mailbag, we advise a woman considering a career as a financial coach, a single woman considering a hybrid life insurance policy, and a Seattle listener who is looking to purchase a floating house (just like in Sleepless in Seattle!) In Thrive, Jean breaks down which option is better — buying or leasing a car.