2024 will mark the end of Martinis and your Money in October after 10 years of podcasting. The good news is that the year is just beginning, and I still have 9 months of amazing new content to share with you. Over the next 9 months, I’ll be delivering to you the best of the best. The best of what I’ve learned over the past 9 years of podcasting, the best guests, the best topics, and so much more.  Each month will be a new theme and the theme of February is children. If becoming a parent is a life goal, you have to prepare for the financial challenges of having children and college planning is certainly high on that list. Joining me today is Alicia Lazarto, COO of the Financial Gym, and more importantly parent to two college-aged kids to talk about helping your children find the best college if that’s where they’re headed, why you should budget for campus tours and preparing for the eye-opening expenses of sending them away that have nothing to do with tuition, room and board.  For more information, visit the show notes: https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode518-college-planning  

2024 is going to be filled with lots of excitement on my end, personally and professionally, but it will also mark the end of Martinis and your Money in October after 10 years of podcasting. The good news is that the year is just beginning, and I still have 9 months of amazing new content to share with you. Over the next 9 months, I’ll be delivering to you the best of the best. The best of what I’ve learned over the past 9 years of podcasting, the best guests, the best topics and so much more. Each month will be a new theme and the theme of February is children. People who already have children know this, but if becoming a parent is a high life goal, you have to prepare for the financial challenges of having children. Managing those challenges is hard enough if you and your partner are living together, it becomes even more challenging if you’re divorced. Joining me today is my ex-husband, Bill, to share what the co-parenting journey has looked like for him and we both talk about the ups and downs of when families transition into a new sort of family unit. For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode516-coparenting

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.  This is the first Happy Hour of what will be the final year of Martinis and Your Money and we’re talking about all things jobs, specifically managing through toxic work environments, getting paid what you deserve and expectations your company or manager may have of you. As always, it was a great conversation with my friends that I hope you enjoy. For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode515-jobs

Each month will be a new theme and the theme of January is jobs and salaries. January is typically a time for change where companies are more likely to lay people off and employees are more open to change and making a change, so I hope you’ll find this content helpful no matter what stage you find yourself in. Listeners, this is an episode along with it’s episode notes that you are going to want to bookmark, save, share, re-listen to, etc because it’s a great one!  Joining me today is Sara Belhouari, our Trainer Management Lead at Financial Gym to discuss how she’s coached clients through lay offs, job hunting, salary negotiation and everything in-between. I am sure everyone will find important takeaways from this episode.  For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode514-salary-negotiation

2024 is going to be filled with lots of excitement on my end, personally and professionally, but it will also mark the end of Martinis and your Money in October after 10 years of podcasting. The good news is that the year is just beginning, and I still have 10 months of amazing new content to share with you. Over the next 10 months, I’ll be delivering to you the best of the best. The best of what I’ve learned over the past 9 years of podcasting, the best guests, the best topics and so much more.  Each month will be a new theme and the theme of January is jobs and salaries. January is typically a time for change where companies are more likely to lay people off and employees are more open to change and making a change, so I hope you’ll find this content helpful no matter what stage you find yourself in. Many people think about making extra income in the new year with the possibility of maybe starting their own company.  Unfortunately, for a number of people, especially women, the dreams of entrepreneurship are mired by the opportunities out there. Joining me today is Roberta Blevins, founder of Life After MLM to talk about why you should be hesitant to start one of these businesses and how you can save time, money and aggravation by learning what’s a scam and what’s not. And now here’s Roberta.  For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode513-roberta-blevins

Welcome to a new year! 2024 is going to be filled with lots of excitement at the show and at The Financial Gym, January is typically a time for change where companies are more likely to lay people off and employees are more open to change and making a change, so I hope you’ll find this content helpful no matter what stage you find yourself in.  Joining me today is Hannah Williams, the mastermind behind the TikTok account Salary Transparent Street to share what she’s learned after doing the crazy thing and asking random strangers on the street what they do for a living and how much they make doing it. As you can imagine, she’s filled with lots of great insights from her experience that I’m excited to share with you.  For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode512-salary-transparent-street

On the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. This is a very special Happy Hour, as we’re not only talking about our thoughts around Financial Independence but it’s also the year end happy hour, so we’ll be sharing our highs and lows of the year and we’ll set our goals for next year. I also have a very special surprise for you listeners in this show and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!  For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode511-hh-financial-independence

I have a special bonus episode for you this month. As you know, this will be my final December of new episodes for Martinis and Your Money, and I’ve spent this month highlighting my favorite financial goal for clients and that’s Financial Independence, butno matter what your financial goal is, the end of the year is the perfect time to identify goals and plan for the coming year which is why I’m excited to share this bonus episode with you. Joining me today is Kelly Lannan, Senior Vice President of Emerging Customers at Fidelity to talk about Fidelity’s 15th Annual Resolutions Study. She joins me to share the surprising finding of the study and also best practices for setting yourself up to achieve some of those resolutions you may make this year. This is the perfect episode to listen to and hopefully inspire you to set those New Year’s resolutions or goals in this last week of the year. I apologize in advance for my voice now and on the episode as I’m currently fighting a seasonal bug that’s going around. Despite my cold, this is a great episode with so many helpful takeaways.  For more information, visit the show  https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode510-Fidelity

This December is my final year end month for Martinis and Your Money and around this time every year, I’m always talking to clients about goal setting for the following year. And if you’ve listened to this show before, you know that one of the most important financial goals that I am most passionate about is Financial Independence and that’s the ability to work because you WANT to work and not because you HAVE to work. Fi is the number one goal we give to all of our clients at Financial Gym and it’s the number one goal I beg of you to set for 2024 and beyond. Joining me today is Tanja Hester, founder of the Our Next Life blog and author of the books Work Optional and Wallet Activism. I have always appreciated Tanja’s approach to Financial Independence and she joins me today to share more of that journey and what she and her husband have been up to since the declared Financial Independence six years ago.  For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode509-tonja-hester

This December is my final year end month for Martinis and Your Money and around this time every year, I’m always talking to clients about goal setting for the following year. And if you’ve listened to this show before, you know that one of the most important financial goals that I am most passionate about is Financial Independence and that’s the ability to work because you WANT to work and not because you HAVE to work. It's the number one goal we give to all of our clients at Financial Gym and it’s the number one goal I beg of you to set for 2024 and beyond.  Joining me today Brad Barrett, co-founder of the ChooseFI podcast and website. Brad joins me today to share not only his own journey to FI, but what factors unite people on an FI journey and his answer will likely surprise you. And now here’s Brad. For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode508-chooseFI

This December is my final year-end month for Martinis and Your Money, and around this time every year, I’m always talking to clients about goal setting for the following year. One of the most important financial goals that I am most passionate about is Financial Independence, and that’s the ability to work because you WANT to work and not because you HAVE to work.  It’s the number one goal we give to all of our clients at Financial Gym, and it’s the number one goal I beg of you to set for 2024 and beyond. Joining me today is Jessica, co-founder of the Fioneers and a voice for the SlowFi movement. She joins me today to share about her journey to FI and the lessons her community has taught her along the way. For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode507-the-fioneers

One of the financial goals that I am most passionate about is Financial Independence and that’s the ability to work because you WANT to work and not because you HAVE to work. It's the number one goal we give to all of our clients at Financial Gym and it’s the number one goal I beg of you to set for 2024 and beyond.  Joining me today is Jamila Souffrant founder of Journey to Launch and Author of the new book Your Journey to Financial Freedom to discuss how she became a voice in the FI space and why her book is the perfect guide for you to start your own FI journey. For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode506-jamillasouffrant  

Today is the last Friday of the month, and on the last Friday of the month, we host the happy hour on the podcast, where we gather great friends to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.  This month of the show, we’ve been discussing investing to celebrate the launch of Financial Gym’s investment management subsidiary, FG Advisory Services, LLC. This happy hour is a time to share more with friends what was shared with this team, and that’s why this business line is so important to me and why we’ve fought so hard to make it happen. For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode505-hh-investing

This month, we’re focusing on investing. We’re very excited to announce that the team at Financial Gym will finally be able to start investing our clients’ money. For the past 10 years, we have coached clients to become first-generation wealth holders, and we want to continue on the journey with them and help them grow and build that wealth.  Today, Garrett and Sara, both long-time trainers at Financial Gym who plan to help grow our investing division, join the show. They join to share some situations we’ve witnessed with clients that have motivated us to change the wealth management industry.  For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode504-RIA

For the final season, I’m focused on delivering to you the best of the best. The best of what I’ve learned over the past 9 years of podcasting, the best guests, the best topics and so much more. This month I’m focusing on investing. I’m very excited for my listeners to be the first people to know that in just two months, my team at Financial Gym will finally be able to start investing our client’s money. For the past 10 years, we have coached clients to become first generational wealth holders and we want to continue on the journey with them and help them continue to grow and build that wealth. Joining me today is my good friend Joe Saul Sehy. Joe and I were both financial advisors before the work we do now and I always love his insights and behind the scenes observations of financial advisors. Joe joins me today to share when he thinks people should engage a financial advisor, and his answer may surprise you.  For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode503-joel-saul-sehy

This month we’re focusing on investing. In just two months, my team at Financial Gym will finally be able to start investing our client’s money. For the past ten years, we have coached clients to become first generational wealth holders and we want to continue on the journey with them and help them continue to grow and build that wealth.  Joining me today is Amanda Holden, founder of Invested Development to talk about common myths about investing. I always love how Amanda breaks down investing topics and I hope you will too.  For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode502-amanda-holden Connect with Amanda Holden  Website: Invested Development  Instagram: @dumpster.dogg TikTok: @dumpster.doggy  Resources Mentioned:  Free Beginners Investing Workshop Invested Development from August 2019

On the last Friday of the month, I host the Happy Hour on the podcast, where I gather great friends to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. This month, I’ve been talking about student loans and celebrated a significant milestone when I hit my 500th podcast episode.  Colin and Melanie joined this week to share their thoughts and experiences with student loan debt, and we toasted my big 500 episode accomplishment and discussed what life will be like for me after this show ends.   For more information, visit the show https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode501-happy-hour-crew-looks-back

This month we’re focused on a subject that’s important for over 43 million Americans: student loan debt. Because of Covid-19, the federal government gave student loan borrowers a three year reprieve on payments; however, this month they are returning. Today is an extra special episode because it’s not only the 500th episode, but it’s also the first time we are having client number one on the podcast. Jillian started working with Shannon exactly 10 years ago this month and the main reason she reached out was because of the student loan debt she was taking on to get her masters. She joins to share her student loan journey and also her journey as a Financial Gym client for the past 10 years. We’re excited to celebrate the 500th episode with one of Shannon’s favorite people on this planet!  For more information, visit the show notes https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode500-client-number-one

This month, we’re focused on a subject that’s important for over 43 million Americans: student loan debt. Because of COVID-19, the federal government gave student loan borrowers a three-year reprieve on payments; however, this month, they are returning.  There are several repayment options for federal student loan debt, and today, we are sharing with you some positive news and motivation for people who may qualify for the forgiveness programs available.  Joining today are Danielle and Katie, two Financial Gym clients who have both had their federal loans forgiven. They join me to share how they did it, the process, and why you should apply even if you’re not sure it’s time for you.  For more information, visit the show notes https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode499-pslf-achieved

For the final season of Martinis and Your Money, I’m focused on delivering you the best of the best. The best of what I’ve learned over the past nine years of podcasting, the best guests, the best topics, and so much more.  This month, I’m focused on an important subject for over 43 million Americans: student loan debt. Because of COVID-19, the federal government gave student loan borrowers a three-year reprieve on payments; however, this month, they are returning.  Joining me today is Robert Farrington, America’s Millennial Money Expert and founder of the website The College Investor, to discuss what you need to know if you have student loans and also what parents of college-age children or soon-to-be college-aged children (like me) need to know to avoid student loans in their future.  For more information, visit the show notes https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode498-robert-farrington  

This will be my last season of Martinis and Your Money and for this final season, I’ve set the other three people who will join me for happy hour every month. My final season happy hour crew will be made up of Melanie, who many of you know well as she has been with me from the very first happy hour nine years ago and will continue to stay on with me until the end, my work wife for life and COO of Financial Gym, Alicia, and two time guest and avid podcast listener, Colin. I’m excited about the energy they bring to various financial topics and I always love hearing what advice, guidance or lessons they’ve learned about personal finance and beyond. This is going to be a great final season with three amazing people for you to get to know and love. Today, we’re talking about our relationship with money and how we’ve all worked to build a healthy foundation to get financially healthy. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode497-happy-hour-crew-talks-mindset

At the Financial Gym, we call your first meeting with a Trainer the “Financially Naked Session.” In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so that the trainer knows where you’re starting so they can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation.  Years ago, on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session, which led to a request for more, and now this is a regular series on this podcast. Getting in the hotseat today is Sally. Sally is a long-time podcast listener who recently declared financial independence, and she joins us to discuss her journey and how she made the most of the last six years preparing for FI.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode496-naked-fire-at-forty

For my final season, I’m focused on delivering the best of the best. The best of what I’ve learned over the past 9 years of podcasting, guests, topics, and more. This month, I’m focused on the foundation and fundamentals of money and our relationship with it.  Joining me today Lindsay Bryan-Podvin a financial therapist and author of the book The Financial Anxiety Solution. Lindsay returns to the show to share more about how people can establish a healthy money mindset around finances as well as tools that can help people who struggle with the anxiety they  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode495-money-mindset

For my final season, I’m focused on delivering the best of the best. The best of what I’ve learned over the past 9 years of podcasting, guests, topics, and more. This month, I’m focused on the foundation and fundamentals of money and our relationship with it.  Joining me today is Kiera Doyle, Human Design Coach and founder of meetingyourmagic.com. Kiera is a long-time Financial Gym client who joined the show in 2019 to talk about Human Design, which was the first time I ever heard about the subject.  Over the last 3 years, I’ve learned more about it and implemented it as a work tool at Financial Gym. I have found that understanding it has led to a better understanding of my life, purpose, how I should make decisions, and how it’s helped people around me. I recommend you listen if you haven’t heard Kiera’s first show and I hope you enjoy learning more today.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode494-human-design

Shannon is back at the microphone after her annual August break. She always returns to the show with fresh energy, excitement, and motivation; this year is extra special.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode493-big-announcement

Every August, I take a sabbatical from podcast recording to enjoy vacation time with family and friends and allow you to enjoy for the first or second time four previous podcast episodes that I found tremendously helpful and entertaining.  Other than travel and family time, I’ll also be doing A LOT of prep work for some exciting changes happening to Financial Gym this Fall. You will not want to miss my September 1st podcast episode. I will have a lot to update you on as far as the podcast but also as far as the Gym. So I hope you enjoy this month of replays and stay tuned for very exciting updates in September.  REPLAY: On the last Friday of the month, I host Happy Hour on the podcast, where I gather great friends to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. This is the last episode of 2022, and for the 7th straight year in a row, we will share our highs and lows for the year; we will review the goals we set last year and set some new goals for 2023.  Besides being a special year-end Happy Hour, we have an extra special, supersized Happy Hour event that I am so excited to share with you. We have some returning Happy Hour ladies to update you on their years; we’re saying farewell to a Happy Hour regular and sharing what’s to come for Happy Hours in 2023. It is a super special not-to-miss episode.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode492-replay-happy-hour-supersized

Every August, I take a sabbatical from podcast recording to enjoy vacation time with family and friends and allow you to enjoy for the first or second time four previous podcast episodes that I found tremendously helpful and entertaining.  Other than travel and family time, I’ll also be doing A LOT of prep work for some exciting changes happening to Financial Gym this Fall. You will not want to miss my September 1st podcast episode. I will have a lot to update you on as far as the podcast but also as far as the Gym. So I hope you enjoy this month of replays and stay tuned for very exciting updates in September.  REPLAY: A recent Financial Health Network Survey from 2022 found that only 23% of women are considered financially healthy. There are many reasons for this, but one of the main reasons is that women are typically more likely to be preyed upon, especially when it comes to schemes like MLMs or multi-level marketing companies. If you’re not sure what they are, they’re essentially a pyramid scheme disguised as a business opportunity for people.  Unfortunately, at The Financial Gym, we’ve seen the negative financial impacts of participating in an MLM on hundreds of our members. Joining me today is Roberta Blevins, host of the podcast Life After MLM, to share what the experience was like for her, how you can spot and avoid MLMs, and if you’re in one, how and why you should get out of it. This was one of the most fascinating conversations I’ve had in a while, and I hope this helps you or those you love to learn more about these horrible companies.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode491-replay-life-after-mlm

Every August, I take a sabbatical from podcast recording to enjoy vacation time with family and friends and allow you to enjoy for the first or second time four previous podcast episodes that I found tremendously helpful and entertaining.  Other than travel and family time, I’ll also be doing A LOT of prep work for some exciting changes happening to Financial Gym this Fall. You will not want to miss my September 1st podcast episode. I will have a lot to update you on as far as the podcast but also as far as the Gym. So I hope you enjoy this month of replays and stay tuned for very exciting updates in September.  REPLAY: At the Financial Gym, we have a Diversity, Equity Inclusion and Belonging team that works on various initiatives for the Gym and in 2022, we launched the ‘Exercising Empathy’ Series where one speaker a month visits to educate the team on various subject matters that could impact our clients. Joining me today is Lillie Nkenchor, President of Lillie Nkenchor PC to discuss why she became a trust and estate attorney and why you don’t have to be wealthy to think about trust and estate planning.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode490-replay-estate-planning

Every August, I take a sabbatical from podcast recording to enjoy vacation time with family and friends and allow you to enjoy for the first or second time four previous podcast episodes that I found tremendously helpful and entertaining.  Other than travel and family time, I’ll also be doing A LOT of prep work for some exciting changes happening to Financial Gym this Fall. You will not want to miss my September 1st podcast episode. I will have a lot to update you on as far as the podcast but also as far as the Gym. So I hope you enjoy this month of replays and stay tuned for very exciting updates in September.  REPLAY: Aja Evans is a Financial Therapist who works with clients on a number of challenges, one of which is being a first time generational wealth builder. Building wealth takes community. It’s about surrounding yourself with like minded individuals and being supported through the challenging decisions you face as you sacrifice the spending of today to build for the wealth of tomorrow. Aja joins me to share her thoughts on best practices and tools for people looking to achieve this important goal.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode489-replay-first-gen-wealth-building

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. We have been rotating guests into our happy hour seats, but I’m happy to say that Tonya, an OG Happy Hour guest is joining us today and as I’ve done all month on this podcast, we’re talking about careers, specifically we’re talking about navigating work challenges like asking for more money, or dealing with toxic bosses or co-workers and everything in between.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode488-hh-careers

The theme this month on the podcast is careers! We're covering everything from switching to leveling up in your career, salary negotiations, and everything in between. This is a huge conversation topic with our clients at Financial Gym because so many factors are at play when making decisions around our career choices. Spoiler alert: it's not all about money.  Joining me today is Belma McCaffrey, Founder of Work Bigger and Career and Leadership coach, discussing the important topic of attaching to a purpose rather than a job. I have seen many clients struggle with the need to earn a paycheck but not feel aligned with their employer. Belma and I discuss how you can become better engaged at work, how to have better conversations at work, and when you know you just need to leave.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode487-purpose-not-a-job

The theme this month on the podcast is careers! We're covering everything from switching to leveling up in your career, salary negotiations, and everything in between. This is a huge conversation topic with our clients at Financial Gym because so many factors are at play when making decisions around our career choices. Spoiler alert: it's not all about money.  Today we’re talking about management. What makes a good manager? How do you know if becoming a manager is right for you? How do you handle challenging management situations? And everything in between!  Joining today are Gina and Garrett, who are two long-time Financial Gym Trainers who were recently promoted to management here at The Financial Gym.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode486-journey-to-management

The theme this month on the podcast is careers! We're covering everything from switching to leveling up in your career, salary negotiations, and everything in between. This is a huge conversation topic with our clients at Financial Gym because so many factors are at play when making decisions around our career choices. Spoiler alert: it's not all about money.  Joining me today are Erika and Genar, two Trainers at Financial Gym who recently made a career switch to become Financial Gym employees. They joined today to share the factors that led to their personal decisions, how they help clients assess whether or not it's time to make a career shift, and the best ways to do it.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode485

Happy Hour is the last Friday of the month on the show, where some fantastic friends join me for cheap drinks and casual money conversations. This time, we have a special guest joining us: Debbie, a loyal podcast listener, and new Certified Financial Trainer.  Since I dedicated the month of June to travel on this podcast, you guessed it, we're talking about all things travel during this Happy Hour! We'll share some of our frugal hacks, biggest wins, and epic fails with you. Cheers to a fun chat with friends and discovering the highs and lows of exploring the world!  Debbie has been a long-time personal finance nerd. When she discovered podcasts, she sought out personal finance shows. That's how she found Martinis and Your Money back when it first started. She recently completed the CFT program and works part-time at The Financial Gym as a Certified Trainer.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode484-HHCrew-talks-travel

We are officially in summertime, so I wanted to share frugal travel hack ideas this month. Travel is the number one goal of clients of the Financial Gym, and it has been for the past 10 years. As most of us know, travel can be an expensive goal. I love the opportunity to help my clients achieve their goals, like travel, frugally, so we still have cash for our other life goals.  We have already talked about camping, travel hacking, and AirBNB’ing. Now we’re going to talk about when travel plans go awry. Joining me today are my longtime clients and friends, Todd and Chelsea. I’ve worked with many clients over the last 10 years, and Todd and Chelsea’s story has to be one of my top 5 client journeys of all time. They joined today to talk about the epic 8-month sabbatical we planned together, how it all fell apart, and how something even greater stemmed from it.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode483-epic-travel

We are officially in summertime, so I wanted to share frugal travel hack ideas this month. Travel is the number one goal of clients of the Financial Gym, and it has been for the past 10 years.  As most of us know, travel can be an expensive goal. I love the opportunity to help my clients achieve their goals, like travel, frugally, so we still have cash for the other life goals we have. We have already talked about camping and travel hacking, so now we’re diving into Airbnb.  This episode is a twofer, where I want to remind you of the frugal joys of utilizing Airbnb for your travel needs and thinking about Airbnb as a side hustle. Joining me today is Phoebe, a long-time podcast listener and Financial Gym client who turned a crappy rental situation into an Airbnb gold  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode482-hosting-airbnb

We are officially in summertime, so I wanted to share frugal travel hack ideas this month. Travel is the number one goal of clients of the Financial Gym, and it has been for the past 10 years. As most of us know, travel can be an expensive goal. I love the opportunity to help my clients achieve their goals, like travel, frugally, so that we still have cash for all of the other life goals we have. Last week we talked about camping, and this week we're talking about travel hacking or utilizing credit card rewards to make your travel dreams more affordable. Joining me today is podcast listener and founder of the company Travel AsF, Austin Riffe, to talk about how he got into travel hacking and how he's saving people thousands of dollars and tens of thousands of points by being more intentional with their travel spending.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode481-travel-hacking

Since we are all officially in the summertime, I wanted to share frugal travel ideas for June. Travel is the number one goal of clients of the Financial Gym, and it has been for the past ten years. However, as most of us know, travel can be an expensive goal, so I always love the opportunity to help my clients achieve their goals, like travel, frugally so that we still have cash left over for all of the other life goals we have. Kicking off June is my teammate and long-time podcast listener, Kylie Lipinski, to share her tips and tricks for frugal camping. I’ve never really seen myself as the camping sort, but I’ve witnessed my clients experience the joys of it, especially in their bank accounts. Kylie joins me today to share how she converted to a camping fan and how you can do it too. Full disclosure: I’m ready to join the camping club after this episode, and I hope you are too. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode480-camping

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.  Since the beginning of this podcast, which now dates back over 8 years, we always had a set group of people who joined me for Happy Hour. Starting in 2023, we’re going to test out a rotating one or two seats for Happy Hour. This decision has come because of a few reasons, first of all, the monthly commitment required to co-host the happy hour is difficult for people to make when they have other businesses and interests as these seats are voluntary and there is no financial payment provided for the happy hour guests. Secondly, I’ve heard for years many of you wanting to join a happy hour and share your thoughts and honestly, I’d love to hear them because I have shared drinks with many of you in person and would love to also do it virtually and finally, this is a great way for us to amplify many of the voices in this community and discuss topics that you’re passionate about.  Joining us for this month’s happy hour is podcast listener, guest and Financial Gym client, Kat. Since I dedicated the month of May to food on this podcast, you guessed it, we’re talking about all things food during this happy hour.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode479-happy-hour-crew-talks-food-spending

Food costs are typically the second highest monthly expense people have after where they live. It's a topic we're frequently talking about with our clients at Financial Gym. How we consume food impacts not only our physical and financial health but also our mental health, so I'm dedicating the month of May to food conversations on the podcast.  Joining me today is Kate O'Driscoll, a health coach who focuses on meeting clients holistically where they are and helping them find healthier relationships with food to improve their financial, physical, and mental health.  As a special note, Kate is a former teacher of mine. She is one of those teachers in your life who makes you believe you are someone special who has something special to offer this world. If it wasn't for her, I would have never developed my love for the theater and acting. Acting was the activity that helped the insecure, quiet nerd become the confident, strong woman she is today.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode478-healthy-choices

I love all things food and am dedicating the month of May to food conversations on the podcast. I’m a fan of Food Network, and I view chefs the way people view artists or rock stars. Cooking is an art form, and I’m constantly impressed by the people out there raising the game and the bar for food standards.  When I think about amazing and game-changing chefs, I can’t help but think of Financial Gym scholarship winner Auzerais Bellamy. I connected with Auzerais in 2020, and she was previously on the show to share her experience of working in fine dining as a woman of color.  She founded her company, Blondery, to change the face of baking, and she joins me today to share an update on what she’s been up to since we last connected. She has some significant updates you’ll want to hear.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode477-blondery-update

Food costs are typically the second highest monthly expense people have after where they live, and it's a topic we're frequently talking about with our clients at Financial Gym. So this month's podcast theme is dedicated to food!  Joining me today is Elia Wolberger, personal chef, Meal Prep Expert, and founder of the Feed Your Sister website, to talk about the importance of meal prepping for your physical, mental, and financial health. We talk about how meal prepping changed our lives and how you  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode471-feed-your-sister

Today is the last Friday of the month, and regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, we host the happy hour on the podcast, where we gather great friends to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.  Since the beginning of this podcast, which now dates back over 8 years, we always had a set group of people who joined for these episodes. Starting in 2023, we're testing rotating seats for Happy Hour. This decision has come for a few reasons; first of all, the monthly commitment required to co-host the happy hour is difficult for people to make when they have other businesses and interests, as these seats are voluntary.  Secondly, I've heard for years that many of you want to join a happy hour and share your thoughts. I'd love to listen to them because I have shared drinks with many of you in person and would love to do it virtually. Finally, this is an excellent way for us to amplify many of this community's voices and discuss topics you're passionate about.  Joining us for this month's happy hour is a long-time listener, Rebecca, and the topic she wanted to cover is one that many of us are currently feeling or experiencing, and that's burnout. Rebecca shares why and how she knew she was in  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode470-happy-hour-crew-talks-burnout

In my first podcast episode of 2023 I talked about financial seasons and how I’ve witnessed a number of Financial Gym clients and honestly myself, feel as though we’re not in what feels like a winning season and addressing the motivation challenges that come to us when we feel like that. Seasons change, though, and I’m sensing more energy from my clients and I feel it in myself to make changes so I’m dedicating the month of April on this podcast to motivation and change and this episode and as well as last week’s, are addressing the topic of productivity. I feel like the pandemic threw a number of our routine’s out the window and where we may have gained time with less commuting and more work from home options, I think a number of us have struggled with finding a good balance between life and work.  Joining me today is Mike Vardy, coach and host of the Productivityist podcast to talk about the idea of time crafting and manage and craft our days to work better for us. And now here’s Mike.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode469-theproductivityist

In early 2023, I talked about financial seasons and how I’ve witnessed several Financial Gym clients and, honestly, myself, feel as though we’re not in what feels like a winning season and the motivation challenges when we feel like that. Seasons change, though, and I’m sensing more energy from my clients. I feel it in myself to make changes, so I’m dedicating the month of April on this podcast to motivation and change.  Today I’m addressing the topic of productivity. I feel like the pandemic threw a number of our routines out the window, and where we may have gained time with less commuting and more work-from-home options, I think a number of us have struggled with finding a good balance between life and work.  Joining me today is Jeff Sanders, author and host of the 5 AM Miracle Podcast, to talk about the one small change he made in his day that literally changed the trajectory of his life.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode468-the5ammiracle

In early 2023, I talked about financial seasons and how I’ve witnessed several Financial Gym clients and, honestly, myself, feel as though we’re not in what feels like a winning season and the motivation challenges when we feel like that. Seasons change though, and I’m sensing more energy from my clients. I feel it in me to make changes, so I’m dedicating the month of April to this podcast for motivation and change.  I’m excited to kick off the month with Abagail and Emylee, the two business fairy godmothers behind the Boss Project and co-hosts of the chart-topping podcast, The Strategy Hour. They joined me to talk about how uniting their separate practices made them a better team, how they help their business owner clients reignite their offerings, and build the businesses they want to run. Whether or not you run a business, there’s much to learn and motivate you in this episode.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode467-thestrategyhour

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. Since the beginning of this podcast, which now dates back over 8 years, we always had a set group of people who joined me for Happy Hour.  Starting in 2023, we’re going to test out a rotating one or two seats for Happy Hour. This decision has come because of a few reasons, first of all, the monthly commitment required to co-host the happy hour is difficult for people to make when they have other businesses and interests as these seats are voluntary and there is no financial payment provided for the happy hour guests. Secondly, I’ve heard for years many of you wanting to join a happy hour and share your thoughts and honestly, I’d love to hear them because I have shared drinks with many of you in person and would love to also do it virtually and finally, this is a great way for us to amplify many of the voices in this community and discuss topics that you’re passionate about.  Joining us for this month’s happy hour is long time listener, Liana. Liana joins us today to talk about her pursuit of FIRE or Financial Independence, Retire Early, and the various types of FIRE movement now. I love how the FI movement has grown to welcome many different paths and we discuss which FI path we’re on during the show.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode466-what-is-fire  

Nine years ago this year, I started this podcast as a bet and it was one of the greatest decisions of my life. Over the past nine years, I’ve learned more than I ever imagined I could about money, cocktails, people and so much more. My tagline for the show is “Living a better life one cocktail at a time” and this show has helped me live a better life by allowing me to have these conversations, to share them with you and to build this community of amazing people on a journey of financial health and beyond. While I don’t utilize the show as a source of income, podcasting can certainly give you the opportunity to take a side hustle or a passion into a main hustle and my guests today did just that.  Joining me are Aine and Kevin, the co-creators and co-hosts of the Murder Sheet podcast. They joined me to talk about how they took their backgrounds as a lawyer and a journalist and applied it to their podcast and ultimately how they were able to make the podcast their full-time job. And now here’s Aine and Kevin.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode465

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been seeing and hearing more about Artificial Intelligence, where it’s being utilized, how it’s having a positive effect in many industries but also how it’s negatively impacting people. Part of being financially healthy is being vigilant about you and your data and how people can use that against you and certainly AI can have an impact on your finances.  Joining me today is Financial Gym client Paige, who’s spent the last three years studying and researching the impacts of AI especially through an ethical lens. She joins me to share what we should look out for, what we need to know and how we can protect ourselves. I have to tell you that if you’re someone who struggles with anxiety, this conversation could be filled with numerous triggers so you may want to proceed with caution, but it’s a conversation that I believe is important to listen to.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode464

A recent Financial Health Network Survey from 2022 found that only 23% of women are considered financially healthy. There are a number of reasons for this, but one of the main reasons is that women are typically more likely to be preyed upon, especially when it comes to schemes like MLMs or multi-level marketing companies. If you’re not sure what they are, they’re essentially a pyramid scheme disguised as a business opportunity for people. At the Financial Gym, we’ve unfortunately seen the negative financial impacts participating in an MLM have had on hundreds of our members.  Joining me today is Roberta Blevins, host of the podcast Life After MLM to share what the experience was like for her and how you can spot and avoid MLM’s and if you’re in one, how and why you should get out of it. This was one of the most fascinating conversations I’ve had in a while and I hope this helps you or those you love learn more about these horrible companies.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode463

The journey to become a Financial Gym member for everyone starts with our Warm Up Call process. If you’ve been to our website, it’s the free call you’re encouraged to sign up for. Full disclosure, I am someone who would be unlikely to sign up for any free call, so if you’re someone who’s skeptical about it, I completely understand. Which is why today’s podcast is dedicated to the Warm-Up Call and educating more about the process for others who may not understand the need for it.  Joining me are Colleen and Kristen who are both current Financial Gym clients and actively work as warm-up callers to share why they decided to become a warm up caller, what to expect on the call and why they love being on the other end of the warm up call process. And now here’s Colleen and Kristen.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode462

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. Since the beginning of this podcast, which now dates back over 8 years, we always had a set group of people who joined me for Happy Hour. Starting in 2023, we’re going to test out a rotating one or two seats for Happy Hour. This decision has come because of a few reasons, first of all, the monthly commitment required to co-host the happy hour is difficult for people to make when they have other businesses and interests as these seats are voluntary and there is no financial upside for the happy hour guests. Secondly, I’ve heard for years many of you wanting to join a happy hour and share your thoughts and honestly, I’d love to hear them because I have shared drinks with many of you in person and would love to also do it virtually and finally, this is a great way for us to amplify many of the voices in this community and discuss topics that you’re passionate about.  Joining us for this month’s happy hour is long time listener, Financial Gym client and multi-time guest, Jennifer Dane. She joined initially wanting to talk about the military and LGBTQ+ protections and benefits for its current staff as well as veterans and we did discuss this, but first we addressed the big and surprising life change that happened to Jenn only a few weeks before we were set to record. Jenn has always been brave and honest on this show and she shares more about that today.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode461

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! I don’t usually air replays, except during the summer months; however, we are in the beginning of tax season prep, and I wanted to replay the conversation that I had last year with Tony, the founder of CPA Dude.  I’ve had multiple tax conversations on this show in the past, and Tony’s has always stood out to me. I think he not only gives great and practical advice, but we have referred a number of FinGym clients to him and we’ve gotten nothing but rave reviews about his work. So I hope you enjoy learning more about taxes and realize that maybe you need to work with someone like Tony, or you’re like me and you just need Turbo Tax and a bottle of wine. Either way, we can’t avoid our taxes, so let’s shoot to get them done as soon as possible this year.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode460  

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! Today’s podcast episode was inspired straight out of my own experience of transitioning my 17-year-old son, Will, from a car passenger to a licensed driver. Bill and I have been talking about this in theory for over a year now as Will has been practicing driving and taking classes, etc. but I’m not sure anything really prepares you for it until it hits you straight in the face.  Over the years, I have witnessed clients' expectations of kid costs to decrease over time, only to realize that some of the early large expenses like nannies or daycare just wash over into camps and sports as they age and then ultimately car insurance and college costs as they continue to age.  Joining me today is my great friend and work wife for life, Alicia Lazarto, to talk about how to prepare and manage your family’s finances with a teen and also how you can set your teen up for success once they leave the home.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode459

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “Financially Naked Session.” In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so that the trainer knows where you’re starting so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. Over 2 years ago now on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session and it led to a request for more and now this is a regular series on this podcast.  Getting in the hotseat today is not one, but two people, Liz and Aron. Liz was a long time Financial Gym client who ultimately brought her boyfriend, fiancé and now husband into the Financial Gym experience. They join me today to not only share their digits but also share what it was like to get financially naked for the first time and how breaking down money topics made their relationship stronger. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode458

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. Since the beginning of this podcast, which now dates back over 8 years, we always had a set group of people who joined me for Happy Hour.  Starting this month and for 2023, we’re going to test out a rotating seat for Happy Hour. This decision has come because of a few reasons, first of all, the monthly commitment required to co-host the happy hour is difficult for people to make when they have other businesses and interests as these seats are voluntary and there is no financial upside for the happy hour guests. Secondly, I’ve heard for years many of you wanting to join a happy hour and share your thoughts and honestly, I’d love to hear them because I have shared drinks with many of you in person and would love to also do it virtually and finally, this is a great way for us to amplify many of the voices in this community and discuss topics that you’re passionate about.  Joining us for this month’s happy hour is long time listener and one time guest, Colin. He joins us as we discuss what financial season we feel like we’re starting the new year in and what we plan to accomplish in 2023. And now here’s my friends, Colin included.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode457

At the Financial Gym, we have a Diversity, Equity Inclusion and Belonging team that works on various initiatives for the Gym and in 2022, they launched the Exercising Empathy Series where they focused on presenting one speaker a month to educate the team on various subject matters that could impact our clients. I personally attended these sessions that were held during our weekly professional development time and found each one incredibly helpful and informative and I’m excited to share some of those speakers with you on this podcast.  Joining me today is Joanne Sullivan, Director of Student Financial Services, at Saint Thomas Aquinas College to talk about student loans. Now, I have done numerous podcast episodes about student loans over the years, but none quite like this one. This episode is really focused on helping families and students know what they’re signing up for when they sign their student loan packages, the tough conversations families should have and how the school you’re looking to attend can help you with the process.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode456

I spent the good part of the Fall of 2022 traveling across the country and hosting meet up events with Financial Gym clients and friends and I know a number of you listeners found your way to many of those events as well. It was the first time we had hosted in-person events in almost 3 years and while it took up a lot of my time and kept me away from home for most of the Fall, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Over 9 years ago now, I had the idea for the Financial Gym as a physical location where people could create a community around the most taboo topic out there, money. And when we had gyms open, it was beautiful to watch that dream come to life. In early 2022, we needed to close our physical Financial Gym locations, but this Road Trip proved that even though the addresses changed, the unbelievable spirit of the gym was present at every stop.  Joining me today is Financial Gym Community Engagement Manager, Chandra Savage, to talk about putting this Road Trip together, lessons learned from the road and how we’re carrying the community forward into 2023.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode455  

Hello, Martinis and Your Money Listeners. Today is a special episode. I had a calendar of all episodes planned and ready to go in December, but then I had a client meeting right before the holiday break, and it inspired me to record a different episode, a solo episode. I wanted to record this because there are a number of things I want to share with you, mainly because it’s the New Year. I want to talk to you listeners the way I talk to my clients.  For more information, visit the show notes https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode454

Today is the last Friday of the month, and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast, where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.  This is the last episode of 2022, and for the 7th straight year in a row, we are going to share our highs and lows for the year; we’re going to review the goals we set last year and set some new goals for 2023. Other than being a special year-end Happy Hour, today we have an extra special, supersized Happy Hour event that I am so excited to share with you.  We have some returning Happy Hour ladies to update you on their years; we’re saying farewell to a Happy Hour regular and sharing what’s to come for Happy Hours in 2023. It is a super special not-to-miss episode.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode453

As many of you know, I have a number of things on my plate from running the Financial Gym, to working with my own clients to working on this podcast and there are many days where I think I need to cut back on the podcasting, but then on days like today, I’m so thankful for this platform and this opportunity to share someone and a resource that I feel is truly beneficial and can help you live a better life.  Joining me today is Jason Vitug, founder of the financial website Phroogal and author of the upcoming book Happy Money Happy Life. Jason is a personal friend from the financial blogging space whom I’ve known for over 9 years now. The last time he was on the podcast, he was promoting his book, You Only Live Once, the Roadmap to Financial Wellness and a purposeful life. He’s back today to promote his second book, and I honestly feel as though Happy Money is the exact book we all need right now.  The last few years of pandemic, inflation and global unrest has made for some challenging times to manage our finances and maintain a healthy relationship with money. Jason’s book is the perfect guide to navigating your why around money and crafting a roadmap for success in all of your wellness pillars, not just money.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode452

This is one of the last podcasts of the year and during the month of December, I’m always talking to clients about year-end planning, especially around taxes and charitable donations. We’ve talked about charitable giving specifically with Donor Advised Funds on this podcast as Mrs. Frugalwoods is a big proponent and shared how she utilizes them to not only help with their tax planning but also how her family is able to give more meaningfully because they have the funds.  I have always loved the idea of Donor Advised Funds, but always hated how they seemed to only be a conversation topic for wealthy families. Well, finally there is a great option for people of all financial shapes and sizes to consider Donor Advised Funds and it’s called Daffy.  Joining me today is Adam Nash, CEO and Co-Founder of Daffy to talk more about Donor Advised Funds, why December is the perfect time to start one, and how Daffy is making it easier for all of us to give back not only in December but year-round for many years to come.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode451

As many of you know, I have a number of things on my plate, I wear a lot of hats. From running The Financial Gym, to working with my own clients, to working on this podcast. There are many days I think I need to cut back on podcasting. But on days like today, I am so thankful for this platform and opportunity to share someone and a resource that I feel is truly beneficial and can help you live a better life.  Joining me today is Elle Martinez, Elle was previously on the podcast to discuss her podcast and website, Couple Money. And she joins me today to share why she created a new podcast and website, Simplify & Enjoy and the unique approach she’s taking to the FI movement. I always love catching up with Elle, especially because she makes her own alcohol.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode450

At the Financial Gym, we have a Diversity, Equity Inclusion and Belonging team that works on various initiatives for the Gym and in 2022, they launched the Exercising Empathy Series where they focused on presenting one speaker a month to educate the team on various subject matters that could impact our clients. I personally attended these sessions that were held during our weekly professional development time and found each one incredibly helpful and informative and I’m excited to share some of those speakers with you on this podcast.  Joining me today is Lillie Nkenchor, President of Lillie Nkenchor PC to discuss why she became a trust and estate attorney and why you don’t have to be wealthy to think about trust and estate planning.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode449

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.  Since we are in the second to last month of the year, today, we’re talking about holiday and year end planning. I think this year more than ever it makes sense to take the time to plan and we share more about that in the show. There is plenty to do before we enter a new year and now is the time to do it.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode448

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “financially naked session.” In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so that the trainer knows where you’re starting so that they can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. Over 3 years ago now on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session and it led to a request for more and now this is a regular series on this podcast.  Getting in the hot seat today is Irene. Irene had been a long time podcast listener that took a risk and joined the Gym right at the beginning of the pandemic. She shares her story from student loan debt, to job changes and everything in between.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode447

As many of you know, I have a number of things on my plate from running the Financial Gym, to working with my own clients to working on this podcast and there are many days where I think I need to cut back on the podcasting, but then on days like today, I’m so thankful for this platform and this opportunity to share someone and a resource that I feel is truly beneficial and can help you live a better life.  Joining me today is Jenn Cassetta, a health and empowerment coach and author of the book The Art of Badassery – Unleash Your Mojo with Wisdom from the Dojo. Jenn and I have been friends for years and I have always loved her message of empowerment through physical and mental strength and her book is the extension of all of that amazing wisdom. She joins me today to share more about the book and how you can apply martial arts lessons to your daily life.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode446

Last month, I used Halloween as my inspiration to share with you the theme of Financial Horror Stories. And I had one more to tell, so the theme has rolled over in November. Last month I shared some client situations and my own where it felt as though we were starring in our very own Financial Horror Movie. Today’s episode is a little different. Joining me today is Financial Gym Trainer and Happy Hour co-host Joy Liu to discuss how life insurance and how you utilize it can create it’s own financial horror story. We discuss why we think it may or may not make sense to have it, when it makes sense to cancel it and what to do when you’re faced with the painful decision of deciding whether or not to continue paying into a horrible scenario and when you walk away. This is an important episode for anyone who has or is considering whether or not life insurance should be part of their financial health journey. For more information check out our show notes here!

On the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. This month with Halloween as my inspiration, I’m sharing with you the theme of Financial Horror Stories. I want to be clear that we’re utilizing this titling in a very tongue in cheek manner. First of all, I don’t think any financial story is of the horror variety, but I’ve worked with clients long enough to know that after a string of unfortunate financial occurrences, it’s quite easy to feel as though you’re starring in your very own Financial Horror Movie.  This month I’m sharing with you some of those stories where our clients have felt as though they were in some scary situations and how they worked their way out of them. Spoiler alert, they all make it out alive.  On today’s happy hour, we share some of our financial horror stories and how we found our way out of them.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode444

With Halloween as my inspiration this month, I’m sharing with you the theme of Financial Horror Stories. I want to be clear that we’re utilizing this titling in a very tongue in cheek manner. First of all, I don’t think any financial story is of the horror variety, but I’ve worked with clients long enough to know that after a string of unfortunate financial occurrences, it’s quite easy to feel as though you’re starring in your very own Financial Horror Movie. This month I’m sharing with you some of those stories where our clients have felt as though they were in some scary situations and how they worked their way out of them. Spoiler alert, they all make it out alive.  Today’s episode is mine and it’s a recent event for me. My financial horror story is more of a mental health challenge than anything and given that I know many of us are struggling with our mental health, I thought it was timely to share. I need to warn everyone in advance that if you are someone who is triggered by depressive or suicidal thoughts or topics around these areas, then please do not listen to this episode. I’m sharing my story with you in the hopes of providing encouragement and resources for anyone who may be feeling like I was and hopefully take my horror story and make something good happen from it.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode443

With Halloween as my inspiration this month, I’m sharing with you the theme of Financial Horror Stories. I want to be clear that we’re utilizing this titling in a very tongue-in-cheek manner. First of all, I don’t think any financial story is of the horror variety, but I’ve worked with clients long enough to know that after a string of unfortunate financial occurrences, it’s quite easy to feel as though you’re starring in your very own Financial Horror Movie.  This month I’m going to share with you some of those stories where our clients have felt as though they were in some scary situations and how they worked their way out of them. Spoiler alert, they all make it out alive.  Joining me today is Whitney. She built a successful business only to want to walk away from it all and in the process, her financial choices added in a scary way until the point she couldn’t avoid them any longer.   For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode442

With Halloween as my inspiration this month, I’m sharing with you the theme of Financial Horror Stories. I want to be clear that we’re utilizing this titling in a very tongue in cheek manner. First of all, I don’t think any financial story is of the horror variety, but I’ve worked with clients long enough to know that after a string of unfortunate financial occurrences, it’s quite easy to feel as though you’re starring in your very own Financial Horror Movie. This month I’m going to share with you some of those stories where our clients have felt as though they were in some scary situations and how they worked their way out of them.  Joining me today is Joel. He is going to share how his life changed with a break up, and the twists and turns it took from there.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode441

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. This month begins a three month long effort for me and The Financial Gym team to connect again in person with our community. In partnership with Community Spirit Vodka, we’ll be touring 9 cities and bringing our community together for the first time in almost three years. It’s an exciting time for us and I wanted to spend this month on the podcast talking about community and the importance of it.  The Happy Hour ladies join me today to talk about the important communities they are a part of and how they have changed their lives.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode440

This month begins a three-month-long effort for me and The Financial Gym team to connect again in person with our community. In partnership with Community Spirit Vodka, we’ll be touring 9 cities and bringing our community together for the first time in almost three years. It’s an exciting time for us and I wanted to spend this month on the podcast talking about community and the importance of it. I think it’s easy to think about community as being a large number of people, but communities come in all shapes and sizes and I often think about our Financial Trainers at the Gym and in our CFT program as building community with their clients to effect change.  Joining me today are two Financial Gym clients, Robert and Katie, that I’ve been blessed to be in a community with for over 7 years now. They join me today to share their financial journey and the power that having me and the entire FinGym community has had on their financial picture.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode439

This month begins a three-month-long effort for me and The Financial Gym team to connect again in person with our community. In partnership with Community Spirit Vodka, we’ll be touring 9 cities and bringing our community together for the first time in almost three years. It’s an exciting time for us and I wanted to spend this month on the podcast talking about community and the importance of it.  Today I’m talking to Jacey Lambros and Danielle DeAngelo, co-founders of the company Jane Do who set out to build a community of empowered women, faced extreme headwinds to their business during the pandemic, but persevered and continue to focus on their important mission. They join me to share what keeps them motivated and where the company is going to go in this next chapter.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode438

This month begins a three-month-long effort for me and The Financial Gym team to connect again in person with our community. In partnership with Community Spirit Vodka, we’ll be touring 9 cities and bringing our community together for the first time in almost three years. It’s an exciting time for us and I wanted to spend this month on the podcast talking about community and the importance of it. Today, I’m talking to a representative of our co-sponsor of this road trip, Ashley Eldrefri is a Community Spirit Vodka Brand Ambassador who is joining me to talk more about this incredible spirits company and why they believe so strongly in the mission of supporting the communities they serve. A few notes before this show starts; I shortened the company name and referenced their parent company in an event Financial Gym participated in. All references belong to the Community Spirit Vodka brand, and I want to thank them for this epic opportunity to partner together.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode437

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! This month begins a three-month-long effort for me and The Financial Gym team to connect again in person with our community. In partnership with Community Spirit Vodka, we’ll be touring 9 cities and bringing our community together for the first time in almost three years. It’s an exciting time for us and I wanted to spend this month on the podcast talking about community and the importance of it.  Kicking off the month with me is Aja Evans, a Financial Therapist who works with clients on a number of challenges, one of which is being a first-time generational wealth builder. Building wealth takes community. It’s about surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals and being supported through the challenging decisions you face as you sacrifice the spending of today to build for the wealth of tomorrow. Aja joins me to share her thoughts on best practices and tools for people looking to achieve this important goal. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode436  

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! As many of you know, I work with a team to produce one new episode a week despite running a business; and around the summertime, I always feel the need to take a little break from the podcast to refuel my creative juices where the show is concerned. So, I take the month of August off from airing new shows, and during this time, I replay some of my favorite episodes from this past year. I hope you enjoy hearing again or for the first time some of my favorite episodes of this past year. I’ll be back in September with new shows and hopefully some exciting news about Financial Gym. Until then, I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and I’ll see you in September! Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! This was the last Friday of November 2022 and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. For this month on the podcast, we’ve been talking about something we call Gym Magic at Financial Gym. Gym Magic happens when a client experiences a positive financial health result after joining the Gym and focusing on their finances. Helping clients find Gym Magic is probably one of the biggest reasons why I’ve committed everything I own to building Financial Gym. I love hearing success stories, especially with all of the crazy stories going on in the world right now, I thought we could all use a month of hearing about Magic and it continues to Happy Hour. The ladies share some of their stories of finding financial success and the surprising ways in which they found it.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode435

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! As many of you know, I work with a team to produce one new episode a week despite running a business; and around the summertime, I always feel the need to take a little break from the podcast to refuel my creative juices where the show is concerned. So, I take the month of August off from airing new shows, and during this time, I replay some of my favorite episodes from this past year. I hope you enjoy hearing again or for the first time some of my favorite episodes of this past year. I’ll be back in September with new shows and hopefully some exciting news about Financial Gym. Until then, I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and I’ll see you in September! This was the first episode of a new year and I wanted to focus this episode on one of my favorite things to start a new year with, goal setting. For most of my childhood and adult life, I hated New Year’s resolutions and the idea of goal setting because I am such a type A overachiever that I was always afraid of setting myself up for failure. It wasn’t until 10 years ago, when I became a financial planner and saw the game-changing power of goal setting for others, that I adopted it in my own life and my team at The Financial Gym works on this with their clients every single day. Joining me today to talk about some secrets to goal setting and why it may not have worked for you in the past is one of my trainers from The Gym, Victoria. Victoria is actually a long-time podcast listener, but this is her first time as a guest! For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode434

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! As many of you know, I work with a team to produce one new episode a week despite running a business; and around the summertime, I always feel the need to take a little break from the podcast to refuel my creative juices where the show is concerned. So, I take the month of August off from airing new shows, and during this time, I replay some of my favorite episodes from this past year. I hope you enjoy hearing again or for the first time some of my favorite episodes of this past year. I’ll be back in September with new shows and hopefully some exciting news about Financial Gym. Until then, I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and I’ll see you in September! I have been working as a financial planner for over 10 years now and while my clients are all unique with different life goals, a common question that comes up repeatedly is how to best save for retirement, specifically, should you utilize a traditional IRA or 401k plan, otherwise known and the pre-tax options or utilize a Roth IRA or Roth 401k plan or the post-tax options. This question has become increasingly important given that the Roth options have appeared in recent legislative bills, so I thought I would bring on the show a good friend of mine and an expert in helping plan for retirement, Michael Kitces. Michael is the Chief Financial Planning Nerd of Kitces.com, which teaches and trains financial advisors, he’s Head of Planning Strategy for Buckingham Wealth Partners, which provides wealth management to retirees. And Co-Founder of XY Planning Network, a network of 1,500+ fee-only financial planners who provide advice to consumers in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. Michael joins me today to help answer the question, to Roth or not to Roth.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode433

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! As many of you know, I work with a team to produce one new episode a week despite running a business; and around the summertime, I always feel the need to take a little break from the podcast to refuel my creative juices where the show is concerned. So, I take the month of August off from airing new shows, and during this time, I replay some of my favorite episodes from this past year. I hope you enjoy hearing again or for the first time some of my favorite episodes of this past year. I’ll be back in September with new shows and hopefully some exciting news about Financial Gym. Until then, I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and I’ll see you in September! At the Financial Gym, when a client experiences a positive financial health result after joining the Gym and focusing on their finances, we call it “Gym Magic.” Gym Magic and helping our clients find it and believe in it is so important to us that it’s a core value of the Gym. For over eight years now, I’ve witnessed the magic firsthand and every single one of my teammates has seen it as well. And I’m so excited to share with you that for the month of November, we’re going to share some of that Magic with you. This month I’m talking to clients and teammates who have truly experienced and witnessed results that are nothing short of magic and their stories and journeys are just what we need for this crazy time in life. Joining me today are three trainers from the gym. Sara B, Bevin, and Kadri. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode432

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. During the month of July, the US typically celebrates Independence Day and I always think about financial independence during this time. There is nothing more liberating than to have choices, especially in the world we’re living in, and financial independence is the key to this. It comes in a variety of formats based on who you’re talking to, so I’m talking to my friends about their FI plans, their thoughts around saving vs. spending, and how you can find the right mix for you no matter what stage of life you’re thinking about.    For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode431

I get asked all the time about how someone can find a great financial planner and whether or not it makes sense to invest in a financial planner. And I always say that if you’re working with someone who’s just investing your money, I’m not sure it makes sense for you to pay for that, especially when there are plenty of great robo-adviser options for much lower fees. I do think a great financial planner not only helps an individual, couple or family determine the best road trip to accomplish all of their financial goals but also helps them prepare for the unexpected and helps avoid risks as much as possible. Risk management is a key part of great financial planning and when we’re talking about risk management, we’re usually talking about insurance. There are so many different types of insurance and it’s hard to know what types you should have and whether or not the additional expense makes sense.  Joining me today is Yael Wissner-Levy the VP of Communication from Lemonade to talk about insurance and what types make the most sense to have.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode430

I have been working with clients now for over 10 years and something that I always find fascinating is how client behavior changes add up over time. The hardest part of a financial journey is at the beginning, especially if you’ve never done it before. But with focus and mindset shift, small changes over time literally lead to big results. That’s why I was so excited to talk to today’s guest Ramona Cedeno, author and CEO of Fibrick because she literally wrote an entire book about it. Ramona joins me today to talk about her book Simple Choices Big, Rewards in Money and how you can make these changes in your life.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode429

These are challenging and stressful times we’re living in. With the recent decisions by the Supreme Court, I know many of you are feeling like you don’t have a voice or you’re frustrated by what’s happening around you and you’re not quite sure what to do about it.  Well if you’re feeling like this now might be the perfect time to read the latest book from my guest today, Tanja Hester. Tanja is an author and activist and was previously on the show to promote her book Work Optional, about her journey to financial independence. Today she is here to talk about her new book Wallet Activism: How to Use Every Dollar You Spend, Earn, and Save as a Force for Change  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode428

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “Financially Naked Session.” In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so that the trainer knows where you’re starting so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. Over 2 years ago now on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session and it led to a request for more and now this is a regular series on this podcast.  Getting in the hotseat today is Kat. A Financial Gym client who heard me on a podcast in college and shares how that chance listening changed the trajectory of her financial life for the better.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode427

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.  I have been a financial planner for over 10 years now, and if there is one important message I can communicate about financial planning for your life is that the unexpected is guaranteed. No matter how much we can plan and plot out life, we are bound to be confronted with the unexpected and frequently when we are, it’s at a surprisingly large expense to our finances. We’ve all had a front row seat to the unexpected during the pandemic, but I’ve witnessed anything from a lost job, to a surprise baby, to a house fire and everything in between. Joining me today are my friends to share how they plan for the unexpected and share some best practices for you to implement on your own.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode426

At the Financial Gym, one of the most important questions we ask clients during their financially naked meeting is “What’s Important to You?” In other words, what are your non-negotiables. What are the areas of your budget that you would protect over all others? Because other than 1% of the population, 99% of us have to make choices when getting financially healthy. We can’t have everything we want, but we can certainly get everything we need. Of the thousands of clients we work with, the large majority will say that travel is their primary non-negotiable, but a very close second for people are fur babies. Especially since the pandemic, we have seen a rise in fur babies in our client’s homes and while they bring us so much joy in life, they also come with their fair share of expenses.  So joining me today is Financial Gym client, Anne to share her story about fur baby costs. How she manages them and the pros and cons of pet insurance that she invests in to help her offset those costs. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode425

You’ve heard me mention it during podcast commercials and in the Facebook group, but in 2022, Financial Gym, for the first time ever, launched a Financial Trainer Certification program. Before January 2022, the only way for you to earn a Financial Trainer Certification was to be a full-time employee of Financial Gym. In 2021, when we were looking at how we could reach our goal of getting to 1 million Gym clients sooner than later, we realized one of the solutions was to have more trainers out there doing the important work that we do. So we launched the program in January and the interest in it is exploding. To answer many questions people have about the process, the costs and the results, I’m talking to three CFT Certification graduates about their experiences. Joining me today are Gyasi, Annette and Melissa to share why they invested in the program, what it was like and their experience throughout the entire process.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode423

On the last Friday of the month, I host the Happy Hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. This month on the podcast, I’ve highlighted financial and self-books from various authors that I know and respect. The happy hour ladies joined me and shared some amazing books to add to your reading list as well, but before we got into that, we addressed another important celebration that happens in May and that’s Mental Health Awareness. I asked the ladies to grade their current mental health state and we discussed what we’re feeling at the moment and how we’re working to improve or maintain our current mental health state. As always, it was a very honest and special conversation, and I hope you enjoy it.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode422

Last month was Financial Literacy Month and believe it or not, we’re fast approaching summertime, so I have books and learning on the brain this month. I decided to dedicate the month of May to various personal finance or self-help books that I thought would make great books to add to your current or summer reading lists. Today I’m talking to the co-authors of Stacked – Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management, Joe Saul-Sehy and Emily Guy Birken. As you can imagine, over the years, I have read numerous personal finance books and I have to say, this one has quickly climbed the ranks to become one of my favorites. Joe and Emily not only have a wealth of knowledge to share through this book, but they share it in a funny and educational way that only they could pull off. I can’t wait for you to hear more from them on this book writing experience.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode421

Last month was financial literacy month and believe it or not, we’re fast approaching summertime, so I have books and learning on the brain. I decided to dedicate the month of May to various personal finance or self-help books that I thought would make great books to add to your current or summer reading lists. Today, I’m speaking with my friend, entrepreneur, author, and investor, Hitha Palepu about her recent release, WE’RE SPEAKING The Life Lessons of Kamala Harris: How to Use Your Voice, Be Assertive, and Own Your Story. This is a fantastic book with such a unique perspective, and I know you’re going to love it.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode420

Last month was financial literacy month and believe it or not, we’re fast approaching summertime, so I have books and learning on the brain this month. I decided to dedicate the month of May to various personal finance or self-help books that I thought would make great books to add to your current or summer reading lists.  Kicking off the month is my friend, Jillian Johnsrud, host of the Everyday Courage podcast and author of the book, “Fire the Haters: Finding the Courage to Create Online in a Critical World,” a book that helps creatives and entrepreneurs share their best work with the world. She joins me to talk about why she wrote the book and how we can apply the lessons in the book to our online interactions.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode419

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. Today is the last Friday of April and April is Financial Literacy Month or what we like to call our favorite time of year at The Financial Gym. An entire month that’s focused on the importance of financial literacy. I always say that financial literacy is just as important as regular literacy and while there are so many resources for us out there to get better at it, I still feel as though we have a financial literacy crisis in the US. Every day new clients come to the Financial Gym feeling shame that they aren’t as adept in their personal finance knowledge and my response is always the same. Why should you feel confident? Most of us didn’t learn about personal finance at home, at school or on the job, yet the second we start receiving paychecks, we’re responsible for managing our money and navigating the world of personal finance.  This month on the podcast, I’m addressing a particular area of finance that our clients find the most challenging. Today on the Happy Hour the ladies join me to talk about Cryptocurrency and whether or not it’s something you should focus on in your investment portfolio. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of opinions here. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode418  

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! Today is the third Friday in April and in case you didn’t know, April is Financial Literacy Month or what we like to call our favorite time of year at The Financial Gym. An entire month that’s focused on the importance of financial literacy. I always say that financial literacy is just as important as regular literacy and while there are so many resources for us out there to get better at it, I still feel as though we have a financial literacy crisis in the US. Every day new clients come to the Financial Gym feeling shame that they aren’t as adept in their personal finance knowledge as they think they should be and my response is always the same. Why should you feel confident? Most of us didn’t learn about personal finance at home, at school or on the job, yet the second we start receiving paychecks, we’re responsible for managing our money and navigating the world of personal finance.  This month on the podcast, I’m addressing a particular area of finance that our clients find the most challenging. Today we’re talking retirement planning and joining me is Gaurav Sharma, founder, and CEO of Capitalize to discuss not only the importance of investing for retirement but how we can do so efficiently and not pay extra fees along the way For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode416

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! Today is the second Friday in April and in case you didn’t know, April is Financial Literacy Month or what we like to call our favorite time of year at The Financial Gym. An entire month that’s focused on the importance of financial literacy. I always say that financial literacy is just as important as regular literacy and while there are so many resources for us out there to get better at it, I still feel as though we have a financial literacy crisis in the US. Every day new clients come to the Financial Gym feeling shame because they aren’t as adept in their personal finance knowledge as think they should be and my response is always the same. Why should you feel confident? Most of us didn’t learn about personal finance at home, at school, or on the job, yet the second we start receiving paychecks, we’re responsible for managing our money and navigating the world of personal finance.  This month on the podcast, I’m addressing a particular area of finance that our clients find the most challenging. Today we’re talking about investing and joining me is Author and Board Member of Better Investing, Ionnie McNeill. She joins me to share how she learned investing at an early age and how we can all make the learning process fun and approachable for the entire family. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode415  

Today is the first Friday in April and in case you didn’t know, April is Financial Literacy Month or what we like to call our favorite time of year at The Financial Gym. An entire month that’s focused on the importance of financial literacy. I always say that financial literacy is just as important as regular literacy and while there are so many resources for us out there to get better at it, I still feel as though we have a financial literacy crisis in the US. Every day new clients come to the Financial Gym feeling shame that they aren’t as adept in their personal finance knowledge as they think they should be and my response is always the same. Why should you feel confident? Most of us didn’t learn about personal finance at home, at school, or on the job, yet the second we start receiving paychecks, we’re responsible for managing our money and navigating the world of personal finance. This month on the podcast, I’m addressing a particular area of finance that our clients find the most challenging.  Today we’re starting with taxes. If you’re like me and you haven’t filed yours yet, you won’t want to miss this episode. Joining me today is Tony, the founder of CPA Dude to talk about taxes, common questions, how you can plan throughout the year, and what to do if you haven’t filed in a while.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode414

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host Happy Hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. March represents the two-year anniversary of the global lockdown that officially began the global pandemic due to Covid-19. Can you believe it? Two years! So, the ladies join me to discuss the impact that continued pandemic has had on them, the highs and lows they’ve experienced because of it, and their thoughts on where we’re heading next. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode413

At The Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “Financially Naked Session.” In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so that the trainer knows where you’re starting so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. Over 2 years ago now on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session and it led to a request for more and now this is a regular series on this podcast.  Getting in the hot seat today is Alexandra. Alexandra has been a longtime podcast listener who felt like she hadn’t heard her story represented in a Financially Naked episode, so she volunteered to do one herself. And now here’s Alexandra.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode412

I feel like I’m experiencing a baby boom of sorts between family members and Financial Gym clients! I felt like it made sense to talk about kids and money again on the show, especially from a financial trainer’s perspective. You’ve heard me say where money and emotions mix, it becomes challenging to make the best financial choices. Speaking from experience, I can say there is nothing more emotional than raising a child or multiple children. Having a child means more expenses, but it also makes it challenging to make more income and navigating the best decisions when there are limited choices is stressful at best.  Joining me today are Randi and Sara, two trainers at The Financial Gym who are also moms to talk about how they personally handle some of these situations but also help their clients work through them as well.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode411

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a Trainer the ‘Financially Naked Session’ In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so that the Trainer knows where you’re starting so that they can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. Over 2 years ago on this podcast, I shared my Financially Naked Session and it led to a request for more. Now this is a regular series on this podcast.  Getting in the hotseat today is Kristen. Kristen is a longtime client of the Financial Gym who has been working toward having a career she loves while living in an expensive city  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode410

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host Happy Hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. Today we’re playing a game of “Would you rather?” where I ask the ladies about some really tough financial decisions and hear what they would do. After over nine years of helping people get financially healthy, one thing is very clear, there is no perfect answer or solution to really difficult money choices and yet, there are so many difficult money choices. A word of warning that some of these scenarios may be triggering, especially if you’ve been in them, but my hope is that if you’re currently dealing with one or may have to in the future, you know that you’re not alone, and hopefully some of our opinions can help you or someone you love make a tough money decision.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode409

Shannon has done over 400 shows now and many listeners frequently ask about update episodes with past guests. You want to know how they’re doing and what they’ve been up to since they last spoke, so for the month of February, Shannon’s doing just that. She’s checking in with a number of past guests and you are not going to believe what they’ve been up to and where life has taken them since their last episodes.  Joining Shannon today is Will. Will is a longtime client of the Financial Gym who got in the financially naked hotseat a few years back and shared that he was planning to buy property. Well, that plan fell through and wait until you hear what he actually did with his money.  Listen to Will’s original financially naked episode here, which aired in December 2019  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode408

Shannon has done over 400 shows now and many listeners frequently ask about update episodes with past guests. You want to know how they’re doing and what they’ve been up to since they last spoke, so for the month of February, Shannon’s doing just that. She’s checking in with a number of past guests and you are not going to believe what they’ve been up to and where life has taken them since their last episodes.  Joining Shannon today is Dylan. Dylan is actually the listener who first requested that Shannon host more financially naked episodes and she actually did one herself not too long ago. Dylan joins today to share how her life has changed dramatically since we last spoke and what’s in store for her this year.  Listen to Dylan’s original’s episode, which aired February 21, 2020  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode407

Shannon has done over 400 shows now and many listeners frequently ask about update episodes with past guests. You want to know how they’re doing and what they’ve been up to since they last spoke, so for the month of February, Shannon’s doing just that. She’s checking in with a number of past guests and you are not going to believe what they’ve been up to and where life has taken them since their last episodes.  Joining Shannon today is Malyia, founder of Made By Malyia. When we last heard from her, it was at the beginning of the pandemic and she was managing supply chain challenges for her growing jewelry business. She has been on an unbelievable ride ever since and we’re so excited for you to hear what she’s up to now.  Listen to Malyia’s first episode here, which aired in August 2020. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode406

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. This is our first happy hour of the new year and I wanted to talk to my friends about goal setting, but why this year may be harder than ever to do it and how can we manage our goals and expectations despite the fact that  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode405

Today’s episode is almost a two-in-one episode. Shannon is talking to Financial Gym client and Career Coach, Colleen, about ways that you can think about shifting your career in 2022 if you’re feeling like you want to be a part of the Great Resignation or you’re just starting out your career. But before we get into Colleen’s professional guidance, we get to check in on where she is personally as Colleen is a former guest on the show and a guest on what I consider one of my most memorable episodes; which was about life after bankruptcy. So I hope you enjoy seeing where Colleen’s life has gone since that fateful decision as well as enjoy her sound advice regarding career transitions.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode404

Hello Martinis and Your Money listeners! I hinted at this in the year-end podcast, but for the first time ever, The Financial Gym is offering a certification program for non- Financial Gym employees to become a Certified Financial Trainer. Until Now, this program and our training have been exclusive to The Gym but offering it to more people was always on our radar. As many of you know, the CFT program is essentially based on the last eight years of mine and my teams work with over 10,000+ people in all fifty states. Because of the vast and diverse client mix we’ve worked with over the last eight years, we’ve really seen it all. And we are literally the best team, I feel like the only team, to teach others how to help anyone get financially healthy. So joining me today are Bevin and Gina, two financial gym trainers and members of the team working on the Certification Program to share more about life as a trainer, what you can expect if you want to be one, and why this is literally the greatest job in the world. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode403

This is the first episode of a new year and I wanted to focus this episode on one of my favorite things to start a new year with, goal setting. For most of my childhood and adult life, I hated New Year’s resolutions and the idea of goal setting because I am such a type-A overachiever that I was always afraid of setting myself up for failure. It wasn’t until 10 years ago, when I became a financial planner and saw the game-changing power of goal setting for others, that I adopted it in my own life and my team at The Financial Gym works on this with their clients every single day.  Joining me today to talk about some secrets to goal setting and why it may not have worked for you in the past is one of my trainers from The Gym, Victoria. Victoria is actually a long-time podcast listener, but this is her first time as a guest!  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode402

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. And if you can believe it this is the last Friday of the YEAR! The last Friday of 2021! In our final happy hour of the year, the ladies and I reflect on our highs and lows of the year, the goals we set for 2021, and set goals for 2022. This is the 6th year we are doing this episode and we have a special guest joining us. And now here are my friends to reflect on 2021. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode401

7 years ago, I attended a financial bloggers conference and it was while I was at this conference that I was dared by friends of mine to start a podcast of my own. At this point, I had only been a guest on one podcast, Stacking Benjamins, to talk about my book, Train Your Way to Financial Fitness, and other than listening to myself on that show, I had never even listened to another podcast. At the time, I had no idea what I would talk about on a show, but I knew I liked to drink and I knew I loved talking about money, and a few months later, Martinis and Your Money the podcast debuted. And today’s episode represents my 400th episode.  What started as a dare, has turned into a 7-year and 400 episode adventure that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. To take this trip down memory lane with me, I invited my good friend, and the person who’s appeared on the podcast the most, after me, Melanie Lockert, from the Mental Health and Wealth show and previously from Dear Debt. I had such a great time sharing some of my favorite memories of these first 400 episodes and I hope you enjoy hearing them as well. And now here’s my dear friend Melanie.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode400

I have been working as a financial planner for over 10 years now and while my clients are all unique with different life goals, a common question that comes up repeatedly is how to best save for retirement, specifically, should you utilize a traditional IRA or 401k plan, otherwise known and the pre-tax options or utilize a Roth IRA or Roth 401k plan or the post-tax options. This question has become increasingly important given that the Roth options have appeared in recent legislative bills, so I thought I would bring on the show a good friend of mine and an expert in helping plan for retirement, Michael Kitces. Michael is the Chief Financial Planning Nerd of Kitces.com, which teaches and trains financial advisors, he’s Head of Planning Strategy for Buckingham Wealth Partners, which provides wealth management to retirees. And Co-Founder of XY Planning Network, a network of 1,500+ fee-only financial planners who provide advice to consumers in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. Michael joins me today to help answer the question, to Roth or not to Roth.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode399

For over 10 years now, I’ve been helping people plan for the life they want to live and frequently, part of my job involves planning for the life events that we hope never happen. It’s a very difficult but essential part of the planning process and at Financial Gym, we’re always looking for the best tools and resources to help our clients with this. Joining me on the show today is Chelsea, founder of Smart Money Mamas to talk about why she left a successful six-figure career at a hedge fund to help people develop a better relationship with money and to talk about how she created the Family Emergency Binder which is a resource at the Gym we love.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode398

No matter what financial state you start in with us at The Financial Gym, at some point, we like to see all of our clients graduate to investing. To give a Gym analogy to investing, I like to think of investing as taking your money off the sofa and putting it on the treadmill to make it work harder for you. I always say that we work hard for every dollar that we make and when we invest our money, we’re asking our money to work hard for us in return. A common theme that we see with a number of our clients is a desire to invest in companies that are socially impactful, whether it’s the way they manage employees to the way they navigate the environment, there’s a number of ways that companies can be considered impact companies; however, it’s often hard to truly decipher the right companies and the best ways to invest in them.  So joining me today is Jean Case, CEO of Case Impact Network to share with us why she thinks impact investing makes sense, how you can participate and what her company is doing to make it easier for us to get involved with impact investing. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode397

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. For the month of November on the podcast, we’ve been talking about something we call Gym Magic at Financial Gym. Gym Magic happens when a client experiences a positive financial health result after joining the Gym and focusing on their finances. Helping clients find Gym Magic is probably one of the biggest reasons why I’ve committed everything I own to building Financial Gym. I love hearing success stories, especially with all of the crazy stories going on in the world right now, I thought we could all use a month of hearing about Magic and it continues to Happy Hour. The ladies share some of their stories of finding financial success and the surprising ways in which they found it. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode396

At the Financial Gym, when a client experiences a positive financial health result after joining the Gym and focusing on their finances, we call it “Gym Magic.” Gym Magic and helping our clients find it and believe in it is so important to us that it’s a core value of the Gym. For over eight years now, I’ve witnessed the magic firsthand and every single one of my teammates has seen it as well. And I’m so excited to share with you that for the month of November, we’re going to share some of that Magic with you. This month I’m talking to clients and teammates who have truly experienced and witnessed results that are nothing short of magic and their stories and journeys are just what we need for this crazy time in life.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode395

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! At the Financial Gym, when a client experiences a positive financial health result after joining the Gym and focusing on their finances, we call it “Gym Magic.” Gym Magic and helping our clients find it and believe in it is so important to us that it’s a core value of the Gym. For over eight years now, I’ve witnessed the magic firsthand and every single one of my teammates has seen it as well. And I’m so excited to share with you that for the month of November, we’re going to share some of that Magic with you. This month I’m talking to clients and teammates who have truly experienced and witnessed results that are nothing short of magic and their stories and journeys are just what we need for this crazy time in life. Joining me today is Jill, we’ve changed her name for you because she’s going to share some very sensitive details about her family members and a warning for you that some of the subject matter may be triggering. Jill joins me today to share how not only she, but her sister and her brother found Gym Magic. It’s a family affair and you’re not going to want to miss their journeys.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode394

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! At the Financial Gym, when a client experiences a positive financial health result after joining the Gym like maybe getting a raise or an unexpected bonus, we call it “Gym Magic.” Gym Magic and helping our clients find it and believe in it is so important to us that it’s a core value of the Gym. For over eight years now, I’ve witnessed the magic firsthand and every single one of my teammates has seen it as well. And I’m so excited to share with you that for the month of November, we’re going to share some of that Magic with you. This month I’m talking to clients and teammates who have truly experienced and witnessed results that are nothing short of magic and their stories and journeys are just what we need for this crazy time in life. Kicking off the month with me today is Kathy. Kathy started as a client who literally left dozens of negative comments about the Gym after a horrible first impression on our part. Thankfully, we worked through the challenges and you’ll hear how far she’s come in almost two years. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode393

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. For most of this month on the podcast, we’ve been talking to business owners or talking about business ownership and determining if it’s the right path for you. The Happy Hour ladies join me today to discuss their journeys into entrepreneurship or in the case of Joy, her journey into entrepreneurship through the lens of her clients. We discuss lessons learned, the pros and cons and some things to think through before making the leap.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode392

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “financially naked session.” In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so that the trainer knows where you’re starting so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. Over 2 years ago now, on this podcast; I shared my financially naked session and it led to a request for more and now this is a regular series on this podcast. Getting in the hot seat today is Megan. She’s been a long time podcast listener who felt like she hadn’t heard her particular financial situation, which is one filled with the challenges of two working parents who’ve struggled to make much in the way of income with two children and one surprise baby on the way. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode391

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! We have thousands of clients at Financial Gym with numerous life goals they want to accomplish, and our number one employer represented at the Gym is “self-employed” and a common life goal for many clients is the desire to start their own business. So, not only do we work with a number of current business owners, but we also work with a number of budding business owners. So I thought I would take the month of October to talk about business ownership, highlight some client journeys and share the best tips and practices we’ve learned over the last eight years of working with current and future business owners. Joining me today is Jaiden Wood, a long-time Financial Gym client, and co-founder of WoCo Studios. Jaiden joins me today to share his story about why he became a Financial Gym client at 18 and how the work he’s done with the Gym for almost four years now, led him to the freedom and confidence to start his own business.    For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode390

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! We have thousands of clients at Financial Gym with numerous life goals they want to accomplish and our number one employer represented at the Gym is self-employed and a common life goal for many clients is the desire to start their own business. So not only do we work with a number of current business owners, but we also work with a number of budding business owners so I thought I would take the month of October to talk about business ownership, highlight some client journeys and share the best tips and practices we’ve learned over the last eight years of working with current and future business owners. Joining me today is Diana Davis, a long time Financial Gym client and founder of Diana Davis Creative. Diana joins me today to share her story of unemployment to six-figure business career and now business coach. She shares a number of lessons she’s learned along the way and how she helps others build the businesses they dreamed of.   For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode389

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners!  Most mental health experts I chat with estimate that 97% of people suffer from financial anxiety at some point in their lives and from what I’ve seen at Financial Gym, I would agree with these estimates. Even clients who are financially healthy go through periods of financial anxiety at some point or another. And one of the most common careers where you can experience financial anxiety is as a business owner. So joining me today is Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, a Financial Therapist and author of the book The Financial Anxiety Solution, to talk about how you can manage your financial anxiety, especially if you’re building a business at the same time. And now here’s Lindsay.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode388

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. In 2020 and 2021, we’re seeing a number of Financial Gym clients become property owners or show more interest in becoming property owners due to lower interest rates, more working from home because of the pandemic or a desire to shift asset allocation because of historic market highs, so I’m dedicating the month of September to property ownership. So today, the happy hour ladies join me to give their takes on homeownership, whether or not it’s a goal for them (and why) and some important things to remember no matter which side you stand on. Before we get going, as a side note, Kassandra had a personal issue arise and she wasn’t able to record with us this month. She was missed, but I know you’re going to love to hear what Melanie and Joy had to say. And now here’s my friends For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode387

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners. In 2020 and 2021, we’re seeing a number of Financial Gym clients become property owners or show more interest in becoming property owners due to lower interest rates, more working from home because of the pandemic or a desire to shift asset allocation because of historic market highs, so I’m dedicating the month of September to property ownership. On today’s podcast, we’re talking about cost effective ways to take care of home repairs and home improvements. As a former property owner myself and advising clients into home ownership for the past 10 years, I can tell you that the one guarantee you will have as a homeowner is that once you own the property, something is bound to break and calling in the experts can get expensive. So today, the best home repair expert I know and the man I love, Vinnie Del Donna, joins me to share some of his thoughts and suggestions for when you could and should do things yourself, when to call the expert and how you can find the right expert for you. And now here’s Vinnie. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode386

In 2020 and 2021, we’re seeing a number of Financial Gym client’s become or show more interest in becoming property owners due to lower interest rates, more working from home because of the pandemic or a desire to shift asset allocation because of historic market highs. So I’m dedicating the month of September to “Property Ownership”. On today’s podcast, we’re talking about income producing properties with Paula Pant, host of the Afford Anything podcast, founder of affordanything.com, and teacher of the course Your First Rental Property. Paula joins me today to share her experience of managing several income producing properties, what you should look for and think about if you want to own income producing properties, and why her course might be the perfect investment for you if you’re considering investing in an income producing property.   For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode385

In 2020 and 2021, we’re seeing a number of Financial Gym clients become property owners or show more interest in becoming property owners due to lower interest rates, more working from home because of the pandemic and a desire to shift asset allocation because of historic market highs, so I’m dedicating the month of September to “Property Ownership”. Today, I’m speaking with three Financial Gym clients who have all become first time home buyers in the past year; and they not only became homeowners but they did it on their own as single women, a goal they didn’t know was possible when they first started planning for this goal at the Gym. They join me to share their reasons for buying a home, what the process was like and what lessons they’ve learned since becoming homeowners. I’m so inspired and motivated by their journeys and I hope you are as well.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode384

Hello Martinis and Your Money listeners. In July’s happy hour episode we discussed being burnt out and the toll that the pandemic has taken on many workers and it’s certainly taken its toll on me in a lot of different ways. So to give myself time to refuel my own tank, I’m taking the month of August off from recording and working on the podcast. I’ll be vacationing with family, vacationing with my boyfriend Vinnie, enjoying a company retreat with my FinGym team, and prepping for what I hope will be a really great Fall season for the Gym as we open all four gym locations; back for events and client co-working. It's very exciting times. So during these four Fridays in August, I’ll be replaying some of my favorite episodes from this past year. I’ll be returning back in September with all-new episodes through the end of the year. Thank you so much for always supporting the show and allowing me some much-needed rest from producing new content. I’ll see you in September. Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.  March 12 marked the official one-year anniversary of the beginning of the pandemic in the U.S. Can you even believe it has been a year? What a wild year it has been. The ladies and I took the time to reflect on the year and share our highs and lows that have come from the pandemic. March is also Women’s History month, and we also share some of the women who inspire us and who we’d love to support even more. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode383

Hello Martinis and Your Money listeners. In July’s happy hour episode we discussed being burnt out and the toll that the pandemic has taken on many workers and it’s certainly taken its toll on me in a lot of different ways. So to give myself time to refuel my own tank, I’m taking the month of August off from recording and working on the podcast. I’ll be vacationing with family, vacationing with my boyfriend Vinnie, enjoying a company retreat with my FinGym team, and prepping for what I hope will be a really great Fall season for the Gym as we open all four gym locations; back for events and client co-working. It's very exciting times. So during these four Fridays in August, I’ll be replaying some of my favorite episodes from this past year. I’ll be returning back in September with all-new episodes through the end of the year. Thank you so much for always supporting the show and allowing me some much-needed rest from producing new content. I’ll see you in September. Welcome to 2021!! I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t be more excited to be starting a new year and a fresh start with all of you! 2020 turned out to be a year for survival and I feel like it’s time to make 2021 a year for thriving. I’m kicking off this new year addressing a topic that I know will help you thrive in 2021, and that’s imposter syndrome.  At The Financial Gym, we’re always encouraging clients to dream bigger and manifest greater, and a common hurdle for many clients achieving those goals is overcoming imposter syndrome. Joining me today is Meggie Palmer, founder of PepTalkHer, to share her best strategies for managing and overcoming imposter syndrome. There are so many great pearls of wisdom in this conversation whether you are challenged with imposter syndrome or not. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode382

Hello Martinis and Your Money listeners. In July’s happy hour episode we discussed being burnt out and the toll that the pandemic has taken on many workers and it’s certainly taken its toll on me in a lot of different ways. So to give myself time to refuel my own tank, I’m taking the month of August off from recording and working on the podcast. I’ll be vacationing with family, vacationing with my boyfriend Vinnie, enjoying a company retreat with my FinGym team, and prepping for what I hope will be a really great Fall season for the Gym as we open all four gym locations; back for events and client co-working. It's very exciting times. So during these four Fridays in August, I’ll be replaying some of my favorite episodes from this past year. I’ll be returning back in September with all-new episodes through the end of the year. Thank you so much for always supporting the show and allowing me some much-needed rest from producing new content. I’ll see you in September. March represents the opportunity to celebrate Women’s History Month. For those of you who don’t know, I attended an all-girls Catholic high school. From the early age of 14, I saw the value and positivity that could arise from women working in a supportive and collaborative environment. This experience literally defined a large part of my life, by instilling a desire to mentor, promote, and support women. As I always say, it’s not that I don’t love men — I married one, I birthed one, and I’m looking forward to falling in love again with another man in my future — but over my 20-year career, I’ve seen the constant need to build support networks to allow women to grow and thrive in the areas where they would love to grow and thrive.  Joining me today is a long-time friend in the personal finance space, Stefanie O’Connell, founder of Statement Cards and host of the Money Confidential podcast, to discuss how her professional journey led her to start a company and brand that is essentially a movement to support women during their various life journeys. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode381

In July’s happy hour episode we discussed being burnt out and the toll that the pandemic has taken on many workers and it’s certainly taken its toll on me in a lot of different ways. So to give myself time to refuel my own tank, I’m taking the month of August off from recording and working on the podcast. I’ll be vacationing with family, vacationing with my boyfriend Vinnie, enjoying a company retreat with my FinGym team, and prepping for what I hope will be a really great Fall season for the Gym as we open all four gym locations; back for events and client co-working. It's very exciting times. So during these four Fridays in August, I’ll be replaying some of my favorite episodes from this past year. I’ll be returning back in September with all-new episodes through the end of the year. Thank you so much for always supporting the show and allowing me some much-needed rest from producing new content. I’ll see you in September. Starting a business is not for the weak of heart, but if your gut is telling you to do it, and you just can’t imagine a life otherwise, than even though it might not make sense financially and might not make sense on paper, it just might be the right path for you. My guest today, Malyia McNaughton, founder and CEO of Made by Malyia, is one of those founders. Her story of being one of the only black women in her fashion industry job to one of the only black women designing jewelry is truly inspiring. She joins me today to talk about the seemingly crazy decisions she’s made and how that has led her to an amazing chapter in her founder’s story For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode380

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. As you may have heard last month, one of our regular happy hour attendees,Tonya has decided to step away from recording the show and I’m excited today to introduce you to her replacement, Joy Liu. Long-time listeners may remember Joy from my Financially Naked episode or the military money episode. Joy has been a valued trainer at Financial Gym and an active podcast listener for four years now. Her focus at the Gym is around mindfulness and the experience she has had guiding hundreds of people through major life and financial events over the last four years is truly in a league of its own. I’m excited for you to get to know Joy even more and hear what she has to bring to the show. On today’s episode, we’re going to tackle a topic that I think many of us need to tackle right now and that’s focusing on what is our why. Given the Great Resignation and many people feeling like they need change coming out of the global pandemic, is quitting your job the right move? What is the right move? I think it all comes down to the why and we’re going to discuss ours and how you can connect or reconnect with yours. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode383

As most of you know, I’m a big fan of financial literacy. And I think it is equally as important a component to a successful life, just like regular literacy. The biggest challenge for most people though is that, unlike reading lessons, most of us don’t get personal finance lessons in schools or at home. So it’s up to us to learn a language on our own and find the best classes for our needs. This is why I love highlighting so many different resources for financial literacy and I’m excited to share another one for you today. Joining me on the podcast today are Pamela Capalad and her husband, Dyalekt. She’s the founder of the financial planning company “Brunch and Budget” and together the couple has cofounded “The Race and Wealth Podcast Network” which includes the Brunch and Budget podcast as well as the organization “Pockets Change”, which creates financial literacy curriculums that are taught in schools, youth organizations or one-on-one with parents and kids. They’re joining me to share how their unique backgrounds and experiences helped them to find a unique way to teach financial literacy and empowerment to underserved communities.   For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/episode378

As many of you know, I’m committed to utilizing my platform to amplify all voices in the personal finance space; and I’m excited to share with you Lyanne Alfaro’s story and her journey to create the Moneda Moves podcast and newsletter, a platform for Latinos to discuss money. Lyanne joins me today to discuss the racial wealth gap in the Latino community, the roles small businesses play in building generational wealth, and why there needs to be more opportunities for the community to speak openly about money.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/latinxandmoney

I’ve been in the personal finance blogging and podcasting space now for over 8 years now and I’ve made so many great friends along the way. One of those friends is today’s guest, Catherine Alford. In my early days of blogging, Cat’s blog was one that I hoped to emulate and it’s actually because of her that I had a side hustle as a finance writer for a period of time. For years, I’ve followed Cat’s journey and desire to have a published book; and when I saw that her dream finally became a reality, I knew I needed to have her on the show to talk about her journey, why she never gave up and why you should check out her new book “Mom’s Got Money: A millennial mom’s guide to managing money like a boss.” Cat’s story is so inspiring and I hope it inspires you to never give up on your dreams as well.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/moms-got-money-with-cat-alford

Thanks to the global pandemic, for over 15 months now, I think every single person on this planet has experienced trauma, from adjusting to a new normal to new work scenarios to new social scenarios to new travel scenarios and so much more. I firmly feel this has taken its toll on all of us to varying degrees and now more than ever is a time to think about not only how we’re going to process this trauma, but how do we move forward and take the lessons we’ve learned to move us into the appropriate next chapter of my life. There are a number of places to go to begin to do this work, but I happen to be a big fan of life coaching and the benefits it can bring to your work life, your personal life and so much more. Joining me today is Madeleine Onstwedder, a Life Coach for social impact professionals to discuss why she chose this career and share some of her free and cheap tips to live a better life For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/selfcareandlifecoaching

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month and as we have with the previous months, we’ll be celebrating and amplifying the voices in this space. In addition to celebrating the events of June, we’ll have an extra special and bittersweet celebration at the end of this episode for one of the Happy Hour Ladies. This is an episode you won’t want to miss. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/junehappyhour

If you’ve listened to this show for just a little while, you know that I’m passionate about financial literacy. I always say financial literacy is like regular literacy, it needs to be taught from an early age, preferably practiced and supported at home and continually learned as you grow older and your financial decisions get more complicated.  Financial literacy is the core mission of The Financial Gym and it’s also the core mission for today’s guests, Nikki and Carissa, co-founders of the site Benjamin Talks. Nikki and Carissa join me today to talk about why they wanted to create a site devoted to helping kids and their parents become more financially literate and also share some best practices to teach kids important and sustainable money habits. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/benjamin-talks-with-nikki-and-carissa

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “financially naked session.” In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so the trainer knows where you’re starting and he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most, because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. Over two years ago now on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session, and it led to a request for more. Now this is a regular series on this podcast.  Getting in the hotseat today is Jen, a listener who has had some life challenges we haven’t tackled during a naked session yet. Jen joins me today to share her journey through infertility and starting a family later in life while also trying to achieve a goal of financial independence. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/getting-financially-naked-with-jen

For better or worse, the pandemic has normalized Zoom and other online connections. We used it pre-pandemic, but 2020 made a number of companies question the value or need for one-on-one interactions, to the point that we should all practice or feel highly confident with our Zoom presence going forward. This is why I’m excited to chat today with Joanna Lovering, an executive presence coach, workplace psychologist, and fashion stylist, who helps women develop transformative leadership skills. Joanna joins me today to discuss some best practices when putting our best foot forward, at least in the sense of online interactions. I learned so many great tips from this conversation and I hope you do as well. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/executive-presence-with-joanna-lovering

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.  This is our May Happy Hour and May happens to be Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, as well as Mental Health Awareness Month, so my friends joined me to not only amplify voices in communities that you may not be following but also share amazing resources (most of them free) for you to work on your mental health. As usual, another great episode with so much important information.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/aapi-and-mental-health-awareness-month-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

I know and hope that so many of us are taking away a number of life lessons from the experiences of 2020, and the start of 2021, and one of those lessons for me is the value of amplifying voices. I started this podcast over six years ago, as a dare to bring more female voices to the personal finance podcasting space. Over a million downloads later, I take this platform you’ve given to me, by listening over those years, very seriously.  Many of my long-term listeners know that, like you, I’m on a journey to learn every day and get better every day in all aspects of my life, especially finances, and I’m bringing those lessons to this community. Today, I’m excited to share the unique cultural and financial journey of my teammate at The Financial Gym, Ramona. Ramona’s family is from Guyana and she joins me today on how her family’s background and journey has influenced her. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/growing-up-guyanese-with-ramona

As as start-up founder, I’m always open to speaking to potential startup founders to hear their ideas and share my thoughts on next steps for them and what types of financing routes they may want to consider. After having three such conversations recently, I realized it would be really valuable to memorialize some of these thoughts for other potential founders, and when I thought of who I wanted to have this conversation with, my first thought was my good friend Hitha Palepu.  Hitha is not only an entrepreneur, but she’s also an angel investor who’s invested in multiple start-ups, including The Financial Gym. Hitha joins me today to share her thoughts on the process of starting and financing a business. This is a valuable conversation for anyone thinking of pursuing their own business. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/financing-your-business-with-hitha-palepu

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “financially naked session”. In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so the trainer knows where you’re starting so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. Over two years ago on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session and it led to a request for more. Now, this is a regular series on this podcast.  Getting in the hotseat today, for the second time, is Liana. When we last got Financially Naked with Liana, she was living in Vermont, working as a medical writer, and planning a wedding. She joins us today to share if she had a pandemic wedding and what her career and finances look like over a year later. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/financially-naked-follow-up-with-liana

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. This is not only the last Friday of the month, but it’s the last Friday of one of my favorite months: Financial Literacy Month. My friends joined me today to share their journeys to finding and discovering financial literacy and they share some of the best resources for how we can all continue to refine and improve our own financial literacy. Of all of our happy hours, I feel like this one is a must-listen, especially for any of your friends and family who are new to the concept of Financial Literacy. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/discovering-financial-literacy-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

Getting financially healthy at its core is essentially two steps: making more and spending less. It sounds basic, but the fact that over 70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck tells you that it’s not so basic. Yes, there are systemic changes that need to happen for a number of Americans, but from my experience of getting people financially healthy over the last 10 years, I believe the majority of those 70% can stop living paycheck to paycheck if they lower expenses and/or make more money.  In an effort to help our clients at the Gym find ways to make more money, we’re always talking about side hustles as a part of that equation, and a side hustle I love for just about anyone is writing and selling books. Joining me today is my good friend, Ash Cash, who’s not only a bestselling author, but founder of Mind Right Money and host of Inside the Vault podcast, to share why he feels everyone can have bookselling as a side hustle and how you can take the steps to start ASAP. I always love reconnecting with Ash, not only for his positivity and motivational approach to life, but his practical and applicable advice on this side hustle. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/book-writing-as-a-side-hustle-with-ash-cash

Part of getting a financial plan done, especially one through The Financial Gym is identifying risk factors to your financial health. One of the solutions for mitigating financial risks is insurance, whether it is life insurance, car insurance, or renter’s insurance. Today’s episode, with podcast friend and listener, Colin, is the perfect cautionary tale as to the importance of renter’s insurance. Renter’s insurance is something that not enough people consider, but for the value of what it covers should make sense in your monthly budget. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/the-importance-of-renters-insurance-with-colin-becker

April is Financial Literacy month and I always say that Financial Literacy is like regular literacy, it needs to be taught from an early age, preferably practiced and supported at home, and continually learned as you grow older and your financial decisions get more complicated.  Financial literacy is the core mission of The Financial Gym and it’s also the core mission for today’s guest, Dan Sheeks owner and founder of SheeksFreaks an online community to help young people live their best lives by making smart money decisions. He shares some of his best tips for helping Gen Z’ers, and really anyone else, become more financially literate. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/teens-gen-z-and-finances-with-dan-sheeks

Today is the first Friday in April, and, in case you didn’t know, April is Financial Literacy Month, or, our favorite month of the year at The Gym. If you are listening to this podcast, you’ve made financial literacy an important part of your life. If you are looking for more resources, especially this month, we have a number of free events going on at The Financial Gym — we have one for every weekday. Check out the schedule at financialgym.com, and, again, everything is free.  The Gym also has its own podcast call Financially Naked, where you can hear more from our clients and our trainers, and you can find that anywhere you listen to podcasts. I hope you will check out our events and share them with your friends, so they can embrace financial literacy as well. Onto today’s show! Managing couples’ finances is a challenge, especially if you are in similar industries or have similar job types. Joining me today are my good friends David and John, otherwise known as the Debt Free Guys, and the the hosts of Queer Money Podcast, to discuss how they’ve managed their household finances as a couple, and also weathered a global pandemic that affected their joint business, and stayed financially healthy throughout it all. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/suviving-job-insecurity-with-the-debt-free-guys

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.  March 12 marked the official one-year anniversary of the beginning of the pandemic in the U.S. Can you even believe it has been a year? What a wild year it has been. The ladies and I took the time to reflect on the year and share our highs and lows that have come from the pandemic. March is also Women’s History month, and we also share some of the women who inspire us and who we’d love to support even more. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/highs-and-lows-of-the-pandemic-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “financially naked session”. In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so the trainer knows where you’re starting so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. Over two years ago on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session and it led to a request for more. Now, this is a regular series on this podcast.  Getting in the hotseat today is our first Canadian guest, Margaret. She joins me to share not only her digits, but how she got her finances into shape and how she wants to help others do it as well. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/getting-financially-naked-with-margaret

Getting financially healthy is as much a mindset game as it is a numbers game, and part of changing your mindset includes changing how you view certain words around financial health, like budgeting, investing, and, our topic today, frugality. Before I set out on my path to financial wellness, I thought of frugal people as cheap people. Being frugal was not a goal I had for myself. Fast forward 10 years, and I know that frugal people are fabulous, and frugality is more of a money hack than anything else.  Joining me today to speak more on this topic, and how you can change your mindset to embrace frugality, is Jen Smith, founder of the blog site Modern Frugality and co-host of the podcast Frugal Friends. She joins me to share how she became a frugal convert and how embracing frugality led to debt freedom for her and her husband. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/modern-frugality-with-jen-smith

March represents the opportunity to celebrate Women’s History Month. For those of you who don’t know, I attended an all-girls Catholic high school. From the early age of 14, I saw the value and positivity that could arise from women working in a supportive and collaborative environment. This experience literally defined a large part of my life, by instilling a desire to mentor, promote, and support women. As I always say, it’s not that I don’t love men — I married one, I birthed one, and I’m looking forward to falling in love again with another man in my future — but over my 20-year career, I’ve seen the constant need to build support networks to allow women to grow and thrive in the areas where they would love to grow and thrive.  Joining me today is a long-time friend in the personal finance space, Stefanie O’Connell, founder of Statement Cards and host of the Money Confidential podcast, to discuss how her professional journey led her to start a company and brand that is essentially a movement to support women during their various life journeys. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/the-importance-of-statement-cards-with-stephanie-oconnell

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.  In honor of Black History Month, and leaning into Women’s History month that begins next month, we’re going to share some of our favorite businesses, bloggers, podcasters, and resources where you can support women and people of color. We discuss a truly epic group of individuals that I hope you enjoy learning about as much as I did. Joining us again this month is Kassandra, while Liz is on sabbatical, and I truly appreciate your support and encouragement of Kassandra, while wishing Liz the best. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/supporting-people-of-color-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

One of the many things I love about hosting this show is discovering new and fascinating ways to help you think about financial health differently, or approach your financial health differently, and today’s episode is a great example of that. Joining me today is Juliet Obodo, Master Hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner, to share her story of why she left a traditional corporate job to pursue a career in hypnotherapy and how hypnotherapy can help you overcome subconscious roadblocks you may have that would prevent you from living the life of your dreams.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/hypnosis-and-finances-with-juliet-obodo

I know and hope that so many of us are taking away a number of life lessons from the experiences of 2020, and honestly the beginning of 2021, as well. One of those lessons for me is the value of amplifying voices. I started this podcast over six years ago now as a dare to bring more female voices to the personal finance podcasting space, and over a million downloads later, I take this platform you’ve given to me by listening very seriously.  Many of my long-term listeners know that, like you, I’m on a journey to learn every day and get better every day in all aspects of my life, especially finances, and I’m bringing those lessons to this community. Today is Lunar New Year, or, what I knew growing up as Chinese New Year, and it impacts millions of people on this planet, including three of my teammates at the Financial Gym. So joining me today is Sean, Remie, and Tina, to share their stories of lunar new year, how it impacts their families, and why they shouldn’t be working today. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/lunar-new-year-with-sean-remie-and-tina

Seven years ago, I had an idea for a business that took me on the wildest journey filled with my highest highs and my lowest lows. From the second I became an entrepreneur, though, I felt a kinship with other founders, especially female founders. This summer, when it seemed like the world was blowing up and we were trying to decide how to respond as a business to the world around us, my gut told me that supporting black female founders was the path that we should take. As a result, The Financial Gym partnered with iFundWomen to identify five black, female-founded businesses to receive a scholarship from us, as well as business coaching and any other resources The Gym could provide, to help these women create even more successful businesses.  We started with the plan to help five women, but it became six, because of an impromptu conversation I had with today’s guest, Auzerais Bellamy, founder of Blondery. I was so blown away by this woman and her vision, that I knew we had to help. Joining me today is Auzerais to share her story about the challenges of being a black woman pastry chef in the world of fine dining. I hope you’re as motivated by her journey as I am For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/blondery-with-auzerais-bellamy

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.  Today is the first happy hour of 2021, and what an eventful first month it has been so far. As many of you know or may remember, our regular happy hour cohost Liz, aka Mrs. Frugalwoods, is taking a sabbatical from the show. Starting this month, our good friend, Kassandra Dasent, will be filling the extra happy hour seat. Kassandra joins the show today to share more about her personal journey, and we all discuss our goals, plans, and thoughts on a new year. We will miss Liz, but you are really going to love hearing Kassandra’s take on personal finance. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/shifting-goals-in-2021-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

At The Financial Gym, our clients come in all different financial shapes and sizes, with a variety of careers ranging from teachers to investment bankers to government workers to doctors and nurses. But, the number one job type of clients of The Financial Gym is self-employed, and this means anything from freelancer or Instagram influencer to a small business owner.  As a small business owner myself, I can’t tell you how important it is to manage your business finances properly, and while I understand the need for conserving cash, it sometimes makes a great deal of sense to invest in experts who can save you time and money in the end.  Joining me today is Michelle Löpez, co-founder of Breakaway Bookkeeping, to talk about the importance of bookkeeping for small businesses and the best strategies to lay a great foundation for your business no matter what size it is. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/breakaway-bookkeeping-and-advising-with-michelle-lopez

If you’ve been listening to this show for a while, you know that I’m a big fan of salary negotiation and getting paid what you’re worth. It’s so important to me that all four Financial Gym locations literally have a wall that says “Know Your Worth”. One of the leaders in this conversation, especially for women, is Claire Wasserman, founder of the community Ladies Get Paid.  Claire joins me today to discuss the new book she’s written around the subject – Ladies Get Paid, The Ultimate Guide to Breaking Barriers, Owning Your Worth and Taking Command of Your Career. However you gender identify, I believe Claire’s book and insights will empower you financially in your career. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/ladies-get-paid-with-claire-wasserman

I always talk about our adult lives being like a cross-country road trip and our financial goals are the destinations along the way. A common financial goal or destination we help clients prepare for is having children. If becoming a parent is on your wishlist, I have to warn you (speaking from experience) that children are a rewarding, but expensive, destination and it starts with conception.  We have a number of young female clients who are not sure about motherhood just yet but want to have options and options cost money. So, joining me today is Dr. Raquel Hammonds, a naturopathic doctor and reproductive specialist, to talk more about planning for a family and some easy and affordable ways you can increase your likelihood for success. I learned so much from this episode and I hope it helps many of you. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/the-fertility-advantage-with-dr-raquel-hammonds

Welcome to 2021!! I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t be more excited to be starting a new year and a fresh start with all of you! 2020 turned out to be a year for survival and I feel like it’s time to make 2021 a year for thriving. I’m kicking off this new year addressing a topic that I know will help you thrive in 2021, and that’s imposter syndrome.  At The Financial Gym, we’re always encouraging clients to dream bigger and manifest greater, and a common hurdle for many clients achieving those goals is overcoming imposter syndrome. Joining me today is Meggie Palmer, founder of PepTalkHer, to share her best strategies for managing and overcoming imposter syndrome. There are so many great pearls of wisdom in this conversation whether you are challenged with imposter syndrome or not. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/imposter-syndrome-and-peptalkher-with-meggie-palmer

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host a happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.  If you can believe it, this is the last Friday of 2020. We made it! In the final Happy Hour of the year, the ladies and I reflect on our highs and lows of the previous year, the goals we set for 2020, and we set goals for 2021. Of all the episodes I recorded this year, I believe this was my favorite, probably because it is the final one from a year that has challenged all of us in the best and worst ways. I don’t know about you, but I am so excited to send this year off and put it behind us, and celebrate a new one. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/2020-year-end-review-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “financially naked session”. In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so the trainer knows where you’re starting so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. Over two years ago on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session and it led to a request for more. Now, this is a regular series on this podcast.  At this point, I’ve gotten naked with dozens of people on this podcast and many of you ask about update episodes so we can check in on people’s journeys. Well, joining me today is Alyssa who is going to give us an update on her finances. The last time we got naked with Alyssa, she was finishing up a bankruptcy process and working professionally as an opera singer. With the pause of live performances in 2020, you can imagine this was a tough challenge for Alyssa to get through. She joins me today to share all of her digits and what she’s doing online until she can get back on stage. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/financially-naked-follow-up-with-alyssa

It’s December of 2020, and at this point, I feel like I could write volumes of books on lessons I’ve learned this year. Honestly, as awful of a year as it’s been, I really do value these lessons, no matter how painful they may seem. For me, one of the greatest lessons is the importance of challenging conversations. I’ve had a few of these on my podcast, and today’s episode is a result of a conversation that happened offline that I felt could benefit everyone online. None of us is perfect. All of us need to consider ourselves active students, especially when it comes to empathy, and the best way to learn is through honest conversations.  Joining me today is Lynn, a long time Financial Gym client, who raised her hand after something on this show rubbed her the wrong way. I’m glad she raised her hand and I hope you enjoy hearing about her family’s immigrant story.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/avoiding-generalizations-with-lynn

Seven years ago, I had an idea for a business that took me on the wildest journey filled with my highest highs and my lowest lows. From the second I became an entrepreneur, though, I felt a kinship with other founders, especially female founders. This summer, when it seemed like the world was blowing up and we were trying to decide how to respond as a business to the world around us, my gut told me that supporting Black Female founders was the path that we should take.  The Financial Gym partnered with iFundWomen to identify five black female-founded businesses to receive a scholarship from us as well as business coaching and any other resources the Gym could provide to help these women create even more successful businesses. A few months back, we highlighted Take a Break Babysitting and Pathway to Purpose, and this month we’re highlighting Joslyn and Brittney from Fit and Nu and Emilie from Ashe Birthing Services. They join me today to share more about why they decided to start a company, how 2020 has impacted their business, and where they’re taking their businesses next year and beyond. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/ifundwomen-winners-part-2-with-emilie-joslyn-and-brittney

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. This month on the podcast, I had the theme of financial independence, so the Happy Hour ladies join me to discuss their thoughts on the evolution of the FI movement, how they think about FI, and whether or not it is something they are working toward. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/financial-independence-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

I have an exciting November scheduled for all of you! I’ve decided to focus the entire month around the topic of Financial Independence. I’m going to speak to people who are pursuing it, people who have achieved it, and everything in between. This topic is one that is near and dear to me. The idea of Financial Independence completely changed my concept of retirement and helped me reimagine a much more exciting vision of working, because you want to work and not because you have to work. There is no one path to Financial Independence, and I’m excited for you to hear more about this subject through different points of view.  Joining me today is my good friend JD Roth, who is actually going to be my first financially independent naked session. JD is going to share all of his digits and the financial choices he’s made since officially becoming financially independent almost a decade ago.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/getting-financially-naked-with-jd-roth

I have an exciting November scheduled for all of you! I’ve decided to focus the entire month around the topic of Financial Independence. I’m going to speak to people who are pursuing it, people who have achieved it, and everything in between. This topic is one that is near and dear to me. The idea of Financial Independence completely changed my concept of retirement and helped me reimagine a much more exciting vision of working, because you want to work and not because you have to work. There is no one path to Financial Independence, and I’m excited for you to hear more about this subject through different points of view.  Today I’m talking to Jessica from the blog Fioneers about her approach to FI, which she calls Slow FI. She joins me to speak more about it and her balanced approach to a financially independent lifestyle. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/the-fioneers-and-slow-fi-with-jess

I have an exciting November scheduled for all of you! I’ve decided to focus the entire month around the topic of Financial Independence. I’m going to speak to people who are pursuing it, people who have achieved it, and everything in between. This topic is one that is near and dear to me. The idea of Financial Independence completely changed my concept of retirement and helped me reimagine a much more exciting vision of working, because you want to work and not because you have to work. There is no one path to Financial Independence, and I’m excited for you to hear more about the subject through different points of view.  Kicking off the month are Jonathan and Brad, cofounders and cohosts of the ChooseFI podcast, which is the largest independent personal finance podcast with close to 2MM downloads per month. They have built a community of people with the common goal of reaching FI, where working is optional.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/choosefi-with-brad-and-jonathan

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. At The Financial Gym, my team and I frequently get asked about the financial products and services we use and if we’d recommend them to our clients. I thought it would be fun to find out from the ladies what financial products and services they utilize and if they’d recommend them to you. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/financial-tools-we-use-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

Getting financially healthy is all about having a mindset shift, and mindset shifts can come in different ways and through different inspirations. I think personal finance author Cait Flanders does a great job tackling personal finance through a new lens.  Cait’s first book, The Year of Less, is one that I frequently recommend to people early on in their financial health journey, and now she’s back with her second book, Adventures in Opting Out – A Field Guide to Leading an Intentional Life. Cait joins me today to share her inspiration for the book and why you should become a master of opting out. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/adventures-in-opting-out-with-cait-flanders

I’ve interviewed a number of guests who’ve talked about the financial benefits of side hustles, but I’ve rarely talked about the pursuit of a love or a hobby without any clear long term financial benefit. At the Financial Gym our slogan is “What are you working for?”, meaning why do you get out of bed and work hard every single day. What brings you joy and makes you thrive? The answer doesn’t always have to, and shouldn’t always be, something that will provide you monetary rewards.  Joining me today is Chandra Savage, Financial Trainer at The Gym, to share her journey from not being a wine drinker at all, to pursuing a passion project of making it herself.  I hope you’re inspired as I am by Chandra’s story to find and invest in things that bring you joy for the pure joy of it.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/investing-in-hobbies-with-chandra-savage

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and it’s a difficult topic to wrap your mind around; however, it affects millions of men and women of every race, religion, culture, and status. Joining me today is Kim Pentico, Economic Justice Program Director for the National Network to End Domestic Violence. She shares how to identify domestic violence, of which financial abuse is a part of it, and the work we can do to bring change to anyone impacted by this. As you can imagine, parts of this conversation may be triggering for people, so please be aware of this before listening to this episode.   For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/finances-and-domestic-violence-with-kim

Seven years ago, I had an idea for a business that took me on the wildest journey, filled with my highest highs and my lowest lows. From the second I became an entrepreneur, I felt this kind of kinship with other founders, especially female founders. This summer, when it seemed like the world was blowing up, we were trying to decide how to respond as a business to the world around us. My gut told me that supporting black female founders was the path we should take, so The Financial Gym partnered with IFundWomen to identify five black, female-founded businesses to receive a scholarship, as well as business coaching and any other resources The Gym could provide to help these women create even more successful businesses.  Joining me today are two of those founders: Jessica Andrews, founder of Take A Break Babysitting, and Samantha Sinclair, founder of Pathway to Purpose, to share more about why they decided to start a company, how 2020 has impacted their businesses, and where they are taking their businesses next year and beyond. I hope that you are inspired as much as I am, as these are two amazing women. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/ifundwomen-winners-part-1-with-jessica-and-samantha

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. We are now officially six months into the global pandemic and I thought I would take this time to find out how the situation has impacted our personal finances. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/finances-during-the-pandemic-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

If you’ve listened to this podcast before, you know how much I hate student loan debt and how it not only impacts the financial but the mental health of people who have it. I’m always open to having a positive conversation about it and learn about more resources to help people manage it.  Joining me today is Laurel Taylor, founder and CEO of FutureFuel.io, a company that is focused on providing great resources and education on student loan debt. She joins me to discuss why she started the company and how what she’s learned can help you if you have student loans.   For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/crush-student-loan-debt-with-laurel-taylor

After seven years of working with people and getting them financially healthy, I know for a fact that the biggest barriers to financial health are not in the dollars and cents, it’s in the emotional challenges and breaking through those emotional walls to creating a healthier money mindset.  Joining me today is Ande Frazier, author of the book Financially Free: 11 Conversations to Have with Yourself About Life, Money, and Worth, to talk about some of these challenges women in particular face and how we can have healthier money conversations to develop a healthier financial life.   For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/couples-and-money-with-ande-frazier

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “financially naked session”. In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so the trainer knows where you’re starting so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. Over year ago on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session and it led to a request for more. Now, this is a regular series on this podcast.  Getting in the hot seat today is Lindsay. She shares why she left a higher paying job to work for The Gym and how she’s succeeded in saving more while making less.  For more information, visit the show notes at Https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/getting-financially-naked-with-lindsay-perez

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.  Once a year, I like to take some vacation time from the podcast and replay past episodes while I regroup.  This year, because I have Emily on my team keeping me on track, I’m ahead of schedule with podcast recordings, but I am giving the Happy Hour Ladies and myself a month off. So today we’re re-airing an episode we recorded about Money Hacks. I’ve been friends with these women for over six years now and I never get tired of the tips and tricks they have to share where personal finance is concerned. So I hope you’ll enjoy this replay of the money hacks episode.       For more information, visit the show notes at Https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/money-hacks-with-the-happy-hour-ladies-replay

I recorded this episode prior to the pandemic, and I think it’s ironic that people have talked about a potential increase in divorces after the quarantine. I guess releasing this now may be apropos for many people.  Joining me today are Kelly Frawley and Emily Pollock, partners in the matrimonial and family law department of Kasowitz, Benson, Torres law firm, to discuss the legal matters you should consider before you get into a marriage and after. Specifically, we’re talking about prenups and if it makes sense to have one before you get married. Kelly and Emily share a number of helpful lessons learned in their over 20 years of practicing law that can help you in any stage of your relationship.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/prenuptial-agreements-with-kelly-frawley-and-emily-pollack

Starting a business is not for the weak of heart, but if your gut is telling you to do it, and you just can’t imagine life otherwise, and even though it might not make sense financially and might not make sense on paper, it just might be the right path for you. My guest today, Malyia McNaughton, founder and CEO of Made by Malyia, is one of those founders. Her story of being one of the only black women in her fashion industry job to one of the only black women designing jewelry is truly inspiring. She joins me today to talk about the seemingly crazy decisions she’s made and how that has led her to an amazing chapter in her founder’s story For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/made-by-malyia-with-malyia-mcnaughton

As an entrepreneur, I’m always fascinated by other entrepreneurs’ journeys, what led them to create a business, and how they handle the twists and turns that the business throws at them. Joining me today is Alex Waldman, co-founder and CEO of the size inclusive fashion brand Universal Standard. She is here to talk about how her company is revolutionizing the way we think about size in fashion, how the pandemic has impacted her business, and where her business is going next. I’ve been watching her company grow from the sidelines and I’m excited to speak to her directly. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/universal-standard-with-alex-waldman

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. We are right in the middle of the summer, and summertime is usually a time for vacations. However, we’re also right in the middle of a pandemic, so I’m checking in with my friends to see how the pandemic has impacted their vacation plans and how they’ll vacation when this is all over. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/vacations-during-the-pandemic-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

If you’ve been listening to the show for a while, you’re going to be very familiar with my guest today, Melanie Lockert, who is a regular on our monthly happy hour episodes and a long time business bestie of mine. Over the past six years, Melanie and I have been part of a mini-mastermind group each encouraging and helping the other navigate the crazy world of running a business. Melanie joins me today to talk about her latest business endeavor, Mental Health and Wealth dot com and the Mental Health and Wealth Show. She is literally tackling two of the most taboo subjects out there and doing it in my opinion, amazingly. She joins me today to share more about this important business she is building and why two topics that seem very scary can actually be fun and empowering to dive into. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/mental-health-and-wealth-with-melanie-lockhart

Before I get into the introduction for this show, I want to address some views that have come up since I’ve shared more diverse topics and conversations in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Something that has become clear to me in the multitude of conversations I’m having on and offline is that racial sensitivity is not exclusive to the black community, and microaggressions can happen no matter what you look like or how you identify. As these arise, I think it’s really important for us to have honest conversations across the board and to have them from a place of compassion and empathy, with the goal of education and enlightenment. We’re all walking in completely different shoes on different journeys and the more we can share our truth and receive other people’s truths, the better we’ll all be. I won’t always get it right and neither will my guests, but like I tell my team, all we can do is get better every day, and growing in compassion and empathy, I believe, is a way for us to get better every day.   Now onto one of my favorite podcasts I record every year. Three years ago, when we were actively trying to expand The Gym for the first time, we thought it would be a good idea to record a show about our clients’ experiences with The Financial Gym and how it fits into their lives. We gathered three clients to share their stories, and if you haven’t heard them, links to their shows are below. Every year since we’ve checked in with these same three clients to see where they are in their financial journeys.   Joining me today for the third time are Kelly, Maria, and Jenn, to share where they are personally and financially and why three years later they still think being a Financial Gym member makes all the sense in the world.   For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/client-happy-hour-three-year-review-with-maria-jen-and-kelly

To say that the last four months have been a challenge for me as an entrepreneur is truly an understatement. The degree of immensity of the problems I’ve had to address and the speed at which I’ve had to address them have left me with a lot of battle wounds. When you’re in the bunker, though, it’s always nice to have other people to inspire and help you see through it and Cate Luzio is one of those founders.  Cate is founder and CEO of Luminary, a premier collaboration hub in New York City for women and women-identified who are passionate about professional development and expanding their networks. Cate joins me today to talk about what the last four months have looked like for her and how she plans to lead her business to an even stronger place, despite all of the challenges. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/collaboration-with-cate-luzio

I sent out a message from the CEO on June 2, where I promised to utilize my platforms to bring light to, and make positive changes for, the black community, specifically where wealth is concerned. Today, in the first of what will be many future episodes specifically utilizing my platform to amplify black voices, I’m speaking to Ornella and London, two trainers here at the Financial Gym, about the racial wealth gap, some of the challenges they see in the black community as far as narrowing that gap, and how we can work to decrease the gap and make changes for this and future generations.   For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/black-wealth-with-ornella-and-london

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. Since the last time we recorded a happy hour, a lot has happened in the world, specifically around the murder of George Floyd, the global protests, and an overall shift in conversations around race relations. We are all going to have tough conversations, at least I hope we do and I hope we have been having them.  I always feel like the toughest conversations are best had with friends. Joining happy hour this month is Chonce Maddox, from My Debt Epiphany, to share some of her thoughts about recent events, as well as the rest of the ladies. I hope this inspires you to have some conversations as well. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/moving-forward-to-a-better-future-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

If you’ve been listening to me for a while, you know that I always love sharing an entrepreneur’s journey, and today is a special double episode all around entrepreneurship. Kicking it off is a conversation I had with Jason Feifer, Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine, who shares some of the greatest strengths an entrepreneur can have.  After Jason’s episode, I talk to Lindsey Metselaar, host of the We Met at Acme podcast, about her journey toward building a community and business around a podcast. I hope you’re inspired and motivated by the stories these two share.  For more information, visit the show notes at Https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/entrepreneurship-with-Jason-feifer-and-Lindsey-metselaar

I’m not going to lie to you. These last few weeks, since May 25 when George Floyd was murdered by the Minnesota police department, have been the hardest of my life. Every time I think I’ve gotten through a difficult chapter (like divorce, saving the business from the brink of collapse, surviving a global pandemic), another challenging chapter presents itself.  As challenging as the last few weeks have been, though, I’m ready for this to bring systemic change in a broken system that’s been broken for over 400 years. I’m ready for the hard conversations, I’m ready to learn and I’m ready to amplify and use privilege for the good.  Joining me today is my friend Kassandra Dasent to discuss our feelings over the last few weeks and how we move forward to a place of light and love. If you’re uncomfortable with this podcast having these conversations, you’re welcome to not listen, but I encourage you to confront your discomfort and evolve from there.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/black-lives-matter-with-kassandra-dasent

Over the last six years of helping people get financially fit, the one thing I can say is the path to financial fitness is not the same for everyone. It’s just like the path to physical fitness. Some people like the keto diet, a vegan diet, Weight Watchers, SoulCycle, Zumba, CrossFit, and so much more. Getting financially fit is the same — what works for some people may not work for you. Today I’m talking to Financial Gym client, Cherie, who reached out to the Gym over a year ago, because she knew she needed to find a better way to get financially healthy. She’s going to share her story, what worked and didn’t work for her, and how she’s dropping the shame she feels around her path to financial fitness. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/the-path-to-financial-health-with-cherie

September is National Suicide Prevention Month and I am committing two shows this month to talking about finances and mental health. At the Financial Gym we have a slogan, “what are you working for”, and if you don’t have physical health or mental health what are you working for. Today I’m talking to my friend, Ash Cash, whose latest book, Making Sense of Kanye: A Spiritual Guide to Financial Freedom, Peace, Love, and Happiness, discusses the importance of mental health and money, and in a few weeks the ladies of happy hour will share their mental health and money stories For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/making-sense-of-kanye-with-ash-cash

Okeoma Moronu was close to ending a successful budding law career because of a lack of joy she found in her day to day work. Despite the fact that she needed the paycheck to support her family and pay down her student loans; she nearly threw it all away because of the absence of happiness. Okeoma shares how she learned to find joy in her work as an attorney and how she now helps other attorneys who were just like her. Find show notes and more Martinis and Your Money episodes at http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

Our clients at the Financial Gym have a variety of life goals, but the number one goal we give all of our clients is the goal of financial independence, and that’s the ability to work because you want to work not because you have to work. I’ve coached numerous clients on the path to financial independence and have seen a number of my family and friends achieve it, and let me say, it’s something we should all want for ourselves. I think it’s really important, though, to remember that FI and the path to FI will look different for everyone, and I try to highlight that on this show. This is why I’m excited to have on Jamila Souffrant, Founder of the Journey to Launch Podcast, talk about her path to financial Independence and where it led her. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/journey-to-launch-with-jamila-souffrant/

In this episode, Shannon talks to Tonya Rapley from My Fab Finance about the cultural, community and familial challenges of getting and staying financially fabulous. Originally aired: November 13, 2015  Show notes: https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/financially-fabulous-in-black-or-white

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. This is now our third Happy Hour while under quarantine, which is just amazing.  When this all started, I thought it would be a two-week disruption, but here we are. This month we’re not only still in quarantine but it’s also Mental Health Awareness month, so I not only checked on how my friends are managing but also how their mental health is faring during these times. I hope you enjoy catching up with my friends as much as I did. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/may-covid-19-check-in-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “financially naked session”. In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so the trainer knows where you’re starting so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. Over year ago on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session and it led to a request for more. Now, this is a regular series on this podcast.  Getting in the hot seat today is Mike, who is actually a Financial Gym trainer. Mike joins me today to share not only why he wanted to become a financial trainer, but all of his financial digits, the good, the bad and the inexplicably emotional.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/getting-financially-naked-with-mike-poulin

Today is another new episode that I recorded post quarantine. Today’s guest is Chinae Alexander, social media influencer and host of the Press Send Podcast. Chinae joins me today to talk about how her life as an influencer has changed in the face of COVID-19 and how she’s managing her finances and her content in the new state we’re in.  If you aren’t following Chinae yet, I highly encourage you to follow her. I’ve gotten to know her well over the last year and she is as genuine offline as she is online.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/being-an-influencer-during-covid-19-with-chinae-alexander

Today is one of the first episodes I recorded in quarantine and it is an incredibly timely one. Joining me today is Lauren McGoodwin, founder and CEO of Career Contessa, to talk about how you can find the perfect job for you, even in the middle of high unemployment and a recession. She gives some really great and practical advice for anyone who is planning the next chapter of their career and I hope you find her information and website as useful as I do.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/career-contessa-with-lauren-mcGoodwin

Welcome to another show that was recorded pre-COVID-19 quarantine times. This show idea came from a listener who asked if I could do an episode about teacher finances and how we can help teachers. As the ex-wife of a high school teacher, I thought this was a great idea. Joining me today is Terri Bennett, a financial trainer at the Gym but also a former adjunct professor who’s passionate about helping teachers from elementary to higher education master their finances.  I think many of us with children at home are developing an even greater love and appreciation for our teachers and I hope this episode is a benefit to them all.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/teacher-finances-with-terri

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. Believe it or not, this is our second Happy Hour while under quarantine. I wanted to find out how my friends are managing through their quarantine lifestyles, so today’s episode is all about our new realities in our socially distant world.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/covid-19-and-quarantine-questions-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

Despite the fact that we are currently still in the middle of this COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., I am airing shows I recorded before this began. Please note, that this episode is pre-COVID-19, and if you would like a during-COVID update from me, it will be at the end of the show.  Today’s episode was recorded pre-COVID, but the message about facing your fears and finding the strength to make important changes, I believe, is even more meaningful now, given what is going on in the world. Many people are getting forced into change, whether they like it or not.  Joining me today to share how you can live your best life is Shirell Gross, founder and president of Measure of Ambition. Her business focuses on working with women through these issues, but I believe her advice applies to everyone.  For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/overcoming-fear-with-shirell

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “financially naked session”. In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so the trainer knows where you’re starting so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. A year ago on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session and it led to a request for more. Now, this is a regular series on this podcast.  Getting in the hot seat today is Financial Gym client Alyssa with one of the most unique jobs I’ve ever heard. Alyssa joins me today to share about the low point in her life that led her to the Gym and what her digits look like now. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/getting-financially-naked-with-alyssa

We are currently in the middle of quarantine survival mode in the U.S., and I asked the Martinis and Your Money Facebook group if I should air previously recorded episodes that were recorded before the pandemic arose, air replays, or air episodes of just me talking.  The consensus was to change the topic off COVID-19 and listen to something else, but maybe also get an update from me, so that’s what I’m going to do.  Joining me today is Bethany, Certified Health Coach and founder of the brand The Healthy B, to share her story about how a near death experience led her to find not only the healing powers she had within herself but a whole new career path. Bethany’s story is just the inspiration I think we all need in a time like this. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/overcoming-health-trauma-with-a-health-coach-with-Bethany

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. Last week, I shared my thoughts on the COVID-19 situation that the world is currently going through. Today, the Happy Hour ladies join me to share their thoughts, how they are mentally handling it, how they are quarantining, what they are drinking, and then they answer your questions that you posted in the Facebook group. In crazy times like these, I am so thankful for these ladies and appreciate their opinions on all of this.   For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/covid-19-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

In light of the recent events, I felt like I needed to have a conversation, similar to conversations I am having with my team and with my clients. I wanted to address you directly and talk through what is going on in the markets, given COVID 19 and just in general.   For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/a-conversation-about-covid-19-with-shannon

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “financially naked session”. In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so the trainer knows where you’re starting so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. A year ago on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session and it led to a request for more. Now this is a regular series on this podcast.  Getting in the hotseat today is long-time podcast listener, who is actually NOT a financial gym client, Liana. She joins me today to share her unique career journey and of course all of her financial details. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/getting-financially-naked-with-liana

If you’ve been listening to the show for a while, you know that I love to profile people with all different types of jobs, whether it’s through the Naked Sessions or individual episodes. I think we all learn so much from walking in someone else’s financial shoes and understanding how they make their decisions. Today, I’m excited to profile Ashley Gavin, comedian, writer, and actor. I’ve honestly been curious about professional comedian finances for years now and really enjoyed learning how Ashley has made a full-time career of this.   For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/comedian-finances-with-ashley-gavin

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. Today is the last Friday of February and one of my favorite holidays falls on February 13. In case you’re not aware of it, it’s Galentine’s Day. A day invented by the writers of Parks and Recreation, but now has grown to a larger scale to symbolize friendship, and the importance of friendships, in addition to the romantic relationships you celebrate on February 14. On today’s episode, I’m asking the ladies to give their best friend advice on a number of couple and money subjects that many of us have had to work through and maybe even wanted to ask some girl or guy friends about.  For more information, visit the show notes at https//:martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/galentines-day-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “financially naked session”. In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so the trainer knows where you’re starting so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. A year ago on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session and it led to a request for more. Now this is a regular series on this podcast.  Getting in the hot seat today is long time podcast listener and Financial Gym client, Dylan. This is a super special naked session, because Dylan is actually the reason why I started recording and sharing these naked sessions and thankfully she’s agreed to finally do one herself. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/getting-financially-naked-with-dylan

This episode is airing on Friday, February 14, which is also known as Valentine’s Day, and I’ve never been a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. In my high school and college days, it was because my significant others always seemed to disappoint me with their gifts, and if I was single, it was because I was single. When I was married, I wanted my husband to show me love and affection all year and not just on Valentine’s Day. Now that I am 41, I think most of the time it is just a waste of money.  What I do love about Valentine’s Day is the attention it brings to being a couple. While being in a couple is not a life goal for everyone, if you are part of a couple it is important to have shared goals and make smart financial decisions aligned with your goals, which is why I am excited to share with you Julie and Andrews’ journey.  Julie and Andrew are also known as the Disney Dinks, and they are here to show me how their relationship improved with more focus on their goals.  For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/disney-dinks-with-julie-and-andrew/

Something we see all the time at The Financial Gym is financial anxiety. From my experience, 99 percent of the population will experience it at some point, and some of us experience it more than others. We received so much positive feedback on the last episode we tackled this subject matter, and I’m so passionate about helping people overcome this, that we’re going back to financial anxiety again. Joining me to share her professional experience with it is Chelsea Connors, Certified Life Coach and therapist.  She shares some of her best practices for managing financial anxiety and the  challenges of adulting. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/financial-anxiety-with-chelsea-connors

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. Today is the first last Friday of the new year and new years are all about new goals, new habits, and new resolutions, so the Happy Hour ladies and I are sharing some of our best money hacks that you can adopt and implement in 2020. There is lots of great information here, as always. For more information, visit the show notes at http://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/money-hacks-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

As many of you long-time listeners know, I’m a big fan of manifesting your dreams and realizing how important it is to put goals out there, even if they are scary or may take time to accomplish, because you never know where that journey is going to take you.  Today I’m talking to Maddy Gutierrez founder of the life and style blog of her own name maddygutierrez.com about the blogging goal she set for herself and the unexpected journey it sent her on. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/body-positivity-and-style-with-maddy-gutierrez/

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer, the “financially naked session”. In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so the trainer knows where you’re starting so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. A year ago on this podcast, I shared my financially naked session and it led to a request for more. Now this is a regular series on this podcast.  Getting in the hot seat today is Financial Gym client Will. If you pay attention to podcast art, Will is actually the designer of Martinis and Your Money’s new podcast art, as well as the art for our new Financial Gym focused podcast called Financially Naked. Will joins me today to share his digits, his side hustling, and his journey with The Financial Gym. For more information, visit the show notes at https://martinisandyourmoney.com/show-notes/getting-financially-naked-with-will-pay

Longtime listeners of the podcast will know that I’ve had my fair share of stories from being one of the only women on the trading floor, early in my career. I think feeling safe, or at least aware, of what your workplace culture will be like before you start is important.  There are a lot of websites where you can read reviews about potential employers and get an insight into what the company culture is like, but what if there was a site that reviewed how female friendly a potential workplace was? Joining me today is Ursula Mead, the cofounder and CEO of InHerSight — a website where women can evaluate jobs and companies and get help finding a company that is the right fit. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/inhersight-with-ursula

Welcome to a new year and a new decade! I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions, but I am a big fan of setting goals and anything that will motivate you to stick with those goals. That’s why I thought I would kick off the year with Naseema, founder of Financially Intentional, and a woman who set a big goal for herself — to pay off over six figures of debt in less than three years.  Naseema joins me today to share how she got herself into this debt and how she got out of it, so she could build generational wealth for her family.  For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/financially-intentional-with-naseema-mcelroy

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host a happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. Today is not only the last Friday of the month, it’s actually the last Friday of the year. Every year for the past four years, the Happy Hour Ladies and I share our year in review, and we discuss the highs and lows of the year that’s about to end and then share our goals for the upcoming year. I love recording happy hours, but these year end episodes are always my favorite. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/2019-year-end-review-with-the-happy-hour-ladies/

At the end of every show, I ask for your suggestions on show topics and I love them, so keep them coming. Today’s show is a direct answer to podcast listener Erin’s request. She emailed me and said, “Going off of your episode on entrepreneurship, which broached the topic of angel investing, I would love to hear a show talking about the due diligence process and how more women can get their feet wet on the active investing side of things!” The Financial Gym wouldn’t exist without Angel Investing, so I was excited to tackle this subject. Joining me today is Charlie O’Donnell, founder of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures. He was the lead investor in the Financial Gym’s seed round of funding and he is going to talk about the process of investing in startups and the best way to manage Angel Investing. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/angel-investing-with-charlie-odonnell/

I have been helping people get financially fit for over seven years now. People ask me all the time about the quickest way to get financially healthy and the first place I tell them to look is their food spending. After your mortgage or rent, and possibly your student loan payment, the next largest monthly expense in almost everyone’s budget is food. Food was a huge problem area for me before I got financially healthy, and I made a number of excuses as to why I couldn’t change my ways. Well, we’re heading into a new year and a new decade so let’s stop the excuses. Joining me today to help you make smarter food spending choices is Talia Koren, founder of work week lunch. She’s going to share lots of important tips and tricks to help you save money in one of your largest spending areas. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/meal-prepping-with-talia-koren

Getting in the hot seat today is not only a Financial Gym client, she’s also a Financial Gym Trainer. Beca is here to share her personal finance journey that led up to a very fateful day, when she attended a Financial Gym open house, and then she gets financially naked. I hope you enjoy getting to know Beca, as much as I love working with her. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-financially-naked-with-beca/

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host a happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. Today we are talking about health insurance, the types that we have, the types we’ve used, how we budget for it, and how you should prepare during open enrollment time. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/healthcare-and-open-enrollment-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

Over the last eight years of helping people get financially healthy, I’ve found that people with clearly defined goals that are personally meaningful have the highest probability of achieving success, and not only achieving their goals but typically much sooner than they expect. That’s why I’m excited to have Tori Dunlap, founder of Her First $100K join me today to share why she set a big goal for herself by the age of 25 and how it’s motivated her to help others do the same. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/her-first-100k-with-tori-dunlap

This episode’s topic is particularly near and dear to my heart, because we’re talking about military money. For those of you who don’t know, my grandfather and grandmother on my dad’s side were both in the Army, and my dad is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and was an active member in the Air Force for most of my childhood. Today we’re specifically talking about it because this week we’ve launched a new plan specifically designated for members of the military, retired or active, based on their unique professional, personal, and financial journeys. We have launched a specific military designation for our trainers that requires extra training in everything from military life to military paychecks to military retirement plans. It’s an exciting next chapter of the Financial Gym, and joining me today are the two trainers leading the charge, Mike and Joy. They’re going to share their personal stories as well as how a career in the military can impact your financial life. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/military-money-with-joy-and-mike

Brandi asked me to record an episode that addressed the challenges that she and thousands of others face in the barbering and hairdressing communities. Many of us who sit in their chairs know about their personal lives, but not about how they can manage through their careers and get financially healthy at the same time. Brandi joins me today to discuss her career in this field and how others in it can benefit from some of the hard lessons she’s learned. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-financially-healthy-in-any-profession-with-brandi/

In the hot seat today is our client, Hannah, Founder of HZ Organized and performer in New York City. She joins me today to discuss her road to financial health and share how much unexpected success she’s had in a short period of time. Be aware that Hannah was very open about her struggles with an eating disorder, so if this type of conversation will have triggers for you, I recommend not listening to it. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-financially-naked-with-hannah/ 

This year as you’re preparing to change over your holiday thoughts from Halloween to Thanksgiving, the Happy Hour ladies and I can be in your ears helping you plan to have a happy and financially healthy holiday spending season. We share our thoughts on holiday spending and give you some practical advice for how not to get carried away this holiday season. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/holiday-spending-with-the-happy-hour-ladies/

Just when I think I’ve seen every angle around the topic, I’m pleasantly surprised by some fresh thoughts. I’m even more excited that those thoughts come from a long-time blogging friend of mine, Kassandra Dasent, Financial Consultant and CEO of Minding Your Money. Kassandra joins me today to talk about how you can manage a healthy relationship with money while also managing healthy personal relationships. We tackle every type of relationship, from love interest, to friendship, to family. This is a conversation you don’t want to miss. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/when-relationships-and-money-intersect-with-kassandra-dasent/

For over seven years now, I’ve watched the amazing transformations that take place when someone embarks on a financial wellness journey. You may decide to get financially fit because of a particular pain point, like student loan debt or lack or savings, but once you start focusing on your money, it’s amazing what different doors and opportunities can open up. Joining me today is Kiera Doyle, hairdresser, host of the Beauty Therapy podcast, and Human Design reader, to talk about her journey toward financial fitness, and how it led to a truly unique side hustle she never anticipated. If you know anything about human design and you are curious about mine, stay tuned toward the end to hear what Kiera has to say about me. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/financial-transformation-human-design-with-kiera-doyle/

At the Financial Gym, clients of all financial shapes and sizes come to us to work on the areas of their finances they would like to tone up. Some want to get more education on investing, some want to learn more about budgeting, some want to figure out their student loans, and many want to understand the options they have to resolve the debt that they’ve accumulated. Resolving debts is exactly the specialty of today’s guest, Leslie H. Tayne, author, attorney and award winning founder and director of the Tayne Law Group. Leslie joins me today to answer debt resolution questions from bankruptcy, to debt settlement companies, and everything in between. If you or someone you know is wondering about fixing up your debts, this is a conversation you will not want to miss. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/debt-settlement-with-leslie-tayne 

This month, I’ve had a theme of entrepreneurship, and we are continuing that theme to happy hour. All of the happy hour ladies have worked traditional nine-to-five jobs and started their own businesses. Today we discuss, as we discuss all things, honestly the pros and cons of both career choices and whether or not we could go back to a nine-to-five job after being entrepreneurs. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/pros-and-cons-of-working-nine-to-five-with-the-happy-hour-ladies/

Continuing my entrepreneurs theme of the month, I’m introducing you to an entrepreneur who is my woman crush in every way imaginable. Hitha Palepu is an Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, Author and Consummate Multi-hyphenate as she says. Hitha joins me today to share her personal entrepreneur journey through three businesses and why she loves investing in other founders. As a side note, I’m apologizing in advance for my sound quality. We recorded the entire episode only to find out my mic wasn’t captured. So for my sound snobs, I apologize in advance. The good news is that Hitha does most of the talking and she sounds great! For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/becoming-an-entrepreneur-with-hitha-palepu/

The month of September has officially become entrepreneurs month here on the podcast, and today I’m featuring Lily Womble, founder of Date Brazen. Lily spent years as a successful matchmaker only to realize that most of the dating work had to begin way before the matching could take place. She joins me to share her entrepreneurial journey and how we can all have more fulfilling and meaningful dating lives. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/date-brazen-with-lily

As an entrepreneur, I always love sharing other entrepreneurs’ journeys with you on this show. I’m fascinated about why people decide to start businesses and the types of businesses they start. Today’s guest has a really fascinating business. I am speaking to Jen Glantz, founder of Bridesmaid for Hire and Author of the book Always a Bridesmaid for Hire, about why she started her business and the tolls that her entrepreneurial journey have taken on her personal life.

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners! Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. It's not only the last Friday of the month, but the last Friday, in my opinion, of summer time and as I gave myself some summer vacation to air replays, I also gave the happy hour ladies a month off as well. This week I’m re-airing the episode we recorded around home ownership. This is honestly one of my all-time favorite episodes because I think there was so much great information shared and it was a truly honest dive into the pros and cons of home ownership and why we support it or not. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/homeownership-with-the-happy-hour-ladies-2

Getting in the hotseat today is our client Paige. Paige has a really fascinating backstory and I applaud her for her bravery in sharing it, but I have to warn you that if you have triggers around substance abuse or physical abuse, you may want to skip listening to this episode. If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let me know what you want to hear. And if you want to work with my team at the Financial Gym to help you achieve your 2019 goals, head over to or send friends to https://financialgym.com to lock in your low rates today. Until next time, take care!! For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-financially-naked-with-paige/

I think of financial health as having a number of pieces to the puzzle that all come together to make us financially healthy people. The primary pieces, or the outline of the puzzle, include budgeting, expense management, saving, credit management, debt management, investing, insurance or risk management, and income management. At the Financial Gym, we help our clients figure out all of these pieces and where they fit into the puzzle, and, while I think they’re all equally important, I think the investing piece is typically the last one people figure out. Either they haven’t gotten to a point where they’re saving enough to make investing a priority, they’re afraid to start, or they don’t know where to go to learn more about it. That’s why I’m excited to have Amanda from the Dumpster Dog Blog and Invested Development, to talk more about investing and the amazing resource she’s created to help you get started, or get more comfortable with, the investing piece of your financial health puzzle. If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let me know what you want to hear. And if you want to work with my team at the Financial Gym to help you achieve your 2019 goals, head over to or send friends to https://financialgym.com to lock in your low rates today. Until next time, take care!!

In my seven years of helping people get financially healthy, a common emotion I’ve seen from clients is anxiety. We have clients avoid their first sessions with us, avoid quarterly reviews, or avoid their trainers totally, because of the anxiety their financial situation brings up in them. In fact, this episode was inspired by a long-term client of the Gym, who asked her trainer if I could do a show around financial anxiety. Despite the fact she is experiencing great success around her money, she can’t kick the anxiety it brings her. Today I invited my friend, Amanda Clayman, Financial Therapist and Financial Wellness Advocate for Prudential, to discuss the topic of financial anxiety, including how common it is and how we can manage it in our lives. This is a really important topic for everyone and I hope it helps a lot of people out there. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/financial-anxiety-with-amanda-clayman

At the Financial Gym, we call the first time our clients meet with their financial trainers, and share all of their financial details, the financially naked session. It’s typically a meeting where a lot of clients start out anxious and honestly a number of people avoid joining the financial gym out of the fear and shame they have around their money situation and I want to tell you that no matter what your situation you shouldn’t feel that way. The only reason you could possibly feel like that is if you’re not willing to do anything about changing your money situation. To help anyone out there who may be feeling bad about their financial situation, today, I’m going to let you know you’re not alone. Today, I’m sharing with you my financial situation ALL of the numbers and all of the details. As I said on the show, I have been just about all of our clients at some point in my adult life and you’re about to find out why. Joining me to hear all the dirt is one of my all time favorite trainers at the gym, Joy. If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let me know what you want to hear. And if you want to work with my team at the Financial Gym to help you achieve your 2019 goals, head over to or send friends to https://financialgym.com to lock in your low rates today. Until next time, take care!! For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/http-traffic-libsyn-com-martinisandyourmoney-maym220_financially_naked_session-mp3/

Today the ladies and I are reviewing two recent personal finance related articles, one claiming that the personal finance industry sucks and another about a woman out-earning her significant other. Lots of food for thought and, as you can imagine, we had lots of thoughts to share around these topics. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/headlines-with-the-happy-hour-ladies/

Two years ago, when we first started to raise money for Financial Gym and we were working on growing our client numbers, we decided to record a podcast episode with current clients so that potential new clients knew what the experience was like. So Kelly, Maria, and Jen all joined me to share their experience as Financial Gym clients. Last year, Jen reminded me that we were coming up on the one-year anniversary of recording that episode, so we checked back in with this FinGym threesome. Well, my friends, another year has passed and these three women are still Financial Gym clients and join me today to share what’s happened with them over this past year. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/client-happy-hour-with-kelly-maria-and-jen/

Getting Financially Naked with Tai and Jordan Today’s naked session is a super special one for me. Not only is the person in the hot seat one of my trainers, but she also brought her husband along for the ride. This is actually our first couples’ naked session with both partners present and fully financially naked. My trainer Tai is a financial work in progress, like many of us, and I give her mad props and respect for sharing her numbers, even though she is relatively early on in her own financial wellness journey. She did this because she wants to help others and I know this will. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-financially-naked-with-tai-and-jordan If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let me know what you want to hear. And if you want to work with my team at the Financial Gym to help you achieve your 2019 goals, you only have a few more days to lock in our 2018 rates as our rates for new clients are going up in 2019. Head over to or send friends to https://financialgym.com to lock in your low rates today. Until next time, take care!!

Investing Revisited with the Happy Hour Ladies I knew that we spoke about investing in the past during a happy hour, but a few tidbits from a conversation with Mrs. Frugalwoods made me think that we should revisit this topic having a gut feeling that the conversation would be fresh. Well, as you’ll hear in this show, we were all shocked to find out that it’s been over four years since we talked about investing on the happy hour and you better believe the conversation was fresh. I hope you enjoy hearing our investing experiences. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/investing-revisited-with-the-happy-hour-ladies If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let me know what you want to hear. And if you want to work with my team at the Financial Gym to help you achieve your 2019 goals, you only have a few more days to lock in our 2018 rates as our rates for new clients are going up in 2019. Head over to or send friends to https://financialgym.com to lock in your low rates today. Until next time, take care!!

Cameron is a financial journalist and author of the book Mom and Dad we need to talk – how to have essential conversations with your parents about their finances. This is a topic that not only hit me personally as you’ll hear but also I deal with a lot in helping my client’s plan for their future. If you’re parents are still alive and in your life, this is a podcast you won’t want to miss. If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let me know what you want to hear. And if you want to work with my team at the Financial Gym to help you achieve your 2019 goals, you only have a few more days to lock in our 2018 rates as our rates for new clients are going up in 2019. Head over to or send friends to https://financialgym.com to lock in your low rates today. Until next time, take care!!   For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/mom-and-dad-we-need-to-talk-with-cameron-huddleston/

Every time you meet with a client and they ask you a question, you have no idea what direction they’re leaning and all you can do is give the best advice from your personal experience, from a financially sound decision, and also from an understanding of your client. I was recently asked by a listener to do a show about one of the most common sounding board questions financial planners get so I thought I would expand the conversation to answer other hot topic questions financial planners get. When I thought about who I would have this conversation with, the only person who came to mind, who happens to be one of my favorite and retired financial planners, Joe Saul-Sehy of the Stacking Benjamins podcast. Joe joins me today to get thrown under the bus and answer some common financial planner questions. As usual, I loved hearing Joe’s financial advice and guidance and I hope you do as well. For more information, click here 

Ben Jones, Entrepreneur and Financial Educator who is equally passionate about financial literacy as I am, joins me to talk about resources he’s created to help people of all ages, especially children, become financially literate. If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let me know what you want to hear. And if you want to work with my team at the Financial Gym to help you achieve your 2019 goals, you only have a few more days to lock in our 2018 rates as our rates for new clients are going up in 2019. Head over to or send friends to https://financialgym.com to lock in your low rates today. Until next time, take care!!   For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/educounting-with-ben-jones/ 

Have you ever tried to talk about personal finance with your friends? Have you ever gotten financially naked with your friends or vice versa? I’m asking my Happy Hour friends about how they interact with their friends about money, and you’ll be surprised by the responses. As always, we had a great time. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/friends-and-money-with-the-happy-hour-ladies/ 

Kayla started her journey with us to getting financially healthy only to take a huge step in another direction, which was certainly not part of the original plan. She joins me today to share her story and how that impacted her finances. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-financially-naked-with-kayla 

As some of you know, I have a gripe against weddings. I don’t love watching clients go into credit card debt planning or participating in weddings. So you can imagine how excited I was to hear about Heather Fier, aka the Wedding Hacker, created her business to literally help couples plan the weddings of their dreams in the most cost-effective way. As some of you know, I have a gripe against weddings. I don’t love watching clients go into credit card debt planning or participating in weddings. You can imagine how excited I was to hear about Heather. She joins me to share why she decided to start this business and share some really great ideas for how couples can save on their wedding. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/the-wedding-hacker-with-heather-fier/ 

Getting in the hot seat today is our client Rebekkah who is coming up on one year at the Gym. When she started with us, she had $767 in the bank and wondered if it made financial sense to join. She’s going to share her journey and where she is today. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-financially-naked-with-rebekkah/ 

April is Financial Literacy month. Today the Happy Hour ladies and I are talking about financial literacy — when we gained it, the reason it’s a problem in our country, and ways we can get more comfortable with it. As always, this was a fun and informative conversation that I hope you enjoy. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/financial-literacy-with-the-happy-hour-ladies  

Shannon shares thoughts, updates and lessons learned over the past year as she approaches her 41st birthday. ____________ If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let me know what you want to hear. And if you want to work with my team at the Financial Gym to help you achieve your goals, head over to - or send friends to - https://financialgym.com to lock in your low rates today. Until next time, take care!!

I was fortunate and privileged to have my college education funded by my parents and, 23 years ago when I started college, I knew that was a big thing. I remember watching my college roommate go off to work-study and feeling thankful that wasn’t me. Then we graduated, got similar jobs at Bank of America, and shared an apartment, and she had an extra $500 a month in student loan payments that I didn’t have. Fast forward to me starting the Financial Gym and I feel like all we see, day in and day out, are people trying to figure out student loans and live their best lives possible while doing so. I’m thankful to have my friend David Carlson back on the show to chat more about student loans and the book he’s written to help with them, Student Loan Solution: 5 Steps to Take Control of Your Student Loans and Financial Life. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/student-loan-solution-with-david-carlson/ 

I always say that without physical, mental, or financial health, what are we doing this for. I view all three as equally critical to allow us to live our best lives. Even though May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I wanted to kick off my discussion in April and speak to a mental health practitioner to answer all of the questions I’ve had around my own mental health, like how do I find the right therapist? How much should I pay? Can I negotiate? and more. Joining me to answer my questions, and hopefully yours, is Jenny Maenpaa, Psychotherapist and Women’s Leadership Coach and Founder of Forward in Heels. Jenny is a long-time friend of the Gym and I love her perspective on all things mental health. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/forward-in-heels-with-jenny-maenpaa/ 

Today we’re talking about what has been a hot topic lately, especially in the personal finance writing space: privilege. At least we started with privilege, and then the conversation progressed to the ups and downs of being a public voice in the very sensitive days we are living in. I hope you enjoy this conversation and, as always, receive it in the positive manner in which we intend to communicate. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/privilege-with-the-happy-hour-ladies 

Anna survived an abusive relationship and shares how she’s putting together the pieces of her financial life in a very non-conventional way. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-financially-naked-with-anna/ 

I always love talking to guests about how we can live a better life. After all, it is part of the slogan on my podcast. Today I am excited to have back on the show Shanah Bell, founder of Adaptive Nourishment and author of the book The Art of Being a PITA, to discuss how her career of working over 50 jobs informed how she can help other people navigate the ins and outs of getting what they want and living the life they want. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/the-art-of-becoming-a-pita-with-shanah-bell 

Getting in the hot seat today is another dude who’s a long time podcast listener and also a long-time financial gym client. I’m excited to have Paul join me today to share his digits and his journey to a financially healthier lifestyle For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-naked-with-paul/

When I last had this guest on the podcast, she was still an anonymous blogger who was just on the verge of making the leap to a public outing and declaring financial independence with her husband. Fast forward over a year and now she has written a book to discuss her experience leading up to financial independence and why she’s not a typical FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) persona. I’m excited to have back on the show, and for the first time publicly, Tanja Hester, author of Work Optional: Retire Early the Non-Penny Pinching Way, founder of Our Next Life Blog, and co-host of The Fairer Cents podcast. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/work-optional-with-tanja-hester/ 

All four of the Happy Hour ladies took the leap to self employment in different ways and for different reasons. Today we share why we made those leaps, the lessons we learned after taking them, and some really important tips we want you to know so you can make the best decisions around self employment. If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let me know what you want to hear. And if you want to work with my team at the Financial Gym to help you achieve your 2019 goals, you only have a few more days to lock in our 2018 rates as our rates for new clients are going up in 2019. Head over to or send friends to https://financialgym.com to lock in your low rates today. Until next time, take care!! For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/self-employment-with-the-happy-hour-ladies/ 

In a recent search of the top employers represented from Financial Gym clients, I discovered that the number one employer is “Self Employed.” We work with a lot of freelancing, entrepreneurial clients and it’s one of the many things I love about the Gym. Freelancer finances are difficult to understand and plan for and we love helping our clients build businesses in a financially healthy way. I also love all of the ways people can build a business, so today I’m talking to Diana Davis, a Health and Wellness photographer in New York City, about how and why she started her business and how she’s built a successful practice doing the two things she loves most, design and photography. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/building-a-freelance-business-with-diana-davis/ 

Stacey, a Financial Gym client with a not-so-pretty past financial life, gets financially naked. She hopes you will learn from her mistakes. If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let me know what you want to hear. And if you want to work with my team at the Financial Gym to help you achieve your 2019 goals, you only have a few more days to lock in our 2018 rates as our rates for new clients are going up in 2019. Head over to or send friends to https://financialgym.com to lock in your low rates today. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-naked-with-stacey/ 

At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer the “financially naked session.” This is my first married couple to get financially naked on the show. Not only are they married with children, they also run a farm. I just love the diversity of Financial Gym clients. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-naked-with-natalie/ 

Today we’re talking about homeownership - why we’ve done it or why it is not even a life goal of ours, and the pros and cons. My biggest takeaway is to make your financial goals your own. If homeownership is a goal of yours, make sure you go into it with eyes wide open. If it’s not a goal, no big deal. It is not a requirement in life to own a home. It is important that you have life goals that resonate with you, not someone else. Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found at http://financially-blonde.com/homeownership-with-the-happy-hour-ladies-2. If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let me know what you want to hear. And if you want to work with my team at the Financial Gym to help you achieve your 2019 goals, you only have a few more days to lock in our 2018 rates as our rates for new clients are going up in 2019. You don’t have to start your membership until January 2019, but you need to sign up before the end of this year. So head over to or send friends to https://financialgym.com to lock in your low rates today. I wish you and your family the happiest and healthiest of new years! Until next time, take care!!

Joining me to discuss how dating can impact your finances is Financial Gym trainer Jenn and her client Rebecca. They share their personal stories of love, loss and recovery and how their finances were impacted because of it. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/unexpected-breakups-with-jenn-and-rebecca/

Last year, as we were working on building the Financial Gym brand, we worked with a number of influencers to help get the word out about the Gym. During that time, we saw the value of working with them, not only as a brand to help us build our brand, but we saw the value that could come from being an influencer. Today I’m talking to Shanna Tyler, Life and Business Coach and founder of Self Soul Sport, about how she became an influencer, how you can become one, and how you can make money doing it. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/becoming-an-influencer-with-shanna-tyler 

Getting financially naked in the hot-seat today is my first dude! I know that my podcast may seem as though it’s skewed toward women; however, I’ve known for years that guys are listening as well, and Jon is one of those guys. Jon is a longtime listener who volunteered to get financially naked with me and all of you. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-naked-with-jon/ 

Not only is it the last Friday of the month, but it’s the last Friday of the YEAR, so welcome to our 3rd annual end of year Happy Hour special. The ladies and I are going to share our highs and lows of 2018 with you and then set out our plan for 2019. I hope you enjoy! My biggest takeaway is to take the time and reflect on this past year of your life. I am sure there were highs and lows. I hope your highs outweighed your lows but if they didn’t, there is always a new year to be hopeful for. Set some big goals for 2019 and keep me posted on your progress! I always love getting notes from you about how you are doing with your personal and financial goals. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/year-end-review-with-the-happy-hour-ladies/

When we opened our first small Gym location and had a shoe string budget, Fidelity sponsored the gym opening. They loved how we help women and young people manage their finances better. So I’m excited to welcome back to the show Kelly Lannan, Director of Young Investors at Fidelity, to talk about their recent Millennial Money Survey and what themes she sees from her travels and talks with young people about money. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/millennial-money-survey-with-kelly-lannan 

Jean Chatzky is one of the people I look up to in the personal finances space. Jean started her career as a journalist and then grew to write personal finance books, appear on Oprah, become the finance editor of the Today Show, and now she runs the Her Money media brand, which is growing by the minute. Jean joins me today to talk about her career progression and why she’s taking on such a big challenge at this stage in her career. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/her-money-with-jean-chatzky/ 

In this week’s “Getting Financially Naked” installment we talk with clients Caet and Samantha Cash, aka The Cash Sisters. At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer the “financially naked session.” In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so the trainer knows where you’re starting and so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-naked-with-the-cash-sisters/

It’s the last Friday of the month and we’re talking about manifesting our goals. In case you haven’t heard or seen, I fulfilled a multi-year long dream of appearing on the Today Show. I continue to learn the more we put our dreams out there, the more likely they are to manifest. So the happy hour ladies join me today to talk about the seemingly impossible dreams they’ve manifested, the reason why they’re not, and what happens when you don’t know what to put out there. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/manifesting-dreams-with-the-happy-hour-ladies-2/

Shannon shares some of the many people and situations she’s thankful for in 2018.

I always say that getting financially fit is just like getting physically fit - they both require that you do two things. To get physically fit, you need to eat less and work out more. To get financially fit, you need to spend less and make more. It sounds easy, but if it were that easy, we would have a bunch of skinny millionaires running around. We joke at The Gym, where are the skinny millionaires at? It is hard work to get physically and financially fit, but today we’re talking about one of those areas of financial fitness, and that’s making more money, specifically for women. Women frequently feel torn between caring for their loved ones, whether it is kids or parents, and trying to make money. Today I am talking to Kathryn Sollman, Career Coach and author of the new book Ambition Redefined, Why the Corner Office Doesn’t Work for Everyone and What to Do Instead. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/ambition-redefined-with-kathryn-sollman/ 

Allie, a new Financial Gym client, volunteered to share her numbers with this group. A word of warning though, before you listen to this episode, Allie’s story has a very intense back story. If you are somebody with PTSD, or you have triggers around violence (specifically gun violence), this is an episode you should not listen to. I am giving you warning that this was very intense for me to hear and for Allie to live through, and unfortunately, she was one of the episodes I lost when recording, so this poor young woman had to share this story with me twice. She is an absolute rockstar, and I appreciate her willingness to share everything, but, again, if you can’t handle these types of things, please refrain from listening. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-naked-with-allie/

The stock market has hit some bumpy roads. If you watched the news, you are probably asking f you need to change your strategy. In this Encore presentation of "Investing and Volatility", I’ve invited Kevin Matthews, Financial Advisor and Founder of BuildingBread.com to talk about volatility and how you can manage your portfolios through volatile markets.     Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host a happy hour, where I gather great friends to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. • What is an article of clothing someone could wear that would make you walk out on a date with them? • The zombie apocalypse is coming. Who are three people you want on your team? • Most used emoji? and more! More can be found at http://financially-blonde.com/icebreaker-questions-with-the-happy-hour-ladies/

A few months back, I shared my financially naked session so this group could start dropping any fear or shame they had around their money. Last month, my teammate Caitlin got financially naked with me and today Bridget Todd, Employee #1 at the Financial Gym, is in the hot seat. I hope you enjoy! For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-naked-with-bridget-todd/

People frequently say to me they want to join the Financial Gym, but they don’t think they can afford the monthly membership. My reply is always, “If you can’t afford the $85 per month, then you NEED to join the Financial Gym.” Some of our clients need to make more money, and we tell them how much. Some of our clients have some glaring monthly expenses that need to be cut and we help them identify them. Some clients, like today's guest Colleen, need to be coached on making some extreme changes in life. Colleen shares her story about why she reached out to my team and the dramatic transformation her life has taken in just three short months. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/declaring-bankruptcy-with-colleen

Chad Carson is a firm believer that real estate is the way to financial independence. He should know, he is living proof. Chad shares information from his latest book, Retire Early with Real Estate. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/retire-early-with-real-estate-with-chad-carson/

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. This month I committed two shows to talking about finances and mental health. At the Financial Gym we have a slogan “what are you working for”, and if you don’t have physical health or mental health what are you working for? A few weeks back I spoke with my friend Ash Cash, and today the Happy Hour Ladies and I are sharing our personal stories and struggles with mental health. We got very honest about our personal journeys, and if you are triggered by suicide conversations, prescription drug conversations, or depression conversations in general, you may want to pass on this episode. For everyone else, I hope that this helps you or someone you love who battles with mental health. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/debt-and-mental-health-with-the-happy-hour-ladies

Once a month, I’m going to have a guest on who’s going to get financially naked with you and the first one up is my Marketing Manager, Caitlin Lyttle. Caitlin joins me to share her career background, why she wanted to work at the Financial gym, and exactly what her financial picture looks like. At the Financial Gym, we call the first meeting you have with a trainer the “financially naked session.” In this meeting, you share everything about yourself financially so the trainer knows where you’re starting and so that he or she can make the plan for how you can get where you want to go. Above all other meetings, this one scares clients the most because they are afraid or ashamed of their financial situation. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/getting-naked-with-caitlin-lyttle

At the my company, the Financial Gym, we like to call the financial plan you get from us the starter plan. It really is an initial roadmap plotting out how you can achieve your goals. Some clients get the road map and put everything into place and follow it to a tee. Some clients get the roadmap and think it’s impossible and never even do the work. And then some clients get the roadmap and life throws them a series of detours and the road trip changes. The plan is a guideline but it’s never really set in stone. Some plans we work on are easy to put together because the clients’ financial lives are easily aligned with their goals, and then some plans, like today’s guests, are not easy to put together because the roadmap is filled with uncertainty. When my trainers have to deliver those types of plans, they’re actually not overly concerned, because after years of doing this, we know that anything is possible if our clients put their minds to it. We actually LOVE it when our clients accomplish what seems impossible at the beginning and this is the case with Laniece and Jo. They are two Financial Gym clients working with my trainer Joy, and they join me today to share why they wanted to fix their financial lives and how they went about accomplishing what seemed like impossible goals from Joy. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/achieving-the-impossible-with-laniece-and-jo

I know it’s literally one of the last weeks of summer, but this week my Happy Hour friends and I are talking about vacations: The importance of vacations How we like to take our vacations How we pay for vacations What we like to do on vacation For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/vacations-with-the-happy-hour-ladies/ 

The path to financial fitness is a series of small changes that ultimately leads to big results. For others, their path starts with a big, scary, life changing choice that ultimately leads to big results. Today, I’m talking to Financial Gym client, Chante, who along with her husband Mike was faced with one of those scary, life changing choices. She’s going to share the financial missteps that led to this choice and how she’s working through it with not only Mike’s support but her two young boys.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

journalist, and now published author, Paulette Perhach, shares her honest and sometimes cringe-worthy journey from writing the viral fuck-off fund post to having no fuck-off fund at all. She shares why she wanted to write a book for writers that’s not just about how to make money writing. It’s a great conversation with lots of learning lessons. For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/accepting-your-financial-reality-with-paulette-perhach/

One of the things I love about having a podcast is that it gives me a great excuse to catch up with friends, with just a few people eavesdropping along the way. Today I’m talking to my friend and Gen X Spirit Animal, Jess Garbarino, Founder of Every Single Dollar, about her journey from home foreclosure to buying a home again without any credit. Her story is an inspiration to anyone who thought home ownership would never be in the cards. Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.  Until next time, take care!!

Hello Martinis and Your Money Listeners!! We are officially on the summer schedule here at Martinis and Your Money which means that at least one Friday a month I’ll be replaying some of my favorite shows while I take some time to catch my breath on the podcast recordings and focus on raising money for the Financial Gym. Today I’m replaying a show that aired a little over a year ago about crafting a job you love with Kate Gremillion from Mavenly & Co and the Women Work and Worth Podcast. For me a great podcast episode is one that I’m still thinking about a year later and this is one of those to me. There is a lot of information out there glorifying the entrepreneurial lifestyle and journey and I think too many people think about this path before they really consider being what Kate calls an intrepreneur. If you’re wondering where your career path lies, I hope you’re considering intrepreneurship as one of your alternatives. And now here’s Kate again.

Today we’re talking about moving and the financial and emotional implications that come with that decision. As many of you heard, I recently sold my home to move and downsize into something more affordable in my budget, well my Happy Hour friends have also handled some big moves or have them in the near future and we’re sharing all about it.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

This time last year I was actively looking for investors for the Financial Gym. As part of the process a number of people asked us what the experience was like, so I decided to record a happy hour with three financial gym clients to ask them about their experience and their thoughts on the gym. Fast forward to today, 1 year later, and we check in on the status of Jen, Kelly and Maria. Where are their finances now? Listen to find out.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Despite the fact that I’m divorced, I’m actually very optimistic about relationships and their long-term potential. As I have shared on this show, money and a lack of transparency around it was certainly an issue in my marriage, and that’s why I was really excited to talk to Lisa Zeiderman, a family law attorney and partner at Miller, Zeiderman and Whitakker, about ways that people can divorce-proof their relationships. After dozens of years seeing all of the ways that people can financially handicap their relationships through various divorce negotiations, Lisa shares some great insights on how you can let money enhance your marriage and not lead to the downfall.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

At the Financial Gym, we call the first time our clients meet with their financial trainers, and share all of their financial details, the financially naked session. It’s typically a meeting where a lot of clients start out anxious and honestly a number of people avoid joining the financial gym out of the fear and shame they have around their money situation and I want to tell you that no matter what your situation you shouldn’t feel that way. The only reason you could possibly feel like that is if you’re not willing to do anything about changing your money situation. To help anyone out there who may be feeling bad about their financial situation, today, I’m going to let you know you’re not alone. Today, I’m sharing with you my financial situation ALL of the numbers and all of the details. I have been just about all of our clients at some point in my adult life and you’re about to find out why. Joining me to hear all the dirt is one of my all time favorite trainers at the gym, Joy.   For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/http-traffic-libsyn-com-martinisandyourmoney-maym220_financially_naked_session-mp3/

We are officially on the summer schedule here at Martinis and Your Money which means that at least one Friday a month I’ll be replaying some of my favorite shows while I take some time to catch my breath on the podcast recordings and focus on raising money for the Financial Gym. Today I’m replaying our Happy Hour where we talked about excuses and justifications we make for why we’re not living our most financially responsible life. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll hanging around for Last Call at the end of this show. And Until next time, take care!! For more information, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/stop-making-excuses

A few years back, I recorded an episode about disability insurance that truly opened my eyes around the topic and showed me the need to advise my clients about it as well. If you haven’t listened to it, I highly encourage you to listen to it before you hear this episode. I remember at the end of recording the disability episode with Jen Fitzgerald from Policy Genius there was more we could talk about around the subject. Fast forward over two years and I get an email from a listener asking me to cover more about the topic, so I asked her to join me and share her story about disability insurance and how it has essentially saved her life. Kelly is a podcast listener here to tell you more about her journey.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

I shared an Insta-story discussing the fact that I have not wanted to be the boss lately. It was difficult to share and difficult to feel, but I shared it because it’s bound to happen to every boss at some point. I knew it happened to Chenell Tull from a Facebook post she shared, so I asked Chenell, founder of hustletostartup.com, to join me today and talk about her story and how you can prevent boss-fatigue from ruining your boss career.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

I think there is plenty of information and advice out there about how to start a business and quit your nine-to-five job, especially if you’re not happy in it, but I don’t think there is enough about how you find happiness and fulfillment while still working in your nine-to-five, which is why I’m excited to chat with Monica Rivera, host and producer of the “You Wanna What?” podcast. Monica joins me today to share her story about finding happiness in her nine-to-five and how you can do it as well.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

As many of you know, I’m a divorced single mom and I personally don’t think there’s enough conversation and discussion around the specific financial challenges of going through a divorce and then going from running your money as a couple to running it as a single person,  That is why I am so excited to see the new group, Cash Wise Ex-Wives, being led by my two friends Kayla Sloan and Shanah Bell. These two ladies join me today to talk about why they started this group, share their divorce experiences and how they want to help divorced women and men become more cash wise.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Today is not only the last Friday of the month but it’s the beginning of Memorial Day weekend which is the official kick off to the summer in the US and with the beginning of the summer season, we are kicking off wedding season as well. For the last six years, I’ve worked with clients to both plan weddings and also plan to attend and participate in weddings and as you will hear in the episode, my experience has led to some very strong opinions on weddings. I hope you enjoy my wedding rant over cocktails.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Listener Lisa asked for me to do a show on midlife career change, pivoting, reinvention...etc.  She wrote, "I’m a full-time working mom of 2 boys, 11 & 13.  I was the first person in my family to go to college and worked 3 jobs to pay my own way.  I couldn’t wait to get to corporate America, and I have been a successful sales rep for 20 years and have learned a lot,  but as I approach my 50th birthday I feel like I need a change.   There seems to be a lot of focus in the media on Millenials, but how about the Gen-X ers?  I’m sure there are a lot of us who feel the same way and don’t know where to start (so we don’t) or what resources are available or are afraid to change for many reasons i.e. How do we translate our current skills to a new position? Can we maintain our salary level?  Do companies view us too old? Etc. and would appreciate some direction and maybe a kick in the pants to get started!" So today I'm speaking with Dana Cowin, the Former Editor and Chief of Food and Wine Magazine and Podcast Host for Speaking Broadly. Yes, THE Dana Cowin who was at the helm for all that is great about Food & Wine. Dana and I became friends through the Bacardi Women’s Empowerment Series and she frequently discussed how she became a career guru so I put her knowledge to the test on my show. Dana has so much great information from her personal career change experience but also mentoring hundreds of people over her extensive career. This show is great for anyone at any stage thinking about making a career change. And now here’s my newest friend, Dana Cowin.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Every time you meet with a client and they ask you a question, you have no idea what direction they’re leaning and all you can do is give the best advice from your personal experience, from a financially sound decision, and also from an understanding of your client. I was recently asked by a listener to do a show about one of the most common sounding board questions financial planners get so I thought I would expand the conversation to answer other hot topic questions financial planners get. When I thought about who I would have this conversation with, the only person who came to mind, who happens to be one of my favorite and retired financial planners, Joe Saul-Sehy of the Stacking Benjamins podcast. Joe joins me today to get thrown under the bus and answer some common financial planner questions. As usual, I loved hearing Joe’s financial advice and guidance and I hope you do as well.     Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

For most of 2017, those of us who were investing got to experience what’s called a bull market when the stock market continues to go up no matter what is happening around it. From the beginning of early 2018; however, the stock market has hit some bumpy roads and if you checked your first quarter 401k statement from the year or watched any news outlet, you are probably concerned about what’s going on in the market and if you need to change your strategy. Today I’ve invited Kevin Matthews, a Financial Advisor and Founder of BuildingBread.com to discuss what’s happening in the stock market recently, spoiler alert, it’s called volatility, and how you can manage your portfolios through volatile markets.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Today the ladies and I are talking about haters and how they can threaten to sidetrack our journeys or block them entirely. We’re going to discuss the haters in our lives, how we manage them and how we don’t let them stop us from what matters most. And I’m excited to share with you that Liz is back at the happy hour table with us today. My biggest takeaway is literally the immortal words of Ms. Taylor Swift. Haters are going to hate hate hate. No matter where you are in life and what you’re trying to achieve, they will always be out there and it’s up to you to shake them off and continue to push forward with your hopes and dreams. It’s your life and purpose and don’t let any haters keep you from achieving it.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Yesterday I turned 40 and officially headed into a new decade of life. I wanted to give this gift of a beautiful conversation with my friend about faithfulness and trust to myself. If you are someone who is uncomfortable with God or faith based talk, then this is not the episode for you. But I hope you love this conversation with my good friend of 22 years, Jill, who also just turned 40 years old.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Tara Newman, Performance and Leadership Coach and Founder of the Bold Leadership Revolution, shares her experience helping leaders achieve higher levels of performance in their work and personal lives and what it takes to get there.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

With just a few weeks left to go before tax filing time, my friend, and one of my favorite CPAs, Eric Nisall, joins me to answer, quite frankly, lots of my and my clients tax-related questions. He also talks about his awesome new course that is perfect for bloggers, freelancers, Instagrammers, influencers, entrepreneurs, or pretty much anyone who is considering becoming any one of these. It’s a great show, and if you haven’t filed your taxes yet, you’re scared to file, or maybe you haven’t filed in a few years, grab some paper and take notes.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

March is Women’s History Month, so we focused this conversation around women who’ve inspired our lives, or at least that’s what I told everybody we were going to be focused on. But, like most Happy Hours, this conversation took a turn that I was not expecting.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Diane Henry built a successful business in the male-dominated world of commercial real estate, to the point where she is now able to invest in other businesses. One of her portfolio companies is the Financial Gym. Diane joins me today to share her story and her approach to angel investing and how she picks the businesses she invests in.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Kristin Wong has written everything from TV shows to personal finance articles and has now written a book called Get Money: Live the Life You Want, Not Just the Life You Can Afford. She joins me today to talk about her journey and why writing about personal finance suits her best. We had a lot of fun recording this show and I hope you enjoy it.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Liz "Mrs. Frugalwoods" just fulfilled a life long dream to write a book – Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independence Through Simple Living. She joins me today to talk about the book writing process, why this was an important step for her and more about life on the homestead.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

This is the first Friday of March and March is Women’s History Month so I’ve decided to focus all of my podcasts this month on women and their accomplishments. At the Financial Gym, two words we hear all the time are fear and shame, and something I haven’t addressed on this podcast yet, or enough, is the shame founders have around their finances when building a business. So I was thrilled when Sarah Sheehan, Founder and Chief Customer Officer at Bravely told me she wanted to come on the show and speak about this specifically. She and I discuss how our finances shifted once we started actively pursuing our dreams and businesses and how we’ve combated the shame that comes with those finances. It’s a great conversation and I thank Sarah for giving me the opportunity to discuss this on the show.    Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

We have to break our Happy Hour tradition this month because Liz Mrs. Frugalwoods is on maternity leave of sorts. We welcome one of my amazing listeners, Dylan, who actually suggested the topic of single finances.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

This is a super special episode for me to share with you, because it’s my 200th episode. Can you believe I’ve said “Hello Martinis and your Money listeners” 200 times now? Time flies when you’re having fun, and having fun is what I do when I record these shows for you and for me. When I was thinking about how I wanted to commemorate this event, the only thing I could think about was my amazing listeners - you, who are the reason why I take the time out to record and share this show. So I thought I would host a happy hour for some of my uber listeners, where I share some juicy info about this show, and about me personally, and let them ask me whatever they want. I hope you enjoy this conversation with my friends.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Ash Cash, personal finance expert and author, released a book inspired by Jay Z’s 4:44 album. Financial inspiration or inspiration for living a better life can come from anywhere so never close your mind to the messages the universe is trying to deliver to you. I’m so glad that Ash was opened to the messages Jay was giving him because I know the words will change people’s lives.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Erin Bagwell created the movie DreamGirl, a documentary about the stories of female entrepreneurs. Erin joins me today to share her journey that started as a dream in school and led to the White House.   Notes for this show as well as links to my guest's sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

The act of making changes in your life is like a muscle we have to flex and continuously work on. Change can be scary, but change can also lead to a better place. My happy hour friends and I talk about how comfortable we are with making changes and what prevents us from making changes, especially when we know we need to. I hope you take the opportunity to make 2018 your year of change and don’t be afraid to flex those important change muscles you have in you.   Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

You may remember my guest today from my episode entitled Minimalism for Everyone. I’ve been blogging friends with Cait Flanders for almost four years now and I’ve loved following her blog writing. I’m excited to share with you that she’s written a book: The Year of Less: How I stopped shopping, gave away my belongings and discovered life is worth more than anything you can buy in a store. This January, I’ve focused my podcast around changes, and Cait’s book chronicles the changes she made to lead her to the minimalist lifestyle and she’s sharing more of that on my show as well.   Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Danielle was unexpectedly let go from her job last week. She asked in the Martinis and Your Money Facebook Group if I could do a show about what to do if this happens to you. Financial Gym Lead Trainer, Bridget Todd, joins me to share best practices and how you can turn the experience of getting laid off into the best change of your life. My biggest takeaway is to remember that even the most unexpected events in your life happen for a reason. If you lose your job, keep up your positivity and remember that this is the kick in the butt from the universe that you need to lead to you the next big adventure of your life.     Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

New years always make me think about making new starts. So today I’m talking Amy Ogden, Senior Vice President of Brand at J Public Relations and lifestyle blogger at Sips of Sunshine about the new start she made in what felt like late in life for her. She shares the events that led up to her big decisions and how it changed her life for the better. Let Amy’s story and the New Year remind all of us that we’re capable of making big changes in our lives at any stage of our life.   Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Our 3rd Annual Happy Hour Year End Review. Melanie, Tonya and Mrs. Frugalwoods join me to recap goals we set in 2017 and how well we did at accomplishing them. We share our highs and lows, and our big goals for 2018. As always, I had a blast with my friends and now here they are for the last time in 2017. My biggest takeaway is to remember that just because you may not have achieved your big goal for 2017 does not mean that you failed. Our goals are like destinations on the road trip, it’s nice to get to the destination, but we can’t negate everything that happens during our journey to get there. Sometimes our journey is equally as important as the destination. I didn’t achieve my big goal in 2017, but I learned so much from the journey to get there and actually not achieving it makes me really excited for when I do finally get to that destination. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.  Until next time, take care!!

The current financial planning model stinks - especially for millennials! Douglas Boneparth, President of Bonefide Wealth and Co-Author of the book, Millennial Money Fix joins me today to talk about what exactly the millennial money problem is and how it can be fixed. As an added bonus we also get into some reasons why the current financial planning model stinks, especially for Millennials, and how you can find a good financial planner to work with. My biggest takeaway is millennial money problems are actually not a problem for just millennials. Financial literacy is a problem that plagues all generations but with all of the tools and resources available now, it hopefully will not remain a problem for future generations.   Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

There really is such a thing as a millionaire mindset or a way of thinking that leads to wealth building. Host of the Stacking Benjamins Podcast, Joe Saul-Sehy, joins me to talk about the millionaire mindset and how he’s helping people cultivate it better. My biggest takeaway is to remember that at the end of the day, financial success is truly all about a mindset and most of us aren’t born with it so don’t be afraid to invest in tools and resources that can help you become more successful and flex your millionaire attitude more.   Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

This Happy Hour episode features my Financial Gym Trainers. Get to know them better with the chance that you get paired with one of them. They share more about themselves, why they became financial trainers and some highs and lows of what I think is the best job on the planet. We had a blast recording this as we do everyday working together so I hope you enjoy getting to know my team a little more. My biggest takeaway is to not be afraid to make career changes in your life - especially when the change feels like an answer to a question you put out in the universe.     Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

I’m blonde, not dumb, but the facts around gender roles and personal finance unfortunately speak for themselves: Women earn 30% less than men, they don’t invest as much, and they are targeted for more consumer and credit products than men. And they live longer. Hilary Hendershott is a financial planner and host of Profit Boss Radio. She is hosting a women’s wealth-building event called Profit Boss Live in San Jose on January 19, 2018. She joins me today to talk about what made her become a financial planner focused on helping women and why she thinks Profit Boss Live is worth your time and investment. Hilary is offering an Early Bird discount until December 18th, 2017. There are only 65 seats, so get your ticket at ProfitBossLive.com   Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Today’s episode is airing on the day after Thanksgiving in the US, so with giving on our brains, this episode we’re talking about ways that we give, how it impacts us financially and when it makes sense to give money vs. time. My biggest takeaway is to make sure that you balance financial giving with your current financial situation. I understand a generous heart, but not at the risk of your own financial security. As Mrs. Frugalwoods said, it might not be your time to give financially, but you’re time will come and it will create more joy than headaches for you.   Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

iPhone fever? Talatt and Tai McNeely from His and Her Money join me about the euphoria following the new model of iPhone - and what that means for our money. We discuss this problem of prioritizing stuff over financial health -- and how we can fix it. My biggest takeaway is to think about what you prioritize and what comes first in your life. Is it stuff? Or is it something more than stuff? How much is stuff keeping you from achieving something more? I hope that as we head into the holiday spending season that you think about this episode and make financial health a priority instead of spending.   Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.  Until next time, take care!!

The path to financial fitness is a series of small changes that ultimately leads to big results. For others, their path starts with a big, scary, life changing choice that ultimately leads to big results. Today, I’m talking to Financial Gym client, Chante, who along with her husband Mike was faced with one of those scary, life changing choices. She’s going to share the financial missteps that led to this choice and how she’s working through it with not only Mike’s support but her two young boys. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Ms. Our Next Life and her husband have been blogging about their path to financial independence. The day we recorded her interview was actually the day she “outed” herself on her blog and officially stopped blogging anonymously. We talk about that and her post FI plans which she plans to enact at the end of this year. My biggest takeaway is that Financial Independence - like any goal - is a possibility for anyone and if you decide to make it a goal for yourself, just remember that your vision of Financial Independence will look different than other people’s. But I highly encourage you to start laying out the plan now for how you get there. Notes for this show can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. If you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know. 

The four of us all live with and love our furry children. Today we talk about how we manage our pets financially and how you can prepare for the financial ups and downs of pet parenthood. My biggest takeaway is to remind you that nothing can replace the love you have or will have for a pet. But you can be prepared for that love financially and if you’re going to love a pet, please make sure that you’re financially prepared for how much that love could cost. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.    Until next time, take care!!

Open enrollment is the time where you can sign up for or change your healthcare benefits to begin in January of 2018. Making the right elections or understanding your options is an important financial decision for you to make so I invited Charleton Lamb from Just Works to answer some questions around this and share my thoughts on healthcare options and picking the right one for you, your family and your budget. My biggest takeaway is to make sure you first have healthcare and secondly have the right coverage. The monthly expense seems like something your budget can’t afford, but I’ve seen may clients with tens of thousands of dollars of medical debts they’re trying to work through because they didn’t have healthcare to begin with. Please take the time to research your options and find the right fit for you and your budget. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.  Until next time, take care!!

Emma Johnson, founder of the site Wealthy Single Mommy, host of the podcast Like a Mother and now author of the book “The Kickass Single Mom – Be Financially Independent, Discover Your Sexiest You, and Raise Fabulous, Happy Children” talks about building a life that you can be proud of no matter where you’re starting from.    My biggest takeaway is to not just make career and money decisions based on your children or significant other. Make the right choice for you and hopefully you will always choose to want more for yourself. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.  Until next time, take care!!

These last four years has been a wild and rewarding ride - I’m going to share it all with you: The good, the bad, the ugly and the truly miraculous. I hope your biggest takeaway is to listen to your gut and your instincts about where life is supposed to lead you personally and professionally. It’s not going to hit you over the head, it’s going to come to you subtlety and quietly so listen for those signs otherwise, you may just miss out on the ride of your life. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.  Until next time, take care!!

Health wellness often comes at the price of financial wellness. Then when financial wellness suffers, mental health deteriorates and all the good work you’re putting into your physical fitness can be destroyed by stress. Shawn Stevenson is the host of the Model Health Show and author of Sleep Smarter. He shares many great resources and strategies to maintain overall wellness while not forsaking financial wellness. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.  Until next time, take care!!

Inspired by the recent weather events in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean, we are talking about disaster preparedness: How we prepare for - or don’t prepare for it, best practices, and how you can be more self-sufficient to handle whatever Mother Nature throws your way. I think my biggest takeaway is that the best way to prepare for the unexpected is to prioritize saving into your emergency fund and making sure money stays there. It doesn’t matter if it’s a natural disaster, a job loss, a death in the family or a healthcare scare, shit is likely to happen and when shit hits the fan, cash helps you clean it up much faster and with a lot less stress. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.  Until next time, take care!!

Concetta Rand, Chief Revenue Officer of the amazing and relatively new site iFundWomen.com, is a female entrepreneur. I understand the importance of raising money for your dream to become a reality and also the struggles of doing it. iFundWomen is making it easier for other women’s dreams to come true, so you know that’s something I want everyone to know about. I think my biggest takeaway is to not let money get in the way of your dreams. If you have an idea or vision, put it out there because there are plenty of people who want to help you make that a reality, you just have to give them the way to do it and iFundWomen could be that way. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.  Until next time, take care!!

Sarah Bettencourt is founder of the Blonde Spot and host of Monday Morning Mimosas, a podcast about the career she built while raising her son and the joys and pains of single parenthood. Sarah’s strength, perseverance and work ethic should be an inspiration for us all whether we’re raising kids or not. My biggest takeaway is that as a parent, single or not, it’s easy to prioritize our kid’s lives over our own and I encourage you to create a life through work or other activities that you’re proud of first and know that it will not only be best for you but also your kids. Notes for this show can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.  Until next time, take care!!

Jen Hemphill, Money Confidence Coach and host of the Her Money Matters podcast, shares the 4 Important Money Lessons she learned while getting unstuck from her bad money behaviors. My biggest takeaway is to remember that experts aren’t always right and your personal money journey is unique to you. Focus on finding the answer that’s best for you and not what someone else says is best for you. Notes for this show can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com

What if your friends gave you ideas to get you out of your comfort zone? That's exactly what happened on a trip for Cara Thomas, founder of SerenFlipity. Before a trip overseas, she collected 90 idea cards written by friends and acquaintances. Each card challenged her to get out of her comfort zone and do something out of the ordinary. What she discovered was something extraordinary: Ways to connect with strangers, explore unfamiliar territories, and discover strengths she didn't know she had. Today she shares her adventures and talks about how she created flip cards you can buy online. For more information, go to http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

Recorded live from the Lola Women’s Money Retreat. I have to warn you that if you’re listening to this episode and you’re a Martinis and Your Money fan, you may have serious FOMO and I think the best thing I can say is that you may have missed this Lola retreat, but there will be more and I can guarantee you that I will be there for them. Me and the ladies talk about our experience of attending this event and I loved all of the listener/attendee anecdotes we got along the way. To say that the Lola experience changed my life would be an understatement and I hope you enjoy hearing more about it.

Financial Gym teammate and salary negotiation expert Allegra joins us again to talk about negotiating. At the gym we are constantly working with clients to optimize their financial picture. One half of the work is around their expenses and making sure they’re spending appropriately for their goals, but the second half is on making more money. The easiest way you can make more money is negotiating for it – whether through a new job or in your existing job. Allegra and I are going to talk about some best practices and share some really powerful stories to help motivate and inspire you to negotiate for more. Cheers! If you need help with negotiating and finding ways to make more money, reach out to my team at the Financial Gym. You can schedule a free call, and possibly even chat with Allegra, to find out more. No matter where you are, my financial trainers can help you get where you want to go. Head over to or send friends to financialgym.com/friends to sign up today!

Wine Riot founder Tyler Balliet joins us to talk about wine. I used to be physically and financially fat. One of my financially fat spending areas was in wine and alcohol. If it wasn’t top shelf or high end, I didn’t want anything to do with it. Now I can happily say that I spend significantly less in this area, but I’m still having the same amount of fun and Tyler is going to share with you how you can save in this area as well. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know. Until next time, take care!!

Cait Flanders found solace through a 12-month spending ban – but in the process she embraced some of the concepts found in minimalism like “buy one, give one” and the $20-20min rule. How much was she able to cut out of her life and out of her budget? Listen to find out. For more information, go to http://financially-blonde.com/minimalism-for-anyone

This is our 31st Happy Hour episode. I thought it would be a great time to help new listeners get to know my happy hour friends a little better before moving on to other episodes. Melanie, Tonya and Liz (aka Mrs. Frugalwoods) have become some of my closest friends over these last few years and I think this episode will be fun for new and old listeners alike. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.  Until next time, take care!!

Jen, Kelly and Maria share their stories from Financial Gym clients. Visit the https://financialgym.com for a free intro or what we call a “Warm-up Session”

Mariela Dabbah, founder and CEO of the Red Shoe Movement, talks about changes in the way businesses support upward mobility for women and how women can climb the corporate ladder more effectively. Her cause and mission are near and dear to my heart and I hope you’re as inspired to make change as I am after listening to her. If you want to find the show notes as well as links to Mariela’s site, you can find them on my blog http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me https://twitter.com/blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let me know what you want to hear.

We all are susceptible to the influences of the jealousy game whether we like them or not. What’s important is to not avoid jealousy entirely but to manage it. Despite the fact that many people may think the four of us have nothing to worry about, we all struggle with comparing ourselves to other people and in this episode we share the ups and downs of these emotions. For more information and resources mentioned in this episode, visit http://financially-blonde.com/the-comparison-game-happy-hour-style

Today’s Happy Hour episode is our mid-year catch-up to let you know where we and the Happy Hour girls are with our goals. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.  Come with us to Lola Retreat August 18-20, 2017. Use the coupon code MAYM to get a discount on Melanie’s big goal for this year, the Lola Retreat, at http://LolaRetreat.com

What if our banking systems collapse or there is a successful attack on electronic data? Or money is really only numbers on a computer screen that we trust banks to maintain. What if that’s all wiped out? It’s an unlikely scenario, but I like to plan for all possibilities. • We discuss what assets would be valuable if a zombie apocalypse ala Walking Dead were to transpire • We discuss why we believe the stock market wouldn’t completely collapse and what you should invest in if you are afraid that it might • We talk about the value of centralized banks and the banking system in general • Matt and Eddie warn against trading during stressful times and give great advice for how to avoid emotional trading Find more information about this episode at http://financially-blonde.com/investing-for-the-zombie-apocalypse

Kate Gremillion, founder of Mavenly and Co, provides young women with resources to design a career and lifestyle with purpose about going from being an Employee to being an Intrapreneur. Kate is going to share her best practices and tips for how you can craft the right job for you without having to create it on your own. I think my biggest takeaway is to remember that if you’re unhappy with your job, take the steps to job craft your way into a better position for yourself. The number one way to make more money is within the place you work and the best way to spend less money is to be happy in the place you work. Job crafting is a great solution to get you to where you want to be without taking all of the risks to do it on your own. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to sshannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.

Harlan Landes, blogger, podcaster and founder of both the Plutus Awards and the Plutus Foundation, answers a listener’s question about how you can run a charitable foundation. Harlan has great information for a number of ways you can give back before and after you achieve your personal financial goals and now here’s Harlan. I think my biggest takeaway is to remember that there are many ways you can give back to the universe and creating a foundation is one. I personally feel like my life transformed in the best way possible when I focused more on giving than what I was getting. The journey led me to the Financial Gym and after creating my son, creating the gym is one of my life’s greatest accomplishments. I hope that you find yours too through giving back. If you want to find the show notes as well as links to Harlan, you can find them on my blog http://financially-blonde.com If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group

Elle Martinez, host of the Couple Money Podcast has authored a new book – Jump Start Your Marriage and Your Money. It’s about the various challenges we’ve seen couples face and how they can improve them to improve both their romantic and financial lives. Whether you are in a relationship or not, there is plenty to learn from this episode. Cheers! Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, Financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me blonde_finance or join the private Facebook group and let us know. Until next time, take care!!

This month’s Happy Hour topic comes from Tonya on the Happy Hour crew. She wanted to talk about the excuses we make as to why we aren’t making financial changes in our lives. As a word of warning, for those listeners who want to get right into the substance of an episode, you’ll have to fast forward to about minute 10 to get to our topic. We rambled quite a bit in the beginning of the episode and if you enjoy our rambles, then you’ll enjoy the beginning of this happy hour. I think my biggest takeaway is to realize that we can all makes excuses and justifications for why we’re not making change, but it’s not until you stop telling yourself those stories that you’ll truly be open to achieving the financial success that you’re meant to achieve. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me https://twitter.com/blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Community on Facebook and let us know. Until next time, take care!!

Natalie Jean Baptiste is an attorney who found herself in the uncomfortable position of having to declare bankruptcy due to over $200,000 of consumer and student loan debt. Natalie shares her reasons for declaring bankruptcy, why it makes sense for some people and how the whole experience prepared her for this next chapter in her life where she’s helping others conquer their student loan debt burdens. My biggest takeaway is to never let others tell you something is impossible. As Audrey Hepburn said, “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I’m possible.” I truly believe with enough faith and courage, anything is possible. If you want to find the show notes as well as links to Natalie, you can find them on my blog http://financially-blonde.com If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/martinisandyourmoney

Ash Exantus, otherwise known as Ash Cash, is a financial motivator, personal finance expert and bestselling author. When I saw Ash’s new book, Mind Right - Life Right, I knew I had to talk to him because a healthy mind will breed health finances. I hope that you find this conversation helpful and that it helps shift your mindset so that you can achieve all of your financial hopes and dreams. My biggest takeaway is to remember that your financial success is only a part of money you make and financial choices you take a large part of your success is a mindset focused on positivity and achieving the goals you desire. If you want to find the show notes as well as links to Ash’s site and his book, you can find them at http://financially-blonde.com

Casey DeStefano is a mentor and coach and host of the podcast Women with Balls in the Air about preparing yourself for making big changes in your life and having the guts to do it. I hope this conversation inspires you to do just that. And now here’s Casey. My biggest takeaway is not be afraid of making leaps and taking chances, you can truly always go backward or overcome a potential financial setback it might led to, but you will never know what could have been unless you make that leap. My huge leap led me to the financial gym and literally empowering hundreds of people with their money. It’s the second greatest decision I ever made after deciding to become a mom. If you want to find the show notes as well as links to Casey’s site, you can find them on my blog http://financially-blonde.com Have a topic you want covered? Email me Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let me know what you want to hear.

A special happy hour as we welcome Erin Lowry, personal finance expert and author of the new book Broke Millennial – Stop Scraping by and Get your Financial Life Together. Erin will always hold a special place in my heart and for this show as she was actually the first guest ever of Martinis and Your Money. She joins me and the ladies to talk about the book and we all discuss lessons we’ve learned in our 20s and now here’s my friends. I hope you enjoyed this happy hour. I think my biggest takeaway is that it’s clearly important to focus on money as early as you can and if you’re in your 20s listening to this, don’t let time pass you by, but equally important, if you haven’t started, there’s always time and hopefully the lessons we’ve learned along our way will help you along your way no matter where or when you’re starting your journey to financial health and well-being. If you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me shannon@finblonde.com or tweet @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know. And until next time, CHEER!

I’m a huge fan of supporting women in all areas of their lives, but specifically, I love to help women get empowered with money which is why I’m excited to share with you this special episode about the Lola Retreat. One of the co-founders of Lola is a great friend of Martinis and Your Money, Melanie Lockert from Dear Debt, and she’s on today with her Lola co-founder Emma Pattee to talk about this event, what you can expect and how you can join us. My biggest takeaway is that I know this retreat is going to be so meaningful that I’ve invested my own time and money in being a part of it and I hope to see as many of you there as possible. If you’re a martini and your money listener and attend Lola, plan to have a martini on me and with me while you’re there. GET $50 off http://LolaRetreat.com tickets when you USE THE SPECIAL CODE mentioned in this episode (hint: at the 36min mark) before August 2017.

One of the hardest components financial fitness is making more money. I say all the time that physical fitness and financial fitness are similar in that you only need two things for success. To get physically fit, you need to work more and eat less. To get financially fit, you need to make more and spend less. It sounds easy, but if it was so easy, we’d have a bunch of skinny millionaires running around. For many people, especially women, it’s tough to ask for more and earn more in our current jobs, but that’s actually your easiest path to making more money. Allegra Brantly has coached dozens of women to ask for and get more money, and today she is sharing some of her secrets with us. ______________________________ If you want to find the show notes as well as links to the financial gym’s site where we help people earn more and make more every day, you can find them on my blog at http://financially-blonde.com If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook Group and let me know what you want to hear. I am always looking for ideas and topics to help my listeners live a better life one cocktail at a time and I would love to hear what’s important to you. And until next time, Cheers!

Bianca, founder of the blogsite Miss Mazuma, shares her journey from owning 3 homes to barely being able to rent an apartment on her own. Her rollercoaster experience in real estate is chock full of lessons to be learned and thankfully it has a happy ending. And now here’s Bianca. My biggest takeaway is to remember that anything we do financially can be undone. With time and dedication, anyone can rise from the financial mistakes of their past just like Bianca. If you’d like to learn more about Bianca or my company, the Financial Gym, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

A number of listeners are currently - or formerly served - in the military, so today I’m talking to Ryan Ginaw, Founder of the Military Wallet, Ryan addresses some of my listener questions but also give us a great insight into managing your finances while also managing a military career. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Ryan’s story and I thank Dominique and Jen for inspiring me to record this episode. My biggest takeaway is to always remember the men and women who make great sacrifices to give us security so that we are free to pursue our financial goals without fear of losing everything we love so dearly. Thank you Ryan and everyone else serving our country. I salute and toast you for your courage and bravery. If you want to find the show notes as well as links to Ryan’s site, you can find them on my blog, Financially Blonde, at http://financially-blonde.com  

Frugal friends are all around. Not only will they bring you joy but they will also support your life goals. However, some people are not meant to stay in your life for the long haul. If you are focused on living a financially healthier lifestyle and you lose financially unhealthy friends - don’t fret it. Stand your ground and offer alternatives. If they are truly your friend, they will come along side and support you. Help the cause: Refer a friend to the Financial Gym by sending them to http://FinancialGym.com/friends    

March is Women’s History Month, and I am featuring women who inspire and motivate me on the podcast. On this episode, I am talking to Cheryl Smircich. I’ve watched as Cheryl went from creating cakes for fun to starting her company, Cherrypie’s Custom Cakes, as a side hustle to leaving her full-time job to make custom cakes for a living – including making the cake for the grand opening of the first Financial Gym in New York City! Most of us want change in our lives, but we’re not willing to put in the time and energy to do it. Cheryl’s story is a great reminder of just how much work you need to put in to accomplish something big. I am incredibly inspired by Cheryl, and I hope you are as well! Cheers! For more information about Cheryl or the Martinis and Your Money Facebook Group, visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast  

March is Women History Month. Today I'm talking to female entrepreneur and founder of DailyWorth, Amanda Steinberg. We talk about how finance is often emotional for women, how to deal with your "Money Type", and her “roots and wings” philosophy about women and investing. Links to find out your money type and Amanda's new book, visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

I asked my listeners to post something they learned about money since listening to this show. Today I share Happy Hour with Cadell, Jen and Tammi; listeners who posted their lessons in the Martinis and Your Money Facebook Group. If you’d like to be part of the conversation in my Facebook Group, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/martinisandyourmoney  

Shanah Bell found herself divorced, in debt, and was feeding her family on food stamps. She's been able to come out of that phase of her life, but living with Celiac Disease makes every day a challenge when you are single mom trying to feed your children. Listen to her story of starting out with nothing after a divorce to becoming debt free, feeding a family of seven, and teaching others how to have adaptive nourishment when you have Celiac Disease. Find information for Shanah’s website, Adaptive Nourishment, in the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast  

The last Friday of the month I host a Happy Hour where I gather great friends to drink cheap drinks with me and talk about money topics. Today we’re talking about the most precious commodity we all have: Time. The ladies joined me for some drinks to share their thoughts on time and how they manage it best. I think my biggest takeaway is to think about time as you think about your money. It’s precious and we need to manage it accordingly because it’s not infinite. Come visit the Financial Gym. We are online at http://financialgym.net but also located at 226 5th Avenue in New York City

Eva Baker is a 20-year old who started a business as a project when she was a teen. Her blog, TeensGotCents.com, has grown into a powerful resource for teens who want to learn about personal finances and also about running a small business. In June 2017, Eva will host the second TeenPreneur Conference, a place for young people to learn about starting, building or running their own small business.   After talking with Eva over Mocktails, my biggest take-away was to not let age determine our goals in life. Young or old, we are all on unique journeys. When inspiration hits us, we need to pursue it with passion - no matter what stage of our lives we are in. You can find more about Eva and her conference on my website, http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast  

Brian Brandow thought making the minimum payments on their credit cards was doing good with money. Then he woke up when they couldn't go on summer vacation because all the cards were maxed out. After 4 years, they paid it off - all of it! The celebrated by taking that vacation - but with cash! Brian blogs on the website DebtDiscipline.com and now works with their local Board of Education committees on financial literacy for students. Find all the sites and resources mentioned in this episode at http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast  

My son, Will, is smart and precocious and picks up on just about everything going on in this house, including my podcast. Despite the fact that he knows that I do this, I was actually a little surprised that he showed great interest in recording one with me. We drink chocolate milk and just get goofy. However, Will does give some great advice for parents on how to raise financially responsible kids and he also gave great advice for kids on how to manage their money well. This episode first appeared on December 19, 2014 at http://financially-blonde.com/money-lessons-from-a-kid  

This is Mrs. Frugalwoods first appearance on the show. Her husband, Mr. Frugalwoods share their desire to achieve financial freedom by the age of 33. I had a lot of great takeaways from this chat, but my favorite quote from Mrs. Frugalwoods to describe the two of them was, “We are frugal weirdos and proud!” This episode originally appeared on November 14, 2014 at http://financially-blonde.com/frugal-and-fabulous-ep-07  

This is Melanie Lockhert’s first appearance on Martinis and Your Money. Melanie has been able to meet her debt repayment goals because she is a big fan of side hustling. She discussed what side hustling is for those who may not be aware and share some really funny stories about some of the wackier things she has done like working an overnight rave. This episode originally appeared on October 24, 2014 at http://financially-blonde.com/debt-repayment-and-side-hustling-ep-03  

In this replay, we meet Tonya from Budget and the Beach. Tonya is a freelancing video editor who recently lost a very large client, and she talks about how she is working through this challenging time while staying positive. This episode originally appeared at http://financially-blonde.com/no-work-no-problems  

23-year old Claire, a listener who is now a team member at the Financial Gym, wanted to know more about investing for millennials. This episode first aired on January 15, 2015 at http://financially-blonde.com/investing-for-millennials  

My friends and I discuss our spending and saving challenges and what we are doing to flex our fiscal muscles. Mrs. Frugalwoods still struggles with impulse spending. She’s hosting an ongoing Uber Frugal Month Challenge with over 9,900 participants to give her, and you, the tools needed to combat impulse spending. Melanie will be challenging herself with a no-spend day. Shannon suggests a “clear the pantry” challenge where you have to use whatever is in your fridge and freezer to create meals. Tonya says she is not good at challenges in general and relies on self-discipline to achieve her goals. She took a quiz by Gretchen Ruben to help her understand her personality and why she responds to expectations the way she does. Find new ways to challenge yourself to do and achieve more financially! Focus on mindset more than anything else if you want to make a serious change. You can find links to the Uber Frugal Month Challenge, the compound savings calculator, and Gretchen Ruben’s quiz in the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

Holly and Greg paid off their debts by budgeting their money. They discuss how a zero-sum budget helped them achieve their dreams, helped them quit their 9-5 jobs to pursue entrepreneurship, and how budgeting can work for you too! For more about budgeting or Holly and Greg’s book, visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

New York Times bestselling author, Dr Daniel Crosby, joins me to discuss the problems we have as human beings to leave our investments well enough alone! Investor behavior is the #1 reason portfolios don't grow - and that's because we let our emotions drive our decisions rather than tried-and-true financial planning principles. Dr. Daniel Crosby has been studying investor behavior for years and offers sound solutions to help us follow the laws of wealth based on the 10 Commandments of Investor Behavior written in his book, The Laws of Wealth: Psychology and the secret to investing success. For a link to get his book on Amazon, visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

If you are like me, you would pay anything to not have to do taxes yourself. Eric Nisall, an accountant and founder of AccountLancer, explains how you don’t always have to pay for a service when you can do it yourself. If you do pay for a service, he gives tips on how to make sure you are getting your money’s worth – especially where your income taxes are concerned. A complete checklist of things discussed today can be found in the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

My girlfriends come back to review the goals we set for 2106, share our failures and successes, and make new goals for 2017. You can listen to last year’s review and forecast here http://financially-blonde.com/2016-goals-happy-hour-style, and stay subscribed so you don’t miss all the fun this year.

Until this conversation, I really had NO clue about Bitcoin - but Ashe Whitener helped me understand what it is, where it came from, and who it’s really for. I can’t explain it here, so you’ll just have to listen for yourself. You can also find more information in the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

I remember how scary it was when starting my business. It was a big leap and I was afraid of failing. Kathlyn Hart - a motivational speaker, coach and host of the Big Leap Show - joins me to talk about this. A leap of any size can be a scary thing. Practice leaping in smaller ways so you can get more comfortable when a bigger leap may present itself to you. The worst thing that can happen is you fail. Focus on how good it will feel when you soar after that leap. Find Kathlyn’s information in the show notes http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

Jennifer Fitzgerald, CEO and co-founder of Policy Genius, joins me in a conversation about Health Care: What you need to know about using the Exchanges, how hard you should hold on to your family doctor, and the benefits that may be available to you. To shop the exchanges with Policy Genius, visit https://policygenius.com/health-insurance

Starting a business is more than just a great idea. You don’t want your amazing idea to never see the light of day just because you failed on the execution of it. Take every step to ensure your idea will find its appropriate market. Sylvia Inks wrote the book on small business finance for the busy entrepreneur, and joins me in a conversation about what to do - and to avoid - when starting a small business. You can find links to Sylvia’s website and book in the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

The holidays have different meanings for everyone, as you will hear in this show, and they evolve over time. However, they almost always bring together people who love and enjoy each other. Melanie, Tonya and Mrs. Frugalwoods join me again for a drink and a chat about holiday traditions, celebrating with family (or not), and can you possibly go without the stuffing? What are you thankful for? Send an email to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance

Melissa Sotudeh, CFP, is the mother of a college grad and a Vanderbilt freshman. She knows what it takes to prepare for college - both as the person paying and as the parent raising students to be ready for college.  Melissa wrote a book called, “Find Your Financial Safety School”, which you can download for free from http://halpernfinancial.com. It will help you select a school that is more appropriate for your student, the true cost of a college education, and how to lower those costs.   For a quick link or other notes about this episode, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

Chad Carson built a real estate portfolio from scratch - with no background in real estate whatsoever! He put the time and energy into learning - which lead to his first investor. The rest is history. Remember the importance of hard work in achieving your financial goals. The same success is achievable for you. For more information, including Coach Chad’s website and blog posts, visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

Have you had your financial grown-up moment yet? If so, what does it say about your financial journey so far? Award-winning journalist and author, Bobbi Rebell, joins me with a “Side Hustler” - a drink she created to help promote her new book, “How to be a Financial Grownup”. I also share MY financial grown-up moment! For more information on Bobbi and her book, visit the show notes at http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

Melanie, Tanya, and Mrs. Frugalwoods join me to answer listener emails: Deloris wants to know: Where are you all recording right now? I’m curious. Jennifer asks: How did you keep going when debt felt overwhelming? Amber is curious: What are your financially-oriented goals for 2017? Linsey is looking for he answer to: When do you know you are side-hustling too hard? And finally, Kristen asks the Happy Hour crew to answer 3 Random Questions. Send in your question or leave a comment: http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast/

Paul Golden from the National Endowment for Financial Education joins me to talk about millennial parenting. Try to plan as much as you can before making the decision to become a parent - both emotionally and financially. If you are already a parent, work with your partner or your financial professional to get a hold of your finances - not only for your future, but the future of your children as well.

Home ownership, no matter how old you are and when you achieve it, is a huge decision to make. You don’t want to base decisions solely on emotions but also measure them against your goals and other dreams. Millennial Homeowner, Lauren Bowling, purchased a home with the expectation that her and her then-boyfriend would live in it after they got married. She put a nice downpayment on the purchase and began a $68,000 renovation three months before their breakup. While her situation didn’t turn out so bad - she nets about $400 a month in renting it out to tenants - Lauren realizes some mistakes were made and wrote a book about it. Find more information at http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

I recently met Amber in person. When she mentioned her job of driving a city bus - I just had to have her on the show. Amber shares the ups and downs of a millennial trying to find work she likes.

Student Loan Debt is causing many millennials to delay their dreams of marriage. My guest, Chonce Maddox, married the man she loves despite her debt struggles - and did it all within her $10,000 wedding budget.   For more, visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

Today I kick off my Millennial Money Week with Kelly Lannon from Fidelity. Education is key: There are numerous resources for you to get informed about money and investing - whether it is from sites like Fidelity.com or blogs or podcasts. Whatever source appeals to you, dig into it and begin the process of getting education about money ASAP. Thank you to Kelly Lannan, Director from the Women and Young Investors Group at Fidelity Investments. Visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast for more Millennial Money Week episodes

Consider your relationship with a financial planner as a long-term relationship. Take your time to find the right planner to guarantee your long term success. Visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast for more information about working with a financial planner

Tempted by multi-level marketing? Brian couldn’t believe a friend tried to sell him a bottle of juice for $45. He began looking into it, only to discover unusual sales techniques used by direct sales companies to get people into multi-level marketing opportunities. Over the past few years, he has written over 30 reviews of such companies, some no longer exist, and exposes the real methods behind the business. The first Financial Gym location has opened in New York City at 226 5th Avenue, 5th Floor. Find out more by visiting http://financialgym.net

My girls get together for some SoCal-tinis at FInCon, San Diego. It's a "Would you rather" session recorded live in front of hundreds of financial bloggers, podcasters, and video creators. It's a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy it. You can find more Happy Hours, as well as my amazing guest interviews, on my website http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast Cheers!

Talaat and Tai McNeely know what it’s like to have communication problems about money. Today they share their story and tips for how to open the doors of communication and come together with your money as a couple. Visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast for more information.

Lauren went from spending $40,000 on credit cards to being debt free. Along the way she came to the realization that she was addicted to spending. Listen as Lauren reveals her past and how she used it to fuel her passion for paying off debt and sharing those lessons with others.   For more information, or to get a copy of Lauren's new book, The Recovering Spender, visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast/

Do you know your F.I. number? Brandon from MadFientist.com explains how you can calculate the amount of money you need to have before taking the leap away from the 9-5. To take advantage of Brandon's FI spreadsheet or any of the other resources mentioned in this episode, visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast/

Melanie had a TON of student loan debt and couldn't find a job in her field to pay it off. Then she discovered "side hustles" and learned things she's never get from a college course. Today she shares the inspiration behind her blog, DearDebt.com, which is the basis for her recently released book: Dear Debt: A Story About Breaking Up With Debt. To purchase a copy from Amazon, go to https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Debt-Story-About-Breaking/dp/0692684808

While their lifestyles are often fabulous, the LGBT community is not immune to financial problems. David and John, aka The Debt Free Guys, racked up over $50,000 in credit card debt and had nothing to show for it. Once they came together on a plan, they paid off all the debt and now live a debt free, money conscious lifestyle.

You are worth more than you think, but women in general underestimate the value they bring in their profession. Melanie, Tonya, and Mrs. Frugalwoods join me to share stories of failure, wins, and how we can confidently ask for just and fair compensation. Happy Hour always happens on the last Friday of the month. Make sure you don't miss a thing! Subscribe at http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

Shannon sits down with her Happy Hour crew of Melanie from DearDebt.com, Tonya from Budget and the Beach, and Mrs. Frugalwoods from Frugalwoods.com to continue the talk about being frugal vs being cheap. They will prove that they are willing to leave no topic untested, including using composting toilets, not owning furniture, going commando, and even the idea of donating a testicle. For more fun Happy Hour conversations, visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

The rules for managing money for a single person are same in concept, but not necessarily in the execution. As a young or old independent adult, there are stark differences in how to control spending and invest for the future than a married couple. Jess Garbarino from Every Single Dollar shares her story of getting out of debt and gives us 5 tips for managing finances as a single woman. For more great episodes, visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast

Becky is a physical fitness trainer with some great ideas for getting fit - financially as well as physically. She shares ideas for purchasing multi-functional and affordable equipment, how to avoid indulging too much, and answers 3 random questions. BONUS: I also share a new service called Debitize that will pay your credit cards for you while sticking to your budget. Find more about Becky Fox or Debitize by visiting http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast/

How do you find a financially harmonious partner? My girlfriends Melanie, Tonya and Mrs. Frugalwoods join me in this very personal discussion - including a very hard and personal announcement I need to share with you. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend or your own partner. It is my hope that others will be helped from hearing this message. You can find more resources at http://financially-blonde.com

With all the rules and various programs for student loan repayment options, you need an advocate on your side. Joining us today is Jay Fleischman a lawyer who concentrates on Consumer Protection and is most noted as an expert on income based repayment plans for student loans. This landscape is constantly changing and the time you devote to understanding it will save you not only money but headaches down the road. Become an advocate throughout your student loan debt repayment journey and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Check out Jay on his podcast, http://StudentLoanShow.com or chat with him on Twitter @JayFleischman Find the show notes at http://Financially-Blonde.com or tweet to me @blonde_finance

JD Roth is best known for growing and selling his website, GetRichSlowly.com for an undisclosed amount of money. He calls the proceeds "his retirement savings" and left him with some extra to take a 15-month RV trip around America. JD Roth shares the highlights and low points of his trip, including eating beans out of a can, not taking showers, and adopting a puppy. Which ones are the high and low points? That's up to you to decide. Enjoy my conversation with JD Roth, the Money Boss. Visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast for more great interviews about money

Cait Flanders found solace through a 12-month spending ban - but that’s not all. She also embraced some of the concepts found in minimalism like "buy one, give one" and the $20-20min rule. How much was she able to cut out of her budget? Listen to her story and find out. Visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast for more details and shows about martinis and your money.

Putting a sound buying strategy in place before investing can alleviate our fear of picking the wrong stock. Today I'm talking with Linda P Jones from Be Wealthy And Smart about why stocks go up and her strategy for building wealth. Find notes from the show at www.Financially-Blonde.com

The book "Think And Grow Rich" has truly shifted my philosophy around money and goals. Today my Happy Hour ladies talk about vision and goal setting based on what I have learned from reading Napoleon Hill's iconic book from 1937 - but is still relevant almost 80 years later. For more information visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast/

Joe Saul-Sehy from Stacking Benjamins shares this one simple trick to make it easy to break up with your financial advisor. For more great Martinis and Your Money episodes, visit http://financially-blonde.com/mmpodcast/

YOLO takes on a whole new meaning in Jason Vitug's book, You Only Live Once: The Roadmap to Financial Wellness; and Jason joins the podcast to talk about his book and his epic summer road trip.

Podcasting is a labor of love for many, but no one can have any success in podcasting without a support network of listeners, friends and family. I am taking the momentous occasion of achieving 100 episodes to thank the people who helped me get this far. Gratitude truly is the best attitude and I show my appreciation in this episode.

Consumer Saving Advocate of Good Morning America and Fox News, Andrea Woroch, shares her best tips to save on summer travel, entertainment and weddings.

The fantastic team from Haven Life Insurance sponsored and joined us on this podcast to talk about life insurance and why we may or may not have it. Life insurance is a topic most people don't want to talk about, especially when they're out having fun, but you need to start thinking about it sooner than later.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Lori Sackler, a financial advisor and author of the book, The M Word, about how you can talk about money with your loved ones.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Abigail Perry about her new book, Frugality for Depressives and the struggles that people with mental health challenges face while trying to manage their money.

On this episode, Shannon talks to Elle Martinez from the Couple Money podcast about money dates, what they entail and how they can be successful.

In this episode, Shannon and the Happy Hour ladies talk about when it makes sense to spend money and when the spend money and don't feel guilty about it.

In this episode, Shannon talks to David Carlson from Young Adult Money about his new book, Hustle Away Debt, and why side hustling is so important for achieving financial goals and paying down debt.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Taylor Milam from the blog site The Freedom From Money about how she paid off all of her student loan debt only 7 months after graduating from college.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Kristen Robinson from Fidelity Investments about their recent study into job offers and what's important to millennial job seekers.

In this episode, Shannon and the Happy Hour Ladies discuss some of the more foolish money moves they have made over time and play a game of whether or not it's foolish. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to her college roommate, Jill, about her struggles with infertility and how she eventually successfully adopted her son. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Erin Chase about how she creates five dollar dinners and saves money on food.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Holly from Club Thrifty about how to maximize credit cards to travel the world for next to nothing out of pocket.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Joe Saul-Sehy from Stacking Benjamins about tax loss harvesting and tax efficient investing. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Adam Carroll, the creator of the film Broke, Busted and Disgusted about the growing student loan debt crisis and what can be done about it.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Kate Dore from Cashville Skyline about leaving her job without another one lined up and how she survived unemployment.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Abigail Perry from the blog site, I Pick Up Pennies about her fertility challenges and the costs associated with them. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Tiffany Aliche aka The Budgetnista about her Live Richer Challenge and how she's helping tens of thousands of people live a better life financially.

In this episode, Shannon and the Happy Hour Ladies talk about how they struggle with the comparison game and what they do when they feel confronted by jealousy.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Wendy and Eric from DIY Fund about the importance of managing your investments around specific goals.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Lauren Greutman from I Am That Lady about her struggles to get financially fit and how she's raising four financially fit kids.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Wendy and Eric from DIY Fund about sector investing and how you can use it to enhance your portfolio value and returns.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Paul Golden from the National Endowment for Financial Education about financial infidelity and how you can prevent it or move forward from it as a couple.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Wendy and Eric from DIY Fund about ETFs and Mutual Funds to explain the similarities and differences.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Pat Palmer, founder of Medical Billing Advocates of America about what we need to know about medical bills and how we can save money on them.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Melanie from Dear Debt about how she paid off $81,000 in student loan debt while barely making minimum wage.

In this episode, Shannon and the Happy Hour Ladies are joined by Wendy and Eric from DIY Fund to answer investing questions from Target Date Funds to Market Capitalization. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Wendy and Eric from DIY Fund about portfolio risk and how you can identify and measure it.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Brandon from the blog site Mad Fientist and the Financial Independence podcast about what it takes to reach FI and what you should not miss in your pursuit to achieve it.

In this episode, Shannon chats with Wendy and Eric from DIY Fund about asset allocation, why it's important and how it can help people get better investment returns.

In this episode, Shannon is talking to Matt Reiner from Wela about what impacted the markets in 2015 and what we can expect to impact the financial markets in 2016.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Wendy and Eric from DIY Fund about the various asset classes that people can invest in and discusses what's important to know about each. A great episode for beginner investors.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Emma Johnson, founder of Wealthy Single Mommy and the Like a Mother podcast about what advice she has for single moms who are trying to get financially fit while raising their kids. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Wendy and Eric from DIY Fund about the steps that individuals can take to manage their portfolios like professionals. They discuss what pitfalls should be avoided and how to cut through the noise to make the best investing decisions for your situation. 

In this episode, Shannon and the happy hour ladies recap their 2015 achievements including becoming debt free and a feature on The Today Show and share what they are working on for 2016.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Saleem Khatri, founder of Instavest to hear his top 6 tips for smart investing.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Gillian Segal about her latest book, Getting There: A Book of Mentors and discusses what we can learn from popular leaders to live a better life.

In this episode, Shannon talks to William Green, author of the book, The Great Minds of Investing about what he learned from profiling 33 of the world's best investors who combined manage over a trillion dollars in assets.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Jason Hartman founder of the Platinum Properties Investor Network and host of the Creating Wealth podcast about investing in income producing property as a means to grow your wealth. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Stephanie Halligan about the launch of her new book Art to Self and talks about what motivates Stephanie and how others can get motivated to live a financially healthier life. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Nick Clements, co-founder of Magnify Money about building and rebuilding your credit score. They discuss the importance of secured credit cards, what to do we collection agencies and how you can save money with your credit score.

In this episode, Shannon discusses money saving tips for the holidays with the happy hour ladies. We share our best ideas for saving on gifts and entertaining as well as our favorite and least favorite gifts we've received. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Paul Golden from the National Endowment for Financial Education about warning signs to watch for as far as your parent's personal financial management skills and how to start the family money conversations before it's too late.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Harlan (Luke) Landes about his journey from living at home with his parents to selling his blog for seven figures. 

On this episode, Shannon talks to Jennifer Fitzgerald, the CEO of Policy Genius about disability insurance, why you should care about it, how to know when you're covered, the best way to search for it and questions you should ask.

In this episode, Shannon answers a reader's question with the help of Matt Reiner and Eddie Goepp from Wela about preparing for retirement while also preparing for the possibility of a zombie apocalypse.

In this episode, Shannon and the Happy Hour Ladies discuss their personal care spending, why they spend what they spend and how they save money on personal care. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Cary Carbonaro, a Certified Financial Planner, and author of the bestselling book, The Money Queen's Guide: For Women Who Want to Build Wealth and Banish Fear about how men and women can gain better control of their finances.

In this episode, Shannon talks to financial planner, Melissa Sotudeh about great tips, tools and resources to help families plan and pay for college while also achieving their other financial goals. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to New York Times Bestselling author, Kabir Sehgal, about his new book, Coined and learns some really interesting facts about money.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Elle Martinez from the Couple Money podcast about best money practices that couples can use to keep the money stress to a minimum.

In this episode, the happy hour ladies record for the first time in the same room together live from the podcast recording stage during FinCon the financial blogger's conference. They share some of the money mistakes they have made and what they learned from the process. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Emily Thompson from the Being Boss podcast about her best tips and ideas to start your own online business. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Joshua Sheats from Radical Personal Finance about life insurance, determining the best type for you, the difference between term and whole life and when whole life insurance makes sense as an investment. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Jenny Powers, the founder of Running with Heels, a networking company focused on helping women network, about some best practices to help you grow and maintain your networks.

In this episode, Shannon and the Happy Hour Ladies share their best tips on how you can save money while traveling. 

In this episode, Shannon revisits her conversation with Melanie from Dear Debt about how she has paid off thousands of dollars in student loan debt while not earning much in her 9-5 job.

This episode originially aired in November 2014. Shannon sat down with Mr. and Mrs. Frugalwoods, the anonymous bloggers responsible for the Frugalwoods website to talk about their frugal journey toward financial independence by the age of 33. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Andy Josuweit, CEO of the company Student Loan Hero about student loans, how to manage them, repay them and how his company can help you understand your student loans. 

In this episode, Shannon and the Happy Hour Ladies discuss various personal and financial obstacles that they have had to overcome and share their tips for navigating tough times. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to solopreneur and coach, Carrie Smith, about how freelancers, solopreneurs and small business owners can better manage their finances. This is a great episode for anyone with an erratic income stream.

In this episode, Shannon chats with Eric Roberge, founder of Beyond Your Hammock about questions clients should ask their advisors before and after starting a relationship with one. 

In this podcast, Shannon talks to lifestyle and personal finance expert, Stefanie O'Connell about the various ways that you can have fun while not spending much money.

In this episode, Shannon and the Happy Hour Ladies talk about food, how much they each spend on food, how they save on food and some of their biggest food splurges.

In this episode, Shannon sits down with her dad to talk about the money choices he made so that he could enjoy financial freedom at 60.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Kali Hawlk about 5 smart money tips that Millennials should follow to have financial success. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Mel who decided to not pursue a teaching career but rather follow her theater passion to the cruise ship life and beyond. 

In this episode, Shannon and the Happy Hour Ladies talk about relationships and money, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Shannon talks to former financial advisor Joe Saul-Sehy about his experience of helping men and women invest to determine if there are differents and if stereotypes are correct.

In this episode, Shannon talks to her sister Megan about the ups and downs she's experienced in her career from living on Shannon's sofa to getting her dream job at her dream company.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Catherine Alford about the ups and downs of being a working mom.

In this episode, Shannon explains the difference between mutual funds and ETFs and what investors should look for when investing in them.

Shannon and the happy hour ladies talk about investing, who is doing what and concerns or challenges they face around the topic of investing. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to Erin Chase, otherwise known as the 5 Dollar Dinner Mom about how she saves money and they discuss great tools and strategies to save money on your food spending.

In this episode, Shannon talks to LeeAnn Maxwell, the founder of Vixen Vodka about starting a vodka company and brand after turning 50.

Shannon talks to blogger and credit card churner, Holly Johnson about how you can travel for free by using credit card rewards.

In this episode the Happy Hour crew discusses whether certain behaviors are frugal or cheap.

In this episode, Shannon talks to financial motivational speaker and stand up comedian, Colin Ryan about his career and how he helps people have a better relationship with money through humor. 

In this episode, Shannon speaks with financial planner and blogger, Shannon Ryan about the basics of life insurance, who needs it, how much do you need, what type and how much will it cost.

Shannon talks to Philip Taylor, of PT Money and FinCon success about his experience as a landlord and learns what advice he has for others. 

In this episode, the Happy Hour crew gets together to talk about when you are being cheap vs. frugal. 

Shannon talks to her friend Jenn about her experience working as a temp which led to a full-time position. 

Shannon talks to Paula Pant about her life experiences of traveling the world, working for herself, investing in real estate and becoming an Airbnb host.

In this episode, Shannon chats with Lauren Bowling from LB and the Money Tree about the recent debt trouble she has gotten into and how she plans to get out of it.

In this monthly series, Shannon is joined for happy hour with some of her favorite personal finance bloggers to discuss various topics in personal finance.

Shannon talks to entrepreneur and artist, Stephanie Halligan, about her debt repayment journey and her latest passion project, Art to Self. 

Shannon talks to a 23-year-old listener, Claire who wants to know how she should invest her savings.

Shannon talks to solopreneur, freelance writer, blog owner and mom of 9 month old twins, Cat Alford, about her transition from type A overachiever to working mom trying to balance making money and taking care of her family.

Shannon talks to new Author, Stefanie O'Connell about her book, The Broke and Beautiful Life. Stefanie is a professional actress and personal finance expert who writes about how to live a big life on a small budget.

In this episode, Shannon shares her thoughts on what you can do to plan for 2015 and she gets support from some of her blog buddies.

In this podcast, Shannon talks to her 8 year old son, Will, about the money lessons he has learned and asks for his advice to help parents and kids manage their money well.

Shannon discusses common investing questions with Shannon Ryan, CFP and financial advisor.

In this episode, Shannon talks to Tonya from Budget at the Beach on how she handles setbacks in her freelancing business and how she has prepared herself to weather these tough times. 

In this episode, Shannon talks to JD Roth, the founder of Get Rich Slowly about his pursuit of happiness.

In this episode, Shannon speaks with Joe Saul-Sehy from Stacking Benjamins about investing mistakes people make all the time.

In this episode, Shannon talks with Mr. and Mrs. Frugalwoods over a frugal-tini about how they plan to reach financial independence by the age of 33. 

In this episode, Shannon talks with Kassandra Dasent about getting into more than $50,000 worth of consumer debt and how she paid off the debt while also dating her now husband.

Shannon chats with J. Money of the personal finance sites Budgets Are Sexy and Rockstar Finance about his new project Challenge Everything. Over the course of the conversation, they discuss blogging, side hustling, money habits and what makes J. cry. 

In this episode, Shannon chats with her husband of 11 years about some of their money struggles in the past and they both share what they did to overcome those challenges and work together as a team to get their finances in order. 

In this podcast we speak to Melanie Lockhert of Dear Debt about her debt repayment journey. As of the recording, Melanie had paid down $46,000 of her $81,000 in student loan debt and most of it while earning pretty meager salaries. She was able to accomplish this goal by side hustling and working hard and she shares some of her side hustle stories as well. 

In this podcast we discuss common credit myths and what you really should do to improve your credit score. We discuss the steps you should take to build or repair your credit as well as usual websites. Finally, we talk about how to prevent banks from charging you too much money. 

In this podcast, I share a little bit about myself and why I decided to start a podcast. I also discuss what to expect from Martinis and Your Money.