So Money with Farnoosh Torabi

Though inflation is showing signs of cooling, food prices remain higher than they've been in decades. Gina Zakaria, a personal finance educator and grocery expert, shares some of her road-tested strategies for reducing her grocery bill by 50%.Through her Saving Whiz platform and social network of over 3 million people, she teaches simple strategies that make it easy to save money. Her mission is to empower others to save in a way that doesn’t feel depriving. She’s been featured on Good Morning America, NBC Today, Forbes, Money, and others. Gina also runs her online community, Super Savers, where she coaches and guides members to save money the easy way, so they have more money for things they love. Grab her free Freeze List. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week: A listener's company is offering to help pay for the downpayment on a home. Is it too good to be true? How to share the cost of furniture when moving in with your partner? Special guest and Farnoosh's friend Laura Belgray, Founder of Talking Shrimp stops by at the end of the episode to talk about The White Lotus finale (spoiler alert!) and what we learn about money and power. Grab Laura's freebie, Story Goldmine, here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alissa Quart, the author of several books, including Squeezed: Why Our Families Can’t Afford America, offers insights into her in-depth reporting on economic hardship. We discussed the people who now make up the “middle precariat,” those considered middle-class professionals living a precarious economic life, who are just barely making it, underemployed and/or saddled with debt. We discuss how generations are being squeezed, what inequality looks like and how to build a better future. To listen to Alissa's audio series Going for Broke, click here. For more related content in our "Priced Out" series on CNET Money, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the True Living Cost in America? How do the CPI - Consumer Price Index - and Unemployment Rate fall short of measuring our economic realities? Guest Gene Ludwig is a former Comptroller of the Currency and now chairman of the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity. LISEP provides a more accurate picture of the economic reality for families through the creation of a cost of living metric called TLC, or TRUE LIVING COST, which factors in housing, food, transportation, healthcare, childcare, technology and other miscellaneous. For more related content in our "Priced Out" series on CNET Money, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's Ask Farnoosh addresses questions about side hustles, the best financial apps, leasing a car, calculating life insurance needs and the myth of imposter syndrome.Check out: Farnoosh's biggest money mistakeStuck on what to give your friend (or yourself) this holiday season? The 2023 So Money Page-a-Day calendar is chock-full of Farnoosh's best tips and insights to help you live a richer life. Use the code CALENDAR22 and save 20% at pageaday.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Choose your hours, choose your work, be your own boss, control your own income. Welcome to the gig economy, a nebulous collection of online platforms and apps that promise to transcend capitalism. Supporters argue that the gig economy will reverse economic inequality, enhance worker rights, and bring entrepreneurship to the masses. But does it? Guest Alexandrea J. Ravenelle, Associate Professor of sociology at UNC-Chapel Hill and author of Hustle and Gig, shares the personal stories of nearly eighty predominantly millennial gig workers, underlining the volatility of working in the gig economy.For more related content in our "Priced Out" series on CNET Money, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're exploring the *real* cost of living over the next couple of weeks, examining how everyday Americans are struggling to cover basic needs. Today's focus is the cost of health care and what we need to know, as we attempt to secure our essential health care and pay for medical bills. Guest Emily Maloney is the author of Cost of Living, a collection of essays about her life experience dealing with illness, money and medicine, from the perspective as a patient and a professional -- an EMT, an emergency room tech, and a drug rep. She is a survivor of the difficulties many Americans face while navigating the healthcare system and has a great deal of insights and advice to share. For more related content in our "Priced Out" series on CNET Money, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All new Ask Farnoosh. Listeners want to learn about the best tax-wise way to invest for retirement, the smartest places to save (CDs or I Bonds?), whether short or long-term disability leave can hurt your chances of qualifying for Public Service Loan Forgiveness and whether it's wise to buy universal life insurance.Grab your copy of the SO MONEY Page-A-Day CALENDAR. Save 20% with the code SOMONEY23 on PageaDay.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The modern family is often a blended one. How should couples with step children manage expenses? What are the important conversations to have before getting married? Expert Cameron Normand, co-founder of The Stepmom Summit, joins to share insights from her work and real life as the stepmom to four children.More about Cameron: She is founder/CEO of This Custom Life, where she provides stepmoms with tools and advice to help them manage their blended family lives. She is a Certified Stepfamily Coach, the creator of the BLENDED Family Formula For Stepmom Success, and author of The Stepmom’s Gratitude Journal.  Cameron is married to a recently-retired Army veteran and has four stepchildren. The link for Cameron's freebie is www.stepfamilymoney.com.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Treasury Secretary, former Federal Reserve Chairwoman and Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Janet Yellen is one the most powerful woman in American economic history. Award-winning economics writer and author Jon Hilsenrath joins with insights about her life and work from his new book, Yellen: The Trailblazing Economist Who Navigated an Era of Upheaval. He shares how she navigated the sexism in her industry and in politics, her unconventional partnership in marriage and work with Nobel Laureate George Akerlof and why she didn't always "lean in."More about Jon Hilsenrath: He is a senior writer for the Wall Street Journal, where he has been since 1997, reporting from Hong Kong, New York, and Washington, DC. He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2014 for his coverage of the Federal Reserve; part of a team of 2009 Pulitzer finalists for coverage of the global financial crisis; and contributed on-the-scene reporting from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, which helped the WSJ win a Pulitzer in 2002. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.