Episodes

Are you ready for open enrollment? Open enrollment for health insurance is right around the corner. However, no matter when you’re listening to this episode, you’re going to love this guide to hacking health insurance with Cosmopolitan Deputy Lifestyle Director Ashely Oerman. Ashley is breaking down what you need to know to save some bucks in the process, like her great tip on whether to choose an HMO or PPO and how to save $84,000. She also shares what you need to know about a Health Savings Account and ways to save on prescription drugs.LINKSCosmo's Smart Girl's Guide to Hacking Health Insurance Open enrollment guidelinesAshley on InstagramAshley's websiteSPONSORSThanks to Chime for sponsoring the show. Get started with Chime today. Applying for a free account takes less than 2 minutes. Get started at chime.com/mymoney.Thanks to BetterHelp for sponsoring the show. I want you to start living a happier life today. As a listener, you’ll get 10% off your first month at BetterHelp by vis…

This Ask Shannah episode was inspired by a question from Nicole who wrote, “Shannah, I’m so thrilled to have found the Everyone’s Talkin’ Money podcast. You cover so many topics that I never knew I wanted to learn about and I’m always sharing them as you ask me to do with friends, so thank you. Ok, I’ve got a doozy of a question. My partner and I are always getting into fights over money. We’ve been together for 5 years now and are considering marriage but I’m pretty scared. We’ve gone to therapy about money but it feels like nothing changes. My partner and I both sneak and hide things we’re buying that we both know are bad. I’ve listened to a lot of your episodes on mindset and money trauma and I really get into them but then I have a hard time talking to my partner about what I learn and what I’m feeling. I don’t know, I just feel like all we’re doing is fucking up our relationship by letting money take such a front seat. Any advice and tips and anything else you can share I’d so ap…

Did you know there is $195 billion of medical debt outstanding?  And, in fact, medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy here in the U.S. If you’ve been to the hospital or even a Dr. recently you know, even with insurance, getting healthcare in the country means you often have to pay out of pocket in a big way. The truth is you shouldn’t be put in financial ruin for walking through the door of a hospital or medical provider. We are human beings that all deserve to have affordable and accessible medical care. End of story. However, as our guest, Allison Sesso, Executive Director of RIP Medical Debt says, “the system wasn’t set up for your success in the first place.” Allison joins us on a riveting episode uncovering the who, what, when, where, and why behind medical debt and offers some great advice if you are currently in medical debt.  Some of her advice includes knowing hospital financial assistance programs, never putting medical debt on a credit card, and making sure you kno…

It’s been almost a year since my husband Jeff and I moved to the East Coast from Los Angeles. This last year has been a giant process of untangling a lot of stuff that I had gotten tangled up, including maybe even shockingly so, parts of my relationship with money. I want to ask you, are there parts of your relationship with money that need to be untangled? I was so excited to talk with our guest Angela McKinney, an additional recovery expert, somatic guide, and author of a new book Untangle: How to Create Big Possibilities Through Small Changes for this episode. Angela has a 3-Step mind-body system called The Untangle Method that she’s walking you through in this episode. We also chat about money trauma and ways to work through tangled-up money beliefs, behaviors, and patterns so you can break free and live a rich life. LINKSAngela's website Untangle: How to Create Big Possibilities Through Small Changes bookSPONSORSThanks to Chime for sponsoring the show. Get started with Chime toda…

Are these 5 investing taboos keeping you stuck?In Today's Shannah Shares, Community Q&A vault episode, I tackle a question from Laquisha: "Hi Shannah. Thanks so much for answering my question. I really want to start investing but I keep getting hung up on all the chatter out there. I can’t figure out if I’m supposed to wait to start investing until I’ve paid off all my debt, or is that not smart to do? Also, it just feels like I need to be an expert at investing to do it well. I know that’s not true, but man, it just feels so hard to figure out investing. I know so many people are making a killing, and I kinda feel bad that I haven’t started at all, know what I mean. You’ve done so many great investing episodes, I’m curious if there’s an episode from the past that you think I should check out. You’re awesome and I so appreciate this show for motivating me. My boyfriend can’t believe I care this much about my money, but I just tell him, yes, yes I do and so should you. Ok, thanks a…

That hot summer wind is giving way to a cooler fall breeze at least where I live, and that means you’ve only got a few months left this year to get your money ready for the new year. In this episode, I’m sharing 8 Fall Money Moves to make to set yourself up for success. Bring out the cozy sweats, brew a cup of tea, and let’s start talkin’. RELATED EPISODESMoney 101 - How to Track Your Cash And Why It Matters7 Secrets to Free Up Cash and Create More Cash FlowSPONSORSThanks to Chime for sponsoring the show. Get started with Chime today. Applying for a free account takes less than 2 minutes. Get started at chime.com/mymoneyThanks to Apple Card for sponsoring the show. Apply for the Apple Card now in the Wallet app on iPhone and start using it right away.Thanks to Shopify for sponsoring the show. Shopify is more than a store. Connect with your customers. Drive sales. Manage your day-to-day. Go to http://www.shopify.com/mymoney for a FREE fourteen-day trial and get full access to Shopify’s…

My cute pup Winnie is just past the 7-month mark and is starting to find her voice, as we say. She’s barking at other dogs on walks, much to my dismay, she’s got boundless energy, and she’s also trying to figure out how to navigate life. Winnie kind of reminds me what it feels like to be an entrepreneur - you’re always trying to navigate running a business and learning when to bark. There are 582 million entrepreneurs in the world, and if you’re one of those, you know what I mean. But figuring out the money and legal side of running a biz is hard work! In this episode, Lauren Boyd, lawyer and owner of Guide My Business, is here to give you all the important info on making your business grow - everything from trademarks to approachable, and affordable, legal advice for entrepreneurs. She’s sharing all the legal questions you have but have been too afraid to ask, or don’t know to ask. And, if you’re thinking about starting a business, you’re in the right spot to get started off set up f…

Have you ever thought, if only I knew the secrets to money, life would be so much easier? You're in luck! There are some tricks and just everyday money advice that I think you really need to know. Now, no one really talks about this stuff, and if they do, it’s brushed over because most assume you already know this stuff or that it isn’t important. We aren't going to do that! In this reboot episode, I’m sharing the top 13 money secrets that no one teaches you but you should know so you can be in the know. And, no, you don’t have to keep these a secret anymore. You'll learn why it's not really about what you earn but about what you spend, the #1 lesson for buying a car, how to keep your ego out of money decisions, the truth about money worries, and so much more.RELATED EPISODESSeven Secrets to Free Up Cash and Create More Cash FlowThe Secrets to Creating a Profitable LifeInsider Secrets From Buying Your First Home & Rookie Mistakes to AvoidSPONSORSThanks to Chime for sponsoring the …

If you’ve been listening to this show for a while you know I LOVE to travel. I don’t always love the airport and I’m a pretty nervous flyer, but I love discovering new places, integrating into new cultures, trying new foods, and honestly, just relaxing. I’m a little crazy because I love to do all the research before a trip. Yep, I’m that girl who loves to go down travel rabbit holes. I love to play around on a ton of sites and look for the best bang for our buck. But I know you might not enjoy all that work. Our guest and fellow travel lover, Alex Simon, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Elude, this cool new app that helps you find the perfect place to travel to on any budget. It’s a new concept called budget first planning - you pick your budget, then head to Elude and it tells you all the amazing places you can go with that budget. In this episode, we explore all the amazing places you can travel to for a $2,000 or less budget, why budget first travel is so revolutionary, and Alex shares…

Alright, raise your hand if you’ve tried budgeting, you’ve tried all the apps, and for whatever reason, you’ve decided that something must be wrong with you because it doesn’t work. Well, my friend, you aren’t alone. I too have tried my share of budgeting apps only to get frustrated at the process because I know that most traditional budgeting programs and apps are missing the golden key you need to actually be successful.  They are all missing the psychology piece - aka a deeper dive into your thoughts, feelings, habits, beliefs, childhood money stories and so much more. I like to call it the gunk that actually matters when you’re trying to better your money situation. Well, I’m not alone. Our guest, Dani Pascarella is a Certified Financial Planner who previously worked on Wall Street and decided that she was fed up with traditional budgeting and decided to start OneEleven and create a budgeting app that focuses on the psychology of money. We talk about why money is the #1 cause of s…

Shannah Shares: 7 Ways to Stay Focused on Your Money GoalsIn this Shannah Shares, Community Q&A vault episode, I'm sharing the 7 tips to help you stay focused on your money goals inspired by a question from Amanda:"I love your podcast and have been listening for over a year now being inspired and working towards my goals. Maybe my question isn't really a question, but more like a request for a pep talk. I have 4 main money goals that I've been slowly working towards Paying off my student loans, saving 4 months of expenses in my emergency fund, and saving $3,000 in what I like to call an "oh shit fund" (I can access this savings account much quicker than my emergency fund), and finally saving for a house. For the past 6 years, I've been laser-focused on paying off my student loans, but because of the pandemic, I decided to shift my focus on hitting my emergency fund goal. Recently, however, I've been struggling with staying focused on achieving the emergency fund goal. I now have o…

Being an entrepreneur myself, I’ve always known that the trickiest part of running your own business or starting your own side hustle is the money part. How do you get enough money to get up and running? You could borrow money from friends and a family, use your own cash, or look for investors who believe in your idea. In this episode, we’re talkin’ all about a different form of investing called angel investing and how women are using angel investing to bridge the gender gap in entrepreneurship and start some kick-ass businesses. Loretta McCarthy is the Co-Ceo and Managing Partner of Golden Seeds, one of the largest and most active angel investment networks in the US and by far the largest that invests in early-stage women-led companies. Yes, please! Loretta is here to give you all the details on what angel investing is, how angel investing can help jump start your business, how to get your company all set up for investors and so much more. All my fellow entrepreneurs, this episode is…

Six letters – BUDGET – is probably one of the most despised combinations of letters in the English language, but that’s because you’re thinking about it all wrong. A budget isn’t a set-in-stone document that is some formal decree telling what you can and can’t spend your money on. In fact, in this episode, I'm giving you permission to throw out your budget with a few simple caveats and teaching you my easy 1-2-3 system for budgeting so you can stop stressing over money.RELATED EPISODESBudget Rescue: Why Am I Never Left With Any MoneyCreate a Budget That Sparks JoyGet a Life You Love on a Budget You Can AffordSPONSORSThanks to Chime for sponsoring the show. Get started with Chime today. Applying for a free account takes less than 2 minutes. Get started at chime.com/mymoney.Thanks to Apple Card for sponsoring the show. Apply for the Apple Card now in the Wallet app on iPhone and start using it right away.Thanks to Shopify for sponsoring the show. Shopify is more than a store. Connect wi…

Are you eligible for $10,000 in student loan forgiveness? After months and months and months of speculation, we finally have word that many Americans will receive $10,000 of automatic student loan forgiveness. Will that be you, will it make a difference in your life, and what do you need to know all in this special episode? Links Department of Education Subscription Page Studentaid.gov Addressing the $1.5 Trillion in Student Loan Debt article Federal Student Aid Information on the Initiative CNN How to Qualify for Biden's New Student Loan Forgivness Act Episode Sponsors Thanks to Chime for sponsoring the show. Get started with Chime today. Applying for a free account takes less than 2 minutes. Get started at chime.com/mymoney. Thanks to Apple Card for sponsoring the show. Apply for the Apple Card now in the Wallet app on iPhone and start using it right away. Thanks to the Jordan Harbinger Show for sponsoring this episode. Search for The Jordan Harbinger Show on Apple Pod…

Are you ready to learn how to accelerate your path to prosperity and create your financial freedom blueprint? Maybe prosperity is a dollar amount or being able to have time and freedom in your day, maybe it’s becoming debt-free, or having a certain amount of money in your investment accounts. No matter what prosperity means to you, you need a roadmap to get there. Our guest, Louis Llanes is the founder of Wealthnet Investments, LLC and the author of a new book called Financial Freedom Blueprint. Louis also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Market Technician (CMT) designations, an MBA from the University of Denver, and a BS in Finance from the University of Colorado - aka, he knows his stuff. In this vault episode, Louis shares the 7 seven steps to mapping your financial future to help you secure financial independence and create financial freedom.LinksFinancial Freedom Blueprint bookWealthnet Investments, LLCRELATED EPISODESInvest Differently to Reach Financial…

Fertility is a tricky (and expensive) topic. No matter how you feel about having babies, you have to face that question at some point in life, and it can be a difficult one. Do you have kids, can you have kids, and when is the right time to have kids? In this special vault episode, our podcast guest Afton Vechery, co-founder and CEO of Modern Fertility joins me to talk all about the price of fertility and what her company is doing to change the conversation. You'll learn why fertility is a hush-hush topic, why traditional fertility testing is so expensive, how fertility testing works, and ways to cut the costs when it comes to testing for fertility.LinksModern FertilitySPONSORSThanks to Chime for sponsoring the show. Get started with Chime today. Applying for a free account takes less than 2 minutes. Get started at chime.com/mymoney.Thanks to Apple Card for sponsoring the show. Apply for the Apple Card now in the Wallet app on iPhone and start using it right away.Thanks to the Jordan …

Are you struggling to finally break free from debt? In this Money 101 episode, I’m breaking down how to think about debt, strategies to pay it off, and why being completely debt-free should never be the goal. Just a quick note, this episode is not just for newbies. When I was a working financial planner I worked with people of all ages who just couldn’t figure out how to get a handle on debt. So, you are not alone if you’re struggling with debt. According to CNBC, the average American has over $90,000 in debt according to 2021 numbers. You'll learn the two strategies to pay off debt, how to deal with the emotions around debt, and a deep dive into my debt story.RELATED EPISODESThe Toll Debt Takes on Your Mental HealthFrom 10K in Debt to 800K in Net WorthIs All Debt BadSPONSORSThanks to Chime for sponsoring the show. Get started with Chime today. Applying for a free account takes less than 2 minutes. Get started at chime.com/mymoney.Thanks to Apple Card for sponsoring the show. Apply fo…

Now is the time to know how to recession-proof your career. I know that right now there’s SO much talk about recession and you probably have seen a few notices from companies that they are laying off people, sometimes in a BIG way. So what can you do to recession-proof your career? Jacqueline Twillie, founder of ZeroGap and Amazon best-selling author of Navigating the Career Jungle and Don’t Leave Money on the Table, is here to hold your hand and give you a solid action plan for how you recession-proof your career. Jacqueline’s tips are relevant no matter what the economy is doing, however, if we’re going to talk recession she thinks you need a few extra tricks up your sleeve. She shares why now is the best time to negotiate, how to make yourself stand out in your career, and why her L.A.T.T.E. method will have you earning more money than you thought was possible.LINKSZeroGapDon't Leave Money on the Table BookJacqueline's websiteRELATED EPISODESThe Insiders Secrets to Know Your Value,…

What if you could feel good about saving money? Raise your hand if you are guilty of this…you hit the buy now button without even thinking. I know I certainly am. But what if all those buy-now purchases are moving you further away from your dreams and goals without you consciously being aware of it? In today’s vault episode with money-saving expert Jeanette Pavini, we move from mindless spending to mindful spending and uncover the secret to finding joy in saving money. You'll learn the 3 step strategy to creating a money-saving system you can win with, what's stopping you from finding joy in saving money, sneaky ways to find major savings in your bank account, and so much more.LinksJeanette's websiteThe Joy of $aving bookEpisode SponsorsThanks to Chime for sponsoring the show. Get started with Chime today. Applying for a free account takes less than 2 minutes. Get started at chime.com/mymoney.Thanks to Apple Card for sponsoring the show. Apply for the Apple Card now in the Wallet app …

What does it take to become an everyday millionaire? If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me how to get to millionaire status, I’d probably be a multi-millionaire by now. Deacon Hayes, former financial advisor, founder of Well Kept Wallet, and author of You Can Retire Early, knows a thing or two about millionaire status. Over the last few years, he’s dedicated himself to becoming debt-free and educates people just like you on how to do the same. Recently, he became so inspired to teach you how to become an everyday millionaire that he wrote a rap song all about it. In this vualt episode, Deacon shares his top tips to help you step into everyday millionaire status, and even gives us a little sneak peek of his song.LinksWell Kept WalletYou Can Retire EarlyEveryday Millionaire SongYou Can Retire Early Podcast EpisodeEpisode SponsorsThanks to Chime for sponsoring the show. Get started with Chime today. Applying for a free account takes less than 2 minutes. Get started at chime.c…

Women have been largely overlooked in money conversations and you know the stats, we earn less, live longer, and so much more. We definitely get the short end of the equality stick a lot.  So it’s even more important, no, make that critical, that we as women learn how to have fiscal freedom. As our guest, Kimberlee Davis says, “ a lot of women don’t know what the heck is going on with their finances and don’t like to talk about it.” In Kimberlee’s new book, “The Fiscal Feminist”, she shares the must-know money lessons that every woman needs to know and holds her hand through some serious topics like divorce, prenups and postnups, and all those money topics that you’d rather hide from. Her message is that you need to become the CEO of your life. Join us for this inspiring episode that feels like a fun information overload, in the best way possible, and a wild ride with Kimberlee. Let’s get talkin’.LinksThe Fiscal Feminist bookThe Bahnsen GroupKimberlee on LinkedInEpisode SponsorsThanks…

We're featuring one of my favorite vault episodes from 2018 that was a listener favorite. I hope you enjoy it!All personal finance experts can agree on one thing – starting to save early will almost always help you reach your lifestyle goals quicker and with more ease than those who wait longer. When you think about your savings there are two ways you can save – the crockpot style or the microwave style.Inspired by a recent industry article in Financial Planning Magazine, thinking about a crockpot for your savings strategy makes pretty good sense. With any crockpot recipe, the idea is simple. You gather all your ingredients ahead of time, throw them into the crockpot, turn it on low and slow for 6-8 hours, and then you have an almost always perfect meal sure to wow anyone.What You'll LearnWe’ll chat about the crockpot method of savingsWhy a crockpot method might make more sense than microwaving your savingsFocus on saving little by little over time with consistency so whenever you rea…

Have you ever been curious about franchising? There smart ways to invest in a franchise, you just need to know how to find the right one. I’ve been super excited about this episode because, believe it or not, in 875 episodes I’ve never talked about franchising. I have to admit, I had some preconceived notions about franchising, but I’m happy to say that they were blown out of the water after this conversation. For the past 20 years, Kim Daly has been helping people realize their dreams of business ownership through franchising - and I’m not just talking about all those fast food chains you drive by every day. The franchising business goes way deeper and Kim’s job is to help you figure out what franchise aligns with your life goals. This episode is an inspiring story that could help you build wealth and achieve your dreams in a business model that my guess is you might not have explored before. As I always say, everything with money deserves a listen and then you have the info to figur…

The truth is everything in America isn’t always equal, especially when we’re talking about building and passing down generational wealth. The most important lesson that our guest Portia Wood, a generational wealth planning attorney at the Wood Legal Group, LLP shares are that you must get educated to protect yourself and your family and learn how to build generational wealth for future generations. That is one of the most powerful tools you have in your money tool belt. Portia is passionate about teaching everyone about estate planning, especially black and brown communities. Portia shares how you can fight back and work to build true generational wealth, the three legal documents everyone needs, and how something as simple as a house can be one of your best generational wealth-building assets. I hope you’re as fired up after this episode as I am. It’s time we start creating sustainable change for you, me, and everyone listening - we all deserve generational wealth. Let’s get talkin’.…