We handed our entire life-savings to him.

In today’s episode, financial advisor Ryan Edlefsen shares the #1 MONEY RULE he demanded we follow before he’d touch a single dollar — plus the exact habits that turn ordinary paychecks into passive wealth.

What you’ll learn:

▫️ The rule that lets you stock-pick guilt-free

▫️ How a 5-minute index-fund setup beats most day-traders long-term

▫️ The six-month emergency-fund formula that wipes out money anxiety

▫️ Ryan’s automation ladder: employer match → Roth → mega-backdoor Roth

▫️ Why one hidden childhood belief still dictates your spending — and how to rewrite it tonight

⏰ Timestamps

00:00 Intro – meet the Money Therapist

00:05 Why money feels like therapy

01:30 Childhood baggage & finance

04:11 Beginner step: 5-minute index-fund setup

06:24 “Play money” vs. core portfolio

08:24 Emergency fund: 6× monthly spend

08:55 Automation 101 – employer match = free money

09:36 Mega-backdoor Roth explained ($30 K tax-free)

10:35 High-yield savings: earn 4 % doing nothing

12:16 Diversifying with international & bond indexes

13:31 Intermediate goal: when work becomes optional

15:05 4 % rule math in plain English

16:40 Couples & money: shared-account playbook

18:15 The notebook audit: kill scarcity phrases

19:50 Ryan’s money lessons

21:33 Relationships: personal accounts vs. joint accounts

24:12 When and HOW to talk about finances during dating

25:45 Cherie's financial role play with Ryan

27:30 The person you marry is the most important financial decision

28:00 When to have the financial conversation

29:40 Would Jean be comfortable making more than her husband?

32:08 Pre-nup is a relationship killer?

33:33 Any financial red flags between Jean and her ex?

37:40 Deal or delusion: Ryan's hottest takes

40:00 Outro – like, comment, rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Subscribe & tap the 🔔 so you don’t miss the next episode, and drop a comment and rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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🐯👯‍♀️ Tiger Sisters — Your Silicon Valley & Wall Street Big Sisters

Decoding Money • Power • Love

✨ New episodes every Monday | Shorts all week  ✨

We turn Harvard and Stanford MBA case studies and hard‑won tech & finance lessons into frameworks you can use this week.

What you’ll get (and keep)

▫️ 🚀 Ivy League Cheat Sheets in 30 min – no $250 K tuition required

▫️ Recession‑Proof Personal Finance Rules – salary jumps, automated investing, psychology of money

▫️ Networking Scripts that Work – DMs behind Goldman offers, $100M+ deals, & Fortune 500 partnerships

▫️ Exclusive Sit‑downs with billionaire investors, unicorn founders, & media powerhouses

▫️ Mindset & Life Design Resets – growth mindset drills minus the pricey career coach

▫️ Wellness • Fashion • Habit Hacks that survive 12‑hour workdays, travel, and fun

▫️ ⬇️ Free Templates & Worksheets linked in episodes

Resource sheet: https://shop.beacons.ai/cherie.brooke/7bd9ff2b-61a4-4658-ab26-6bac919c27cb

Why trust us?

▫️ Cherie Brooke Luo – 100 M+ views demystifying big tech, finance, entrepreneurship, & MBA life

▫️ Jean Luo – ex‑Goldman, ex‑Snapchat exec, 50+ AI patents, startup investor & advisor

▫️ Together: 4 Ivy degrees • built billion‑dollar product lines • two startups – translated into plain English so anyone can level‑up.

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💛 LET'S CONNECT:

~ CHERIE ~

🤳🏻 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/cherie.brooke

📱 TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@cherie.brooke

✍🏻 My Substack – https://cherieluo.substack.com/

👩🏻‍💻 LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherie-luo/

~ JEAN ~

🤳🏻 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jeanluo_/

👩🏻‍💻 LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanluo

🎵 Music produced by Sammy Signal https://open.spotify.com/artist/2HsyknHuxhT8RoZfn5rqMS

🛍️ Items Referenced:

🍵 Sisters Matcha: www.sistersmatcha.com

🌀 Everything else: https://amzn.to/3z0dx5b

Episode 2409: Jonathan Bostic - math ed measures and validity