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In this episode of Weird Finance, Paco talks to Maya Lau to pierce the taboo surrounding money talks. They delve deep into Maya's journey from being an investigative journalist to starting her podcast, Other People's Pockets, a venture that allowed her to explore her guests' careers, including their finances. Together, they acknowledge the awkwardness and fear when discussing finances, transitioning career paths, valuing one's skills, and introducing personal finance discussions to the younger generation. The talk rounds up with Maya's insights about money, her regrets, and her hopes for the future. 

Maya Lau (@itsmayamoney and @mayalau) is the creator, host, and executive producer of the podcast Other People’s Pockets, produced by Pushkin Industries and Little Everywhere. She’s an award-winning former investigative reporter for The Los Angeles Times and The Advocate newspaper in Louisiana. Her work led to the ouster of the warden of the notorious Angola prison in Louisiana and helped spur new laws that made police disciplinary files more transparent in California.

This episode also features The Economic Outlook with financial astrologer Susan Gidel. Susan, our resident economic cosmonaut, does what many humans have done before us for thousands of years: she looks to the stars to understand our economic present and predict our financial futures. For more guidance from Susan, sign up for her Red Letter Trading Days newsletter.

A special thanks to the talented and generous Ramsey Yount for producing, editing, and sound designing this episode. 

Thank you to Jenna and Andrew Parker for lending your voice for our special PSA. 

The theme music was written and performed by Andrew Parker, Jenna Parker, and Paco de Leon.

If you’d like to contact us about the show or ask Paco a question about finances, call our hotline at 1-833-ASK-PACO, email us at weirdfinancepod (at) gmail.com or submit your questions here. We’d also love your listener feedback about the show; here’s a short survey.

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