Patreon Preview: What To Do Financially After a Cancer Diagnosis
Today we’re giving you a first look inside our brand-new Patreon-exclusive Mailbag series — and this one’s powerful.
A listener, a single mom of a toddler, just received a cancer diagnosis. She reached out with urgent questions about how to manage her finances during treatment:
Are cancer insurance payouts taxable?
Should she prioritize paying off IRS debt or building savings?
How can she prepare for unpaid leave while focusing on recovery?
Jean and Kathryn dig into it all, from the tax treatment of cancer insurance to how to protect your money when life takes an unexpected turn.
This episode is a preview of what’s waiting for you when you subscribe to our new HerMoney Patreon, where you’ll find:
✨ Deep-dive mailbags with Jean and Kathryn
📞 Call-in AMA mailbags with real listeners
🎧 Ad-free listening
🌙 “After Hours with HerMoney” — more daring, personal money conversations
👉 Join us at patreon.com/hermoney to unlock the full episodes and help shape the future of the show.
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EP 499: Estate Planning Is an Act of Love: Here’s How to Start
What happens to everything you've worked so hard for — your home, your savings, your family memories — after you're gone? If your answer is “I’m not sure,” the time to start planning is now.
In this empowering episode, Jean sits down with Heather Winston, Certified Financial PlannerTM professional of Principal Advised Services, LLC and Assistant Vice President at Principal Financial Group®, to talk all things estate planning; what it can really mean, why it matters, and how to get started, no matter your income level or family structure.
Together, they unpack:
Four key documents every adult should have (and when to update them)
Why estate planning is a form of kindness to the people you love
How to make tough conversations with aging parents, or your own kids, a little easier
The often-overlooked importance of your digital estate
How to leave a legacy of values, not just valuables
Want help organizing your financial life or finding an estate planning attorney? Subscribe to the HerMoney newsletter at Hermoney.com/subscribe for resources, checklists, and more.
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The Scripts You Need When Talking To A Financial Advisor
If you’ve ever felt intimidated walking into a meeting with a financial advisor or unsure if you’re even asking the right questions, this episode is for you. Jean sits down with Pam Krueger, investor advocate and founder of Wealthramp, to walk through actual word-for-word scripts that you can use when meeting with an advisor for the first time, reassessing a current relationship, or navigating retirement planning.
Together, Jean and Pam role-play a variety of real-life money conversations: from figuring out if an advisor is a good fit, to asking about fees, to deciding whether you’re better off managing your own money. You’ll learn how to confidently evaluate the value your advisor brings, how to compare professionals during the interview process, and how to stress-test your financial plan for retirement.
You’ll Learn:
What to say (and ask!) in your very first advisor meeting
How to know if it’s time to break up with your advisor
The real value a good advisor should bring to your life
The crucial questions to ask if retirement is on the horizon
How to compare multiple advisors — without the overwhelm
👉 Visit HerMoney.com/FindAnAdvisor to connect with a vetted, fee-only fiduciary advisor through Wealthramp.
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EP 498: The Personal Finance Tips That Really Matter, According to Carl Richards
We’re more financially informed than ever, thanks to FinTok, money podcasts, and yes, even chatbots. But when it comes to having real conversations about money with the people closest to us? We still freeze.
This week, Jean sits down with Carl Richards — New York Times “Sketch Guy” columnist, CFP®, and author of the new book Your Money: Reimagining Wealth Through 101 Simple Sketches — to talk about why personal finance is more emotional than we think, and how to start the conversations we’ve been avoiding.
In this episode, we cover:
Why budgeting tools don’t fix emotional money problems
How to align your spending with your values (without guilt)
Why we underestimate our future financial needs
Carl’s take on market volatility, retirement, and behavior-based investing
Why your calendar and checkbook reveal your true priorities
And how to talk about money with your partner, kids, or even yourself
Resources:
✏️ Follow Carl on Instagram: @behaviorgap
🎨 Explore Carl’s sketches: behaviorgap.com
🧠 Join the HerMoney Patreon for exclusive bonus content: HerMoney Patreon
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A Week In Her Wallet: A Divorced 47-Year-Old Bringing In $10K A Month
Jennifer, 47, lives in Maryland, with her partner of 12 years. She’s the Vice President of Communications for a consulting firm. Her partner is a teacher and voice actor, and together they make about $300,000 a year.
In this week’s A Week In Her Wallet, Jennifer tracks seven days of spending that include thoughtful gift-giving, a haircut she happily budgets for, a hefty mortgage payment on her beach home, and a few well-earned indulgences.
💬 In this episode:
How Jennifer manages separate finances in a long-term relationship
Why she’s accelerating payments on her second home
The emotional payoff of responsible splurging
What she’s learned about aligning money with happiness
If more financial confidence sounds good to you, then you might want to try…
4-Week Coaching Program: Identify and understand your spending, build a strategic plan, and take control of your money.
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Anyone who tells you women don’t need financial advice specifically for them is wrong. Women, whether they’re the caretakers, the breadwinners, or both, face a unique set of financial challenges. That’s where HerMoney comes in. In her frank, often funny, but always compassionate way, Jean Chatzky takes every audience of women through the steps they need to take today to live comfortably (and worry-free) tomorrow, offering the latest research, expert tips and personal advice. Want more money news when you need it? Get the latest and greatest updates on all things investing, budgeting, and making money. Subscribe to the HerMoney newsletter at HerMoney.com/subscribe!
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