How to Become a Rich Person with Haley Sacks (aka Mrs. Dow Jones) - Girls Gotta Eat

Transcript

Haley Sachs (Mrs. Dow Jones) (0:00)

The thing about finances is that it's actually not that complicated and it's not so creative. The path that we all have to take to get rich, it's actually really straightforward.

Ashley Hesseltine (0:23)

This podcast is a Dear Media production.

Raina Greenberg (0:26)

Hi, guys.

Ashley Hesseltine (0:27)

Hi, guys.

Raina Greenberg (0:27)

Welcome back to another episode of Girls Gotta Eat.

Ashley Hesseltine (0:29)

Welcome back. It is Netflix's joke festival. This week starts today as this episode airs.

Raina Greenberg (0:37)

I'm so excited. We haven't done a show together in so long.

Ashley Hesseltine (0:39)

We really haven't. I mean, it doesn't really feel like that, though. Cause, like, I opened your tour. I opened the first half of the tour. She might be coming back.

Raina Greenberg (0:46)

You guys stay tuned.

Ashley Hesseltine (0:47)

Oh, yeah, she might be. We'll talk about it. Yeah. So we have our show this Thursday night, May 7th, at the Palace Theater here in LA for the festival. We are doing the show with the Chippendales. We are so excited. We have fun, special guests, and so much fun stuff planned. I mean, I just can't even believe this. Like, you aren't on all these Chippendales calls. That's my department, stripper calls, which is weird.

Raina Greenberg (1:12)

It seems like more my department.

Ashley Hesseltine (1:14)

Well, you're more in person with the strippers. Like, I'm behind the scenes.

Raina Greenberg (1:16)

They don't touch you.

Ashley Hesseltine (1:17)

Yeah. So that will be this Thursday. You guys can grab tickets. You can just go to Girls Gotta Eat dot com. That's the easiest way. You can also go to Netflix. It's a joke fest dot com. But girls gotta eat dot com, click on live shows that get tickets. And we can't wait to see you there. This is really the main show of the year, so we don't really know what else we're doing. I mean, obviously Raina's been on her tour. I toured last year. And so we haven't done these types of shows in a while. And this will be the one.

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: Girls Gotta Eat
Episode: How to Become a Rich Person with Haley Sacks (Mrs. Dow Jones)
Date: May 4, 2026
Hosts: Ashley Hesseltine & Raina Greenberg
Guest: Haley Sacks (Mrs. Dow Jones)

Episode Overview

This week's episode of Girls Gotta Eat dives into financial literacy with renowned money expert, content creator, and author Haley Sacks, aka Mrs. Dow Jones. With her trademark humor and a mission to make personal finance accessible, Haley shares actionable advice on building wealth, combating systemic barriers, and embracing a mindset shift from financial helplessness to financial empowerment. The conversation, sprinkled with personal anecdotes, candid admissions, and joyfully irreverent banter, is a comedic-yet-practical education on the path to becoming a future rich person.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Haley's Backstory and Origin of Mrs. Dow Jones

Finance was not always accessible or aspirational: Haley explains that, like many women, she grew up around money but wasn’t taught to manage it. She always saw wealth as desirable but “assumed it wasn’t for me” (24:42).
A-ha moment at a new job: Working for Lorne Michaels, she was confronted by 401ks and health insurance forms she didn’t understand, sparking her determination to educate herself through YouTube and online research (28:44).
Content for women felt joyless: “There was one that told me to wash and reuse paper towels... Men are taught how to invest and grow their wealth. Women are taught to save and scrimp.” – Haley (30:30-30:39).
Creating Mrs. Dow Jones: She realized women wanted aspirational, relatable, and fun financial content, so she became “patient zero”—teaching herself and her followers using digital media (31:45).

2. Actionable Pillars for Financial Health

Haley outlines a straightforward, four-step system:

Set up the right accounts: Find a bank you like, with a great app and UI. “You have a seamless financial system that fits your vibe.” (34:13)
Save an emergency fund: Six months of bare-bones living expenses in a high-yield savings account (34:31-34:40).
Automate your finances: Automate everything, from bills to savings. “I would not have built any wealth without automation.” – Haley (35:14).
Pay off high-interest debt: Prioritize paying off high-interest debts, focusing extra payments on the highest interest rate (“first impression rose”) (74:35).
Negotiate your salary and increase your income: Don’t just cut back—look for creative ways to make more, whether by switching jobs, negotiating a raise, or upskilling (48:25).

3. Mindset, Psychology, and Combating Systemic Barriers

The system is rigged: Wages haven’t kept up with living costs (67% rise in cost of living since 2000, but only 7% rise in wages). “The system is so messed up. But you still have to do it anyway.” – Haley (56:40).
Financial energy is finite: Spend your energy on high-impact actions (automation, negotiating raises) instead of tasks that don't materially increase wealth (like couponing or scrimping on pre-cut veggies) (37:26).
Don’t glamorize being broke: Haley criticizes content making poor financial decisions look “cute” and urges listeners to change their algorithms to consume empowering financial advice (70:35).

4. Consumerism, Social Media, and Emotional Spending

Resisting influencer culture: Haley provides concrete strategies to resist relentless advertising and social pressure—mute or unfollow influencers, unsubscribe from sales emails, and add friction to online spending (65:49-66:46).
Pause before purchases: “Wait three days before you pay” to disrupt emotional and impulsive spending (67:48).
Know your ‘why’: Identify what truly brings joy versus what’s an emotional or societal trap. “You don’t have to give up everything, but deprivation never lasts.” – Haley (63:17-63:45).
Financial nihilism & learned helplessness: Buying things to appear rich or because “the game is rigged” ultimately sabotages real wealth-building (69:48-71:24).

5. Dealing with Debt (Especially as a Young Person)

Average debt: Gen Z averages $34k personal (non-student loan) debt (72:29).
Debt is systemic, not always personal fault: “It’s not even always their spending. We villainize the mom putting groceries on a credit card. That’s a systemic issue.” – Haley (73:11).
Bachelorette Payoff Method: Make minimum payments everywhere, then target highest-interest debt with all extra funds until it’s gone, then move down the list (74:35).
Avoid shame, focus on behaviors: Use guides and planners (such as those provided with Haley’s book) for a practical plan out of debt (74:48).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Haley on gendered financial advice:

“Men are taught how to invest and grow their wealth and women are taught how to, like, scrimp and save. And that your things that you like are silly and superfluous.” – Haley (30:31)
On financial automation:

“You got paid. It goes in these different places... I would not have built any wealth without automation.” – Haley (35:36-35:45)
On social pressure and aspirational spending:

“Why can't we have the social pressure be to max out your Roth IRA, to be negotiating your raise, to be investing consistently?” – Haley (32:50)
On the system being stacked against us:

“From 2000 to 2024, cost of living has gone up 67%, but wages have only increased 7%.” – Haley (56:40)
On debt and shame:

“There are so many ways to pay off debt... the biggest thing is just to make sure that you understand the reason that you are getting into debt, that you figure that out.” – Haley (74:53)
On combatting consumerism:

“You have to understand like the smartest minds at the biggest corporations...and probably a bunch of, like, AI bots trying to get you to spend money.” – Haley (65:58-66:14)
Healthy self-permission:

“You don’t have to give up everything, but deprivation never lasts long term.” – Haley (63:17)
On breaking the cycle:

“The best way to embrace being a future rich person is not hiding from the truth that, yes, we are in a new time of building wealth that is very different from our parents’ generation and there's a lot of systemic hindrances to that, but doing it anyways, because the best form of protest is to open that brokerage to take that first step.” – Haley (77:03)

Important Timestamps

Haley’s Background & Financial Origin Story: [24:42] – [31:45]
Gender Differences in Financial Advice: [30:30] – [32:50]
Haley’s Four Steps for Financial Success: [34:13] – [35:45]
Automating Finances & Behavioral Psychology: [35:14] – [37:26]
Building Income & Careers: [48:25] – [49:24]
Negotiating Raises (with AI/Mirror Practice): [49:40] – [55:33]
System is Rigged/Statistics: [56:40] – [58:37]
Debt Statistics & Payoff Approach: [72:29] – [74:48]
Consumerism & Emotional Spending: [65:49] – [67:59]
Algorithm & Social Media Detox for Financial Health: [70:29] – [70:47]
How to Think Like a “Future Rich Person”: [77:03] – [79:07]

Flow and Tone

The tone is lighthearted, digestible, and often self-deprecating, making even dense financial topics feel approachable. Haley infuses the conversation with humor (“I thought it was the sock market”), and the hosts bounce between confessions, relatable struggles, actionable steps, and pop culture references. There’s a strong sense of “real talk” and validation for listeners at all income levels, particularly for women who feel left out of traditional finance discussions.

Takeaways for Listeners

Small, consistent financial actions can snowball into big change—start wherever you are, even if it’s $5.
Automation and systemization reduce the emotional burden of finance.
Make more money, not just cut back—you deserve abundance.
Unfollow, mute, and make it harder to buy stuff on impulse.
Empower yourself and your algorithm to absorb good financial content.
Shame-free: Debt and setbacks are common and often systemic; the key is action, not shame.
Educate, negotiate, and celebrate wins—become your own best advocate.

Where to Find More from Haley Sacks aka Mrs. Dow Jones

Instagram: @mrsdowjones
Podcast: Financial Tea
Upcoming Book: Future Rich Person (on sale May 12th; comes with free debt planner and guides)

For Further Information

Follow Girls Gotta Eat: Instagram: @girlsgottaeatpodcast | TikTok: @girlsgottaeatpodcast | Website: girlsgottaeat.com
Listen to the episode for more fun stories, banter, and wisdom!

“If you are taking the time to consume this content and really try to learn, you are one of the ones that is going to make it.” – Ashley Hesseltine (78:10)