So Money with Farnoosh Torabi

*This episode is brought to us by COUNTRY Financial.We're looking ahead and helping you answer some of your 2021 money questions today.I’ve recently partnered with COUNTRY Financial, and they conducted a survey checking in on how Americans are feeling about their finances. Are we optimistic? worried?Well, 38% say they believe their finances will improve in the New Year. And ahead of this episode I asked YOU on Instagram for your top financial questions as we ring in 2021, so we'll be tackling some of those in a moment with special co-host Troy Frerichs, Vice President of Investment Services at COUNTRY Trust Bank.We've got questions about what to do with an inheritance someone recently received, whether to max out a 401(k) before the tax deadline and whether to use savings for paying down debt or keeping it put?The COUNTRY Financial Security Index, a survey conducted by Ipsos, an independent research firm, on November 6-9, 2020 of 1,015 American adults (18+). The full survey results can be found in the COUNTRY Financial newsroom at countryfinancial.com/farnoosh. Troy’s comments are his own, and while he is here on behalf of COUNTRY Trust Bank, anything stated should not be considered individual investment advice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s episode is one of two bonus shows dedicated to answering your student loan questions, a collaboration with TIAA, a leading provider of financial services in the academic, research, medical, cultural and government fields.TIAA has been working hard to help its participating employers provide student loan repayment solutions to workers. They’ve created a collaboration with Savi, a social impact technology startup that’s working to solve the student debt crisis by helping workers discover new repayment and loan forgiveness options. The solution helps individuals with their student debt, specifically their Federal Public Student Loan Forgiveness program enrollment.My guest is Snezana Zlatar, Senior Managing Director and Head of Financial Wellness and Innovation for TIAA. We navigate some of your student loan questions - from how to negotiate lower rates on your private loan and whether it’s wise to put extra money towards your student loans or a retirement plan?Snezana also shares more about the TIAA Savi collab and how it’s saving workers with student loans who take advantage of the solution an average of $1,900 a year.To learn more visit www.TIAA.org/savi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While 2020 was a step backwards for female employment, my guest believes that big changes are afoot to support professional women in the workplace. Kristy Wallace is the CEO of Ellevate Network, and is responsible for executing Ellevate Network’s mission of changing the culture of business from the inside out by providing professional women with a supportive community to lean on and learn from. She directs the Network’s staff, is responsible for business growth and strategy, and works closely with Ellevate's Chapter Leaders, Business Partners, and Champions to further Ellevate's impact.Kristy is host of the Ellevate Podcast: Conversations with Women Changing the Face of Business and is also a regular speaker and thought leader on Leadership, Diversity, Social Entrepreneurship, Networking, and Entrepreneurialism. Most recently, Kristy was recognized as a Woman of Influence by the New York Business Journal.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Negin Farsad was named one of the 53 Funniest Women by Huffington Post and her TEDTalk on social justice comedy has been seen by millions. She is author of How to Make White People Laugh, host of political comedy podcast Fake the Nation, regular panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, and frequent co-host on Neil DeGrasse Tyon’s Star Talk. She’s been on HBO's High Maintenance and Comedy Central’s Nightly Show among others. She wrote/directed The Muslims Are Coming! (Netflix) with Jon Stewart and David Cross. Her latest 3rd Street Blackout is on Peacock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's Ask Farnoosh, a listener requests financial advice for her relationship. Another fan wants to know how to best save for a child's college education. Also, will housing prices cool in 2021? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it cost to produce a documentary? Can you get rich selling a project to Showtime or Amazon?Wendy Sachs recently pivoted from her career as a bestselling author and speaker to produce a documentary. She spent three years on the road following the political campaigns of, among others, Lauren Underwood, the youngest Black woman to ever be elected to Congress. Fresh from that experience, she's on So Money to discuss the behind-the-scenes reality of raising money for her project and how she ultimately negotiated deals with two major streaming channels. Her documentary, Surge, is about the record number of first-time female candidates who ran, won and upended politics in the historic 2018 midterm election. It premiered on Showtime this fall and is currently airing on Amazon, as well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rha Goddess and Deepa Purushothaman were brought together over five years ago. Deepa was a “first” Senior Partner at Deloitte. Rha left corporate America and the chemical industry as an “only” two decades ago to focus on helping leaders find their passion, purpose and calling. Deepa has spent years focusing on women’s leadership and inclusion strategies to help WOC navigate corporate structures. Rha has helped hundreds of high impact leaders realize they can work in ways that honor their values and uplift new definitions of power, profitability and success. Together, they have discovered that there is a collective untapped power that WOC have yet to harness and leverage. Visit n2formation.com to learn more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Replay) I recently had an experience that was proof positive of all the advice shared on So Money about how to negotiate your worth. The following episode offers the the play-by-play that happened over email and my notes to you. It's the actual script (with some omissions for privacy). Plus, answers to your money questions about building credit and making the most of a lump sum payment. This episode originally aired on January 31, 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Snoop Dogg to Martha Stewart and suburbia, marijuana has entered the mainstream. What drove this movement? It's a story about business, race, politics and of course, money. Our guest is Heather Cabot, award-winning journalist and author of The New Chardonnay: The Unlikely Story of How Marijuana Went Mainstream.More about Heather: Her book was named a Good Morning America “must-read” and has earned praise from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist and Katie Couric for the book’s deep reporting and entertaining storytelling. Heather also hosts The New Chardonnay podcast and is a former ABC News correspondent and anchor. Cabot serves on the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni board and is a contributor to Forbes. She is also the co-author of the WSJ-acclaimed book Geek Girl Rising: Inside the Sisterhood Shaking Up Tech (St. Martin’s Press).  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Broadway went dark in March 2020 following the pandemic, countless artists and performers found themselves suddenly out of work, including Margaret Skoglund, a Broadway show manager. Her pivot in the following months would not help her to rebound, but many of her creative colleagues. She founded Virtual Broadway, a platform that connects people to the world's most successful performers with professionally-produced, custom video experiences for your business or for your friends and family. More about Margeret: A former Duke Women’s Basketball manager, she traded games for performances and practices for rehearsals when she moved to New York City to manage Broadway shows. Over a dozen years later, favorites include Rock of Ages, Mamma Mia!, What the Constitution Means to Me, and Once On This Island as well as The Lion King and Newsies First National Tours. Other credits include Executive Producer of The Seagull (2018 Tribeca Film Festival) and Associate Producer of the inaugural Festival of New American Musicals in Los Angeles. In her spare time, she served on the Duke University Alumni Association Board of Directors and co-founded Open Stage Project, a non-profit that introduces high school women from underserved communities to backstage jobs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.